Details 1994 Interview - A Must Read

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

It burns the musicians in Fleetwood Mac up. They (mostly Lindsey) spend months writing, arranging, recording, overdubbing, rearranging, and producing fantastic music -- then Stevie waltzes in wearing chiffon, blows some fairy dust around, and releases one of the biggest solo albums of the year in any genre.

Mick's solo album was dead on arrival, and Lindsey's solo album was lukewarm at best. In walks the reigning queen with her hotshot producer - ready to give 3 weeks in the studio. Lindsey was fuming, Mick was too high to notice, and Chris & John were laughing smarmily in the background at the ridiculousness of it all. Jimmy Iovine, the sober, logical man that he is, was like - "These people are effing crazy, I'm outta here."

To further injure egos, Stevie passive aggressively slides Lindsey a copy of "Bella Donna".

Yes!! Moon necklaces for everyone!!!

Jimmy was sober? How could he be, with the Hoover vacuum of cocaine? She does blow until 9am, and he's just sitting there with the razor blade?

But yeah, they were all bitter, and jealous. And they had every right to be. The most UNtalented croaker that ever lived passed them all by, when THEY had the talent.

And look at her now. Lonely and bitter, herself. Dried up old prune.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by David

If Jimmy barged in to the sessions and offered unsolicited advice, I forgive Lindsey for picking a fight with him. But if Jimmy behaved himself and sat by quietly and didn’t butt in on Fleetwood Mac, then I think Lindsey acted like a real turd. Recording artists know better than to barge in as a boyfriend or girlfriend and get involved in what the band is doing — it’s industry etiquette not to do that. I’m sure Jimmy knew how to behave as an observer or onlooker. I think Lindsey just got terribly pissy about something or other.

But, really, I’m amazed that Iovine even agreed to accept Stevie’s request that he go with her to France. Why did he even want to go? It was early 1982, wasn’t it? and his Long After Dark album is getting readied for release. What was he doing hanging out with Fleetwood Mac, a band he didn’t particularly like at that time? (Unless he and Stevie planned to enjoy the Paris nightlife after work.)

According to Stevie, she literally flew to France right after the last show of the Bella Donna tour. She at that point was living with Jimmy, they were together a year or two by then, he was at her shows, and she was having to give up that glorious moment of solo success (which I absolutely do not begrudge her, it was a true success) to go back to the tension and drama of FM. She probably asked him to come with for some moral support. I believe she said he was supposed to stay for 10 days (so not much more than a week) I would guess to be there for her outside of the sessions so she'd feel like she had someone on her side supporting her but that's just my guess... but he left after 1. I think he and Lindsey almost came to blows. Personally, not knowing any of them directly, I'd venture that Jimmy tried to have polite conversation with Lindsey and can see Lindsey being very cold and terse (something he's good at). He can be very, very cutting. Who knows what the actual spark was on the day, but.... I can see Jimmy's ego being unable to sit there and be treated like crap, he had as solid credentials as Lindsey (not as a performer but producer). Lindsey could be quite passive aggressive in that way of undermining Stevie, so I can see it. I can also see what others have said about her wanting to have her producer boyfriend there to wave it in front of Lindsey. The problem with people who take sides in the Stevie/Lindsey drama is that they don't grasp how mutual the dysfunction between those two is.

[vermicious knid]

Why do I have it in my head that the recordings in France for Mirage began in October 1981? It fits with the fact that her last 1981 appearance as a special guest with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was on October 7th, and her first solo show was on November 28th.

If going to France was jam-packed in the time between those two dates, that was hectic and crazy.

And then I thought that Mirage was finished up in the United States in early 1982. Can anyone confirm all this, because I hope I'm not making it up.

[WatchChain]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

The problem with people who take sides in the Stevie/Lindsey drama is that they don't grasp how mutual the dysfunction between those two is.

On point - this is the best assessment regarding the energy between Stevie and Lindsey. Each party gives as good as they get. Each side has their narrative, but the truth falls somewhere in the middle.

Stevie waltzed in with her hotshot producer riding the laurels of a 3 million selling, triple platinum debut solo album. Lindsey's solo album, released around the same time, struggled to sell 300,000 copies. Now Lindsey was being summoned back into the toxicity of Fleetwood Mac to produce an album with a more commercial sound. His state of mind could not have been in a good place. Cue the cold, callous behavior toward Stevie. Cue the act of passive aggressively slipping him a copy of Bella Donna.

