Rumours Exposed

[BellaDonna93]

I'm reading the book called Rumours Exposed: The Unauthorized Biography of Fleetwood Mac, written by Leah Furman.
It's a really great biography of F.M.
In the book, they say that when Stevie and Lindsey first met, Lindsey was playing the piano to California Dreamin' but in interviews with Stevie herself, she says that he was playing the guitar. I thought "Well, do Lindsey plays the piano...?"...what do you think? Have you read the book?

Anyway, it's a really great book. So if you haven't read it yet, you should do it!

bookexposed.jpg

Have a nice day!
/Belladonna93

[David]

Originally Posted by BellaDonna93

In the book, they say that when Stevie and Lindsey first met, Lindsey was playing the piano to California Dreamin' but in interviews with Stevie herself, she says that he was playing the guitar. I thought "Well, do Lindsey plays the piano...?"...what do you think?

Lindsey actually plays the piano better than Stevie plays.

[Richard B]

Lindsey certainly plays piano. If you've ever seen the Tusk documentary, he is playing Angel on piano and trying to teach Stevie how to sing.

[michelej1]

He can play, but as many times as the story has been told, I don't think he was playing the piano when they met. Rumours Exposed may not be the most accurate book.

Michele

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

He can play, but as many times as the story has been told, I don't think he was playing the piano when they met.

Don't you think so? I think he may have been. I don't see any particular reason why he wouldn't have been. If they met at the Young Life meeting in the (grade school/junior high/high school) auditorium, it seems plausible. School auditoriums all have spinets or uprights parked off in some corner. And how many kids would have brought their guitars to a Young Life meeting? I don't know, really.

I think you're both in denial that it was in fact a recorder Lindsey was playing and not the piano nor guitar.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

Don't you think so? I think he may have been. I don't see any particular reason why he wouldn't have been. If they met at the Young Life meeting in the (grade school/junior high/high school) auditorium, it seems plausible. School auditoriums all have spinets or uprights parked off in some corner. And how many kids would have brought their guitars to a Young Life meeting? I don't know, really.

Well, why would Stevie say 1000 different times he was playing the guitar? She's kind of daffy, but that would be a little much, even for her. And since they went there mostly to socialize, despite the religious nature of the gathering, I could see him bringing his guitar, just to get attention -- and it worked!

Also, even though he was a teenager, he was still Lindsey. He probably did a lot of weird things. Having already loved his guitar for 10 years, he probably toted it around with him everywhere he went.

Now, on that VH1 thing, I don't know if Lindsey said he was playing the guitar or not. I know that he said Stevie already considered herself a poet back then and she sang him some of her stuff and he said he was quick to criticize it and then added: "that hasn't changed."

Aside from Angel, we have also seen him playing the piano and singing, "when you find your girlfriend in the arms of your best friend, that's when your heartache begins."

Michele

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Well, why would Stevie say 1000 different times he was playing the guitar? She's kind of daffy, but that would be a little much, even for her. And since they went there mostly to socialize, despite the religious nature of the gathering, I could see him bringing his guitar, just to get attention -- and it worked!

I wasn't aware that Stevie mentioned the guitar so many times. I think she's generally most reliable the earlier in life you catch her: for example, in radio interviews that predate the release of her first solo album, she used to say she wrote RHIANNON & LANDSLIDE "around Halloween" in 1974 -- a few months before joining the new band. As she got older, RHIANNON'S composition date moved sinisterly backward. I think at this point she believes she wrote it in 1973 or even 1972. Of course, she also can't remember the exact years of specific tours in the distant past; she's often a year or more off. In recent years, she has claimed that she joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974.

At any rate, in one of those old radio interviews -- Source or Denny Somack or something -- does she not say that Lindsey was at the piano, playing & singing CALIFORNIA DREAMING, & that she thought he was "darling"?

Also, even though he was a teenager, he was still Lindsey. He probably did a lot of weird things. Having already loved his guitar for 10 years, he probably toted it around with him everywhere he went.

I don't know how weird he was in general, but I've known a lot of kids who love their guitars (including my own oldest sister). Doesn't usually mean that the guitars get toted around here, there & everywhere. My Nord Electro in its case is smaller than most acoustic guitars in cases, but I don't tote it around with me here, there & everywhere. I love it, but I don't do that (although I do take it out of town when I go).

Aside from Angel, we have also seen him playing the piano and singing, "when you find your girlfriend in the arms of your best friend, that's when your heartache begins."

That's bare minimum: just chords. CALIFORNIA DREAMING would have been no different from that stuff. In fact, it's the Stevie Nicks style: A minor, G, F, w/a bit more variety than she usually manages in her own tunes. I think the most impressive piano biz I've ever heard him do is his arpeggio arrangement of SEPTEMBER SONG on his first album. I mean, it isn't that impressive in an absolute sense -- only relative to him & Stevie on piano in general. (In fact, methinks that he was playing some old sheet music of the song, or perhaps an arrangement by one of the doo-wop groups of the '50s.)

[Moz]

Originally Posted by David

In recent years, she has claimed that she joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974.

I thought she and Lindsey joined on December 31, 1974.

[gretchen]

Originally Posted by Richard B

Lindsey certainly plays piano. If you've ever seen the Tusk documentary, he is playing Angel on piano and trying to teach Stevie how to sing.

I LOVE that part of the doc, it is so cute and almost tender..

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

At any rate, in one of those old radio interviews -- Source or Denny Somack or something -- does she not say that Lindsey was at the piano, playing & singing CALIFORNIA DREAMING, & that she thought he was "darling"?

Yeah, I remember her saying that and sometimes her saying he was "beautiful." She says she started singing too, because she knew it word for word and he didn't let her know that he liked it, but she figures he must have, because he then played another song.

Michele

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by David

I wasn't aware that Stevie mentioned the guitar so many times. I think she's generally most reliable the earlier in life you catch her: for example, in radio interviews that predate the release of her first solo album, she used to say she wrote RHIANNON & LANDSLIDE "around Halloween" in 1974 -- a few months before joining the new band. As she got older, RHIANNON'S composition date moved sinisterly backward. I think at this point she believes she wrote it in 1973 or even 1972.

LOL!

And, if she could get by with it, her age would also tend to move that way...

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Originally Posted by BellaDonna93

Anyway, it's a really great book. So if you haven't read it yet, you should do it!

When I read the book, I got the impression the author had just slapped it together from old press articles or interviews done by other people, and hadn't actually done any new research themselves - it seemed there was very little in there you couldn't find elsewhere - and I'm only a casual FM observer.

The most entertaining thing I found about the book was the edition I read had the words of the title running together, with the letters S & EX in red to highlight the word "sex".

Now that's journalism!

[David]

Originally Posted by Neb-Maat-Re

When I read the book, I got the impression the author had just slapped it together from old press articles or interviews done by other people, and hadn't actually done any new research themselves - it seemed there was very little in there you couldn't find elsewhere - and I'm only a casual FM observer.

That's what all these newer Fleetwood Mac books do. It's such a game, such a confidence job. "It isn't the coffee -- it's the bunk" (to quote Preston Sturges in CHRISTMAS IN JULY).

Imagine the book we ledgies could throw together with the Blue Letter Archives at our disposal.

The most entertaining thing I found about the book was the edition I read had the words of the title running together, with the letters S & EX in red to highlight the word "sex".

Now that's journalism!

Indeed, & that's probably the only thing that will save print journalism.