Christine interview circa 1979

[dougl]

Not sure who’s conducting this interview

https://youtu.be/lrE_-56XD58?si=bxrnHggn3avilJ1_

[Macfan4life]

This was so wonderfully unexpected. Thanks for posting. I absolutely love when he asks her directly: When did Fleetwood Mac change from a blues band to a rock band. She exclaims there never was a decision to do that. She also mentions Over My Head was as bluesy as she writes so she sort of implied she still writes blues.
She brings up a good point that Fleetwood Mac is a visually appealing band to watch play. 5 people that look completely different, different backgrounds, and places of origin. She also states they led a comfortable life with Bob Welch but were not making millions. Chris also acknowledges the impact 2 women have in the same band and how unique it is. She rarely spoke in a feminist sort of way so that was a rare moment. I love how she exclaimed the band knew the White album was going to be a hit based on how the audience reacted to the new music. She also states she was the one that protested and did not want to move to the States. Yet in 1979 she claims she loves LA but predicts she will move back to England when she turns 50. She was pretty close with that prediction.

[Nathan]

What a treat! Thanks for posting.

I can think of at least one song, "Why" that's sad... And, all her songs have a touch of something sad or eerie in them. I guess it just wasn't salient for CM in that moment... And, the interviewer didn't seem to be her #1 fan, though, certainly respectful and professional.

TY again!

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Nathan

What a treat! Thanks for posting.

I can think of at least one song, "Why" that's sad... And, all her songs have a touch of something sad or eerie in them. I guess it just wasn't salient for CM in that moment... And, the interviewer didn't seem to be her #1 fan, though, certainly respectful and professional.

TY again!

I think that is what made it such a fantastic interview. It was not a love fest but real interview. There was one time she was like "what do you mean" the question caught her off guard. I don't think he irked her but he asked some good questions and actually let her finish every answer. He also did not praise every answer which happens so much today.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

This was so wonderfully unexpected. Thanks for posting. I absolutely love when he asks her directly: When did Fleetwood Mac change from a blues band to a rock band. She exclaims there never was a decision to do that. She also mentions Over My Head was as bluesy as she writes so she sort of implied she still writes blues.

I think it was a gradual change, since the blues songwrites were leaving the band and entered new ones. First Peter, then Jeremy and then Danny. So Christine probably was changing to adapt to the new sound Bob brought to the band. And when L&S came to the band, well the metamorphosis was complete. Yes I read Over My Head was a blues song, but it doesn't sound like the songs from the first Mac albums.

[David]

Say, that’s a brand-new interview to me, Doug. The interviewer is a void, so Chris isn’t terribly inspired to say much, other than rambling. But it’s a hefty 50 minutes. Wonder where this turned up (before YouTube).

[Penguin Emeritus]

Originally Posted by David

Say, that’s a brand-new interview to me, Doug. The interviewer is a void, so Chris isn’t terribly inspired to say much, other than rambling. But it’s a hefty 50 minutes. Wonder where this turned up (before YouTube).

i'd rather have rambling as opposed to interviewers who interrupt and ask stupid questions etc. i could listen to her ramble all day.

-Lis

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by Villavic

I think it was a gradual change, since the blues songwrites were leaving the band and entered new ones. First Peter, then Jeremy and then Danny. So Christine probably was changing to adapt to the new sound Bob brought to the band. And when L&S came to the band, well the metamorphosis was complete. Yes I read Over My Head was a blues song, but it doesn't sound like the songs from the first Mac albums.

The shift away happened in October, 1968, when they recorded “Albatross”. Incidentally, Christine Perfect was also moved away from the blues with her solo album. It had blues, but wasn’t exclusively blues. Of course, that made sense, since she was part of the band’s inner circle.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by Penguin Emeritus

i'd rather have rambling as opposed to interviewers who interrupt and ask stupid questions etc. i could listen to her ramble all day.

-Lis

I agree. I remember my interviewing classes and rule #1 is let the interviewee do all the talking. He asked some deep questions that did not have easy or funny answers. We usually get the same questions over and over. I think Mick sort of explained this in his first book about the time this interview took place. He said something like every time the plane touched down on the Tusk tour in another city the press would stick microphones in his face asking the same questions: Who is Rhiannon? Is Stevie leaving the band? What does Tusk mean? Mick had his canned answers ready to go with his bloodshot eyes.
You are also correct. A rambling interviewee will always reveal much more than direct questions with short answers we all heard before. It was refreshing to hear Chris not say once during this interview "When Stevie and Lindsey joined we tried them out on Say You Love Me and we got goose pimples" That was in every Chris interview in the 70s and 80s.
A good interviewer can get their subject to ramble and be relaxed. Many rock star interviews are the interviewer praising their subject over and over. Molly Meldrum did that for all his Stevie interviews. He spoke to her as if she was a queen. This is also why Stevie loved him and would cry and praise him as an interviewer.
When did Fleetwood Mac go from a blues band to a rock band? Open ended question and impossible to answer in short. The question allowed her to ramble about her writing and how she always writes bluesy and how it was not a conscious change. No one ever asked her that question before. Sort of out of left field but her response was wonderful especially when she was talking about Over My Head and she thinks it was one of her blusiest songs.

[jbrownsjr]

Haha!!! does she impersonate Churchill!!! That's the funniest thing I've ever heard, ever!!

[jbrownsjr]

Also, says that parents would be putting their children in danger if she taught an art class.

She's a hoot!