Jimmy Iovine sampled the energy and caught the next flight out.

[Macfan4life]

We do get a great song written during this saga: Straight Back. Its a literal interpretation of Stevie going straight back to work with the Mac while she put her solo career on hold. The dream was not over. The dream had just begun.

[David]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

Stevie waltzed in with her hotshot producer riding the laurels of a 3 million selling, triple platinum debut solo album.

Not only that, but the dates are important to help me jog my memory. When were they in France? When was her Rolling Stone cover story released? How many had Bella Donna actually sold by that point? I think all of this more or less coincided after the first of the year (1982).

I believe Jimmy was there as moral support for Stevie. (Why else would he be there, after all?) But she had her girlfriends, too — at least six or seven of ’em.

The Rolling Stone Record magazine that used to publish back then ran a cover tale of the Mirage sessions, and its big theme was that Stevie had ego’d out and was largely absent from sessions and nearly impossible to reach by phone. It was a lengthy piece by David Gans that really drove home the point that Nicks was being isolated (or isolating herself) from the rest of the band. Does anyone remember reading that? It featured a photo of the stage setup for the upcoming Mirage tour. It may be posted in the Blue Letter Archives, but I can’t find the landing page for that suppository.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by David

Not only that, but the dates are important to help me jog my memory. When were they in France? When was her Rolling Stone cover story released? How many had Bella Donna actually sold by that point? I think all of this more or less coincided after the first of the year (1982).

I believe Jimmy was there as moral support for Stevie. (Why else would he be there, after all?) But she had her girlfriends, too — at least six or seven of ’em.

The Rolling Stone Record magazine that used to publish back then ran a cover tale of the Mirage sessions, and its big theme was that Stevie had ego’d out and was largely absent from sessions and nearly impossible to reach by phone. It was a lengthy piece by David Gans that really drove home the point that Nicks was being isolated (or isolating herself) from the rest of the band. Does anyone remember reading that? It featured a photo of the stage setup for the upcoming Mirage tour. It may be posted in the Blue Letter Archives, but I can’t find the landing page for that suppository.

She definitely did isolate herself from the band in 1982. Remember the Rolling Stone article "Happy At The Top" where Stevie would not partake in the interview with the rest of the band on the "advice of her manager."
They did not socialize on the set of the Hold Me video. Separate limos to concerts. I think everyone needed a break from each other.
I also remember Chris's passive aggressive comment "someone actually handed me this stuffed animal, usually Stevie gets all that stuff" to Rolling Stone.

[WatchChain]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

They did not socialize on the set of the Hold Me video.

Where was the "Hold Me" video filmed? I'm assuming they had to travel to a desert location?

[vermicious knid]

It seems like people believe Stevie was presenting Lindsey with a copy of a record that had already been out in stores for months and which was a proven hit, and I don't believe that's true. She brought it to him when it was "fresh off the press", in her words, which I take to mean prior to it's release on July 27th. I see it as a sincere gesture that she chose him to be one of the few people in the world to have something that meant a lot to her — before the general public could have it. And his album wasn't released until October 1981, so the theory that she was taunting him with a triple platinum album to make him feel small about his less successful album is way off the deep end.

To expound on the timing, Stevie was on the September 1981 cover of Rolling Stone. This issue would have been available to the public in August, requiring a cover photo shoot even earlier. During the photo shoot she was singing "The Wild Heart" lyrics along to the music from an early take of what would become "Can't Go Back". Her use of that music seems to prove that Fleetwood Mac was in the studio doing preliminary recording for Mirage in mid-1981, well before they isolated themselves in France.

This timeline fits together perfectly. The occasion that saw Stevie giving Lindsey a "fresh off the press" copy of Bella Donna was a Fleetwood Mac recording session prior to the release of Bella Donna or Law and Order.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

Where was the "Hold Me" video filmed? I'm assuming they had to travel to a desert location?

Mojave Desert. The director spilled the beans many years ago that the band was a nightmare to work with. If you notice the band members never appear together in the video (except the end with Mick and John). John was drunk and punched the director. Stevie was coked out and her boots were falling through the sand so they had to put boards under the sand. It was brutally hot and very windy and sand was blowing in everyone's eyes. The band traveled to and from in separate cars and had separate tents. The Gypsy video was filmed first even though it was the second single.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by David

If Jimmy barged in to the sessions and offered unsolicited advice, I forgive Lindsey for picking a fight with him. But if Jimmy behaved himself and sat by quietly and didn’t butt in on Fleetwood Mac, then I think Lindsey acted like a real turd.

