Who was the first audition speculation

[dreamsunwind]

Originally Posted by Sugar Mouse

I'm a huge fan of Lindsey, but I'm somehow able to see that the breakup has responsibility on both sides of the fence. That point seems to elude most of the folks on this forum. Perhaps I'm less perturbed by the breakup because I was a fan many years before Lindsey/Stevie joined the band. There are more Fleetwood Mac albums without Lindsey than with Lindsey, so life goes on even if it's not the "classic" lineup.

You're really missing the point here. The user you're replying to was right in saying that this has never really been a "Lindsey forum" like you keep calling it. Few people are dumb enough to think Lindsey just did absolutely nothing. He obviously had some request or something he wanted that was causing some type of conflict. But the reason there are so many angry fans and so many fans who hold resentment against other band members for it is because this situation is appalling, especially at this point in their careers. For so many reasons. It is absolutely reasonable for even big Stevie fans to be upset with her (and there are many) because this just never would've happened if it was her. Everyone knows this and that's why so much of the discussion ends up being about Stevie or related to her. If she told them to cancel the entire tour they probably would've done so and there's really no question about that. She's done SO much in recent years to alter/delay/impact the band's activities and she's been allowed to. And Lindsey gets thrown out for it? When he's the one who's given the MOST time and effort into the band? You don't even have to LIKE Lindsey to acknowledge that fact. And it's especially appalling when there's ample to indicate that he was trying to work on a plan that would make things work. OF COURSE people are going to question the intentions of those like Stevie or Mick in this situation.
And if you don't care about what lineups are considered classic or not then fine, don't think about it with the word 'classic' in mind. Think about time. Those 5 people defined Fleetwood Mac for several decades. The other lineups that produced those other albums lasted a few years each. When you're Lindsey and have given several decades of your life filled with hard work to a band, it's hard to wrap your head around how they can throw you out because you wanted them to be flexible with you and then replace you and treat you as if you were just any other band member.
This is why people are mad. It's not about blame. It's about the fact that this should not have happened, the people still in the band should not have let this happen. It reflects badly on them that they did. You don't let one member do whatever the hell she wants and then kick another one out when he wants something, not after all this time. People called Don Henley and Glenn Frey assholes and horrible people for YEARS after they fired Don Felder, and Don Felder's role in the Eagles was never even close to what Lindsey's has been in Fleetwood Mac. People STILL call Don Henley a terrible person because of it. Of course people are going to be upset with Mick/Stevie, even John and Chris. It really makes them look terrible if you ask me, they're tarnishing their own legacy.