Chris being ignored/left out

[mezzoforte]

Y'know, it's funny: Christine produced more hits than Stevie or Lindsey (not counting solo careers)--it's not that the music-buying public discounted Christine. But for reasons many and varied, Chris just didn't acquire those legions of rabid fans who wanted to dress like her and throw toys at her and make her an icon. Some of those factors were random, some were beyond anyone's control, and some speak to her general disinterest in being a rock and roll sex kitten. I think Chris mainly just wanted to make great music and drink her champagne; I doubt she cared much about truckloads of stuffed animals.

But on some level, it must have stung to be "the other girl in Fleetwood Mac." And especially, to see Stevie constantly deemed the "hot one." In return, of course, Chris was taken more seriously within the band and by critics, but I don't think any woman is completely, 100% fine with not being the pretty one (for what's it's worth, I've always considered them roughly equal in looks, depending on the period.)

Note: I say this as someone who still has issues about being less charismatic, non-blond sister. I even got highlights and went pseudo-blond, knowing full well that it would look terrible (it did) because jeezum crowe, it's hard to quash childhood issues!

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

But on some level, it must have stung to be "the other girl in Fleetwood Mac." And especially, to see Stevie constantly deemed the "hot one." In return, of course, Chris was taken more seriously within the band and by critics, but I don't think any woman is completely, 100% fine with not being the pretty one (for what's it's worth, I've always considered them roughly equal in looks, depending on the period.)

Note: I say this as someone who still has issues about being less charismatic, non-blond sister. I even got highlights and went pseudo-blond, knowing full well that it would look terrible (it did) because jeezum crowe, it's hard to quash childhood issues!

Good point, but not being the pretty one to whom? I bet there were a lot of men, who discounted Stevie and, rightly or wrongly, were drawn to Christine because they thought of her as being deeper.

I mean, Stevie fans can swim in her lyrics and find endless layers in them, but talking to her one on one back then . . . she might have seemed kind of ditzy. I think the fans may have been screaming for Stevie on stage, but when they got backstage to their dressing rooms, the men that Christine found most attractive might have found Christine to be "the pretty one" and been back there waiting in line.

Even someone like Tom Petty loves Stevie very much, but he seemed to think she was kind of flaky back then. You have men like Walter Egan who were infatuated with Stevie, just as her fans are. But you have a whole class of people who put her down, even if they did so unjustifiably. I think these are the type who admire Christine. Sexually, I think there are people who find her making it in a traditionally masculine world very appealing. You know how some women like "a man in uniform?" Well, I think Christine coming out there with an accordion strapped around her neck can entice in a similar fashion. It's a whole "girls with guitars" type of turn on.

I mean, I know it's not fun to be the also ran, if you're reading People magazine and see Stevie pictured as being the heart and center of the band. I'm sure that was not fun, but that was just one aspect of the attention they were getting. In the rest of their lives, I don't think there was that much of a disparity. In the parts that we didn't see, I think that Christine was getting plenty of attention, in an amount that pretty much rivaled Stevie's.

Michele

[kick.inside]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

But on some level, it must have stung to be "the other girl in Fleetwood Mac." And especially, to see Stevie constantly deemed the "hot one." In return, of course, Chris was taken more seriously within the band and by critics, but I don't think any woman is completely, 100% fine with not being the pretty one (for what's it's worth, I've always considered them roughly equal in looks, depending on the period.)

That's what I meant. I know she wasn't jealous of the fame or whatever. I don't think she was jealous of anything. I just think that it seems only natural that she must have felt inadequate or something at some point. Even if she didn't want to be fawned over, it must have felt kind of crappy that no one seemingly wanted to (not nearly as much as they did with Stevie, at least).
Even if she loves Stevie and they're two different types of people, it's inevitable that comparisons would be made, by other people or by Christine herself. I just think Stevie being there and getting all the attention could easily make her feel like she wasn't as good as her in whatever way (looks, music, etc.). No one wants to feel like someone is better than them, and when that someone is getting all the attention, that's how it feels - even if you don't want attention yourself.
I guess it's hard to explain.

Originally Posted by michelej1

Well, I think Christine coming out there with an accordion strapped around her neck can entice in a similar fashion.

I've always thought that Chris with the accordion was extremely sexy in a way. I have no idea why, but I just love it.
That really has nothing to do with the topic at hand, but I just thought I'd throw that out there.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by kick.inside

I've always thought that Chris with the accordion was extremely sexy in a way. I have no idea why, but I just love it.

Anita just posted a picture of Christine with the accordion that is quite alluring in the <3 Christine thread. I just get the feeling that's the kind of thing that guys like Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Steve Winwood are drawn by And I think John (long after his divorce) and Lindsey liked it too. Mick is different . . . I never got the vibe that he was attracted to Christine.