Has anybody found a picture of Jimmy with the band from that year? Or at least with some members?

It's easy to think that he went with her to France if they were dating. But going to the recording sessions? I'd like a photo to prove that.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Has anybody found a picture of Jimmy with the band from that year? Or at least with some members?

It's easy to think that he went with her to France if they were dating. But going to the recording sessions? I'd like a photo to prove that.

The Château they stayed at was the recording studio. It had over 30 rooms and the studio was also there. Countless artists recorded there from Pink Floyd, Elton John, Rainbow, etc. Just imagine being in this giant French castle in the countryside with one of the world's most famous bands. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner catered along with parties. I certainly would wander around the studio to be curious. I am sure Lindsey's girlfriend did the same and spied a little in the recording studio. Drugs were still rampant too. During the parties or dinner the album would naturally be talked about. Apparently it made Lindsey and the band uncomfortable for him to be there.
They were hard at work and for the first time......where's Stevie? Oh she's on tour with Tom Petty. Then she's solo touring. It had to irk the band let alone Jimmy coming along.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

The Château they stayed at was the recording studio. It had over 30 rooms and the studio was also there. Countless artists recorded there from Pink Floyd, Elton John, Rainbow, etc. Just imagine being in this giant French castle in the countryside with one of the world's most famous bands. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner catered along with parties. I certainly would wander around the studio to be curious. I am sure Lindsey's girlfriend did the same and spied a little in the recording studio. Drugs were still rampant too. During the parties or dinner the album would naturally be talked about. Apparently it made Lindsey and the band uncomfortable for him to be there.
They were hard at work and for the first time......where's Stevie? Oh she's on tour with Tom Petty. Then she's solo touring. It had to irk the band let alone Jimmy coming along.

Oh I knew they recorded at th Honky Château d'Hérouville, but didn't know, or didn't remember they stayed at, too.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Oh I knew they recorded at th Honky Château d'Hérouville, but didn't know, or didn't remember they stayed at, too.

You are such an expert on Mick's book that I thought you would know The band spent a fortune decorating it for Stevie and Chris. There are videos of other bands recording there on youtube. Its like a historic resort with grand ballrooms, a swimming pool, etc. Mick needed to avoid paying more American taxes so he convinced the band to record and stay out of the country. The band first arrived in May 1981. Stevie flew back and forth during her summer Petty tour. She only toured with Tom on the west coast and Florida. This must be the time that Stevie complained about no air conditioning because when she got back there after her 1981 tour, it would be winter. Its old world luxury. Mick wrote in his book that he brought a horse to the castle and Stevie would ride with him on the back of it. Lindsey wrote 3 of his Mirage songs at the castle. Chris as usual was prepared with all her songs mostly about Dennis. Straight Back must have been written when Stevie rejoined the band in December 1981.
While I was reading these few pages again I forgot that Mick stated how much money he lost on The Visitor. He said it cost $500k to make and he did not make one cent. Just imagine how much money $500k was in 1981. I also forgot that he invited Bob Welch to come to Africa with him but Bob declined. That is how Todd Sharpe got the job. He had recently left Bob's band. The band bent over backwards for Mick. The band felt isolated working at this castle. But it was relatively close to Paris which they could get away for a bit. The castle had no air conditioning and was supposedly haunted. Stevie started recording Mirage before Bella Donna was released. I think the unexpected huge success made her return to France stressful which is why she probably brought Jimmy. Mick's solo album tanked and Lindsey's was only a fraction as successful as Stevie's. Also Rolling Stone crowned her the queen of rock n roll. This all created jealousy. Many band members dont rave about Mirage. Chris said weird things about it. I think the process and their state of mind gives them bad memories. But it all sounds exciting picturing Stevie walking up the giant staircase of the castle and looking out the top window when Mick rolled up.

[David]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Mojave Desert.

That was dumb, dumb, dumb. The Mojave is a nightmare, any Californian will tell you. Who decided this? Steve Barron? They should have gone to Pismo Beach, which has lovely dunes and the Pacific Ocean. AND it’s about 40 degrees cooler. I think everybody — not just the rock musicians — was snorting cocaine back then because these decisions they all made are so laughably bad.