As for feeling left out sometimes, maybe Christine did. But I think Stevie did too. I think that Stevie felt inferior to Christine and jealous sometimes. As popular as she was, I think she still looked up to Christine as the big sister who was so accomplished and admired and made it all look so easy. So, it's the kind of thing that evened itself out. I don't think there was a chronic feeling of either one feeling like an "also ran." It went up and down like a seesaw.

Michele

[jbrownsjr]

I do understand because they were both female that it might bug another woman, but I would say Christine McVie is no ordinary or typical lady. I just don't see her caring that much about her image as much as she cared about the band. She would have tried to pop into the limelight or front the band long before Stevie ever arrived if she was into that sort of thing.


I will say however, I always felt Lindsey was bitter and disappointed that he never got the fandom Stevie did. And he's kind of a girl... (LOL) And comments like, "I had to do it all." that demonstrates to me just how strongly he felt about it.

[jbrownsjr]

I think Christine, John and Mick were concerned about the band more than their own fandom. Mick has an ego, but it wasn't bigger than the band in my opinion.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I do understand because they were both female that it might bug another woman, but I would say Christine McVie is no ordinary or typical lady. I just don't see her caring that much about her image as much as she cared about the band. She would have tried to pop into the limelight or front the band long before Stevie ever arrived if she was into that sort of thing.


I will say however, I always felt Lindsey was bitter and disappointed that he never got the fandom Stevie did. And he's kind of a girl... (LOL) And comments like, "I had to do it all." that demonstrates to me just how strongly he felt about it.

I think she was probably relieved somewhat, that Stevie did get to shoulder so much of the attention. Chris is too smart to care too much(even though I'm sure it did sting a little bit)...she knew it was good for the band, and always knew that her songs were the hit singles.

Lindsey is a girl. The gayest straight man I've ever seen. And yes, I think he was UBER bitter, over the attention that Stevie received.

[kick.inside]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Lindsey is a girl. The gayest straight man I've ever seen. And yes, I think he was UBER bitter, over the attention that Stevie received.

Yeah, I don't doubt that at all. He seemed like quite the diva at times. I think he's mellowed out a bit now though, so that's good.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

I think she was probably relieved somewhat, that Stevie did get to shoulder so much of the attention. Chris is too smart to care too much(even though I'm sure it did sting a little bit)...she knew it was good for the band, and always knew that her songs were the hit singles.

Lindsey is a girl. The gayest straight man I've ever seen. And yes, I think he was UBER bitter, over the attention that Stevie received.

Isn't he the one that said the band could be more masculine now that Christine is gone... then wrote such manly pieces as What's the World Comin' to.. to kick off the new "mascline" album? "Say You Ill"

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by kick.inside

I just think that it seems only natural that she must have felt inadequate or something at some point.

Christine never felt inadequate. Contrary to that belief, not everyone wants/needs their ego fed. Her ex, John McVie has a similar sensibility.

As I said before, if you look at interviews she gave during the 1970s, Christine made fun of all the hysteria/attention Stevie was getting. She wanted no part of it, and seemed relieved and very content in not bearing the brunt of public attention. That, itself, is natural for certain types of people.

Christine wanted respect -- not popularity, excessive publicity, and obsessive fandom. That's is what Stevie wanted/needed, and she got it. It was fated in a sense, since Stevie is not tied to an instrument, so her role in the band was more about visual dramatics.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

Christine wanted respect -- not popularity, excessive publicity, and obsessive fandom. That's is what Stevie wanted/needed, and she got it. It was fated in a sense, since Stevie is not tied to an instrument, so her role in the band was more about visual dramatics.

Being so different, I think that's how those girls (in fact all members) brought a balance to the band, and maybe part of the successful formula. Mick tells a bit about it in his book:

Many theories again appeared in the press to explain Fleetwood Mac's enormous new audience. One held that our three singer/songwriters and their different voices kept the public from getting bored with a monolithic Big Mac sound. Another postulated that the group fulfilled various deeply ingrained Anglo-American archetypes, with myself as the Public School Aristocrat, McVie as the British Cloth-Cap Working-Class type, Christine as an English Rose from the Midlands, Stevie as the California Girl, and Lindsey as Byronic Rock Star.....

Most critics seemed to agree that our writers were producing hit songs that fit into the modern romantic tradition established by the Beatles. But my favorite theory was that we were one of the first white groups since the Mamas and the
Papas to successfully bring female voices into the context of rock music. We didn't sound like anyone else.

Though I never saw Mick as an aristocrat. Specially during the 70s