Just Skimmed Through STORMS

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Yeah, it was in my house, in my bed, with me standing outside the door and it was over very quickly. With no time for anyone to do one single thing but jump in bed, pose for Annie's camera and then jump out. It's such an odd lie (how many band photo shoots take place in a band member's bed?) that it's not something that could be created from a memory lapse.
Michele

That bed was on the floor, wasn't it??

Originally Posted by Nico

Here's what Carol Ann apparently wrote:

Jeremy,
The party in my book that you attended was not Lindsey's birthday party, but a summer barbecue. I'm sorry that you're distressed, but everything I wrote pertaining to you was either told to me by Mick Fleetwood or John McVie - (exactly as I've described it in my book) or I experienced myself when you came to our barbecue so many years ago - again, exactly as I've described in my book. I stand by every single word that I wrote in Storms and I wish you only the best.
Carol Ann

The question is what single words did she write? Maybe she has a point. ha.

Of course, on the other hand, she can stand by every single word she wrote, look them in the eye and call them a LIE.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by David

I think she's a liar. I don't think she used old tapes as refreshers. I think she used old newspaper clippings & Mick's book as refreshers.

Carol wrote a Victorian melodrama, & Lindsey is the wicked villain with devilish looks, a Jack the Ripper mustache, one eyebrow arched, an evil red glow across part of his face (the other part is always in shadow).

Open any page at random. "Malevolent glances" are always being cast at this person or that person; "storm clouds" are always hanging over everything (inside people's homes!); angry lovers don't talk -- they "snarl," etc. etc.

She keeps making fun of the "soap opera" that the band's lives have become, but nothing in Fleetwood Mac history is as soapy as this book.

I'm with you. But it's surprisingly brief & surprisingly free of high drama. I agree that it's very odd that Carol makes absolutely no mention of ex-lovers hanging out together after everyone else leaves the room or goes home or whatever they did.

My notion is that Carol is seriously ill, but not in the way she might think. Either she's lying to a pathological degree or she's emotionally crippled to a pathological degree. Somebody is always scratching her arms, scratching her face, strangling her, punching her in the face, punching her in the back, pulling her hair, dragging her, or slapping her. She portrays herself as a pincushion. Worse, she appears to be getting off on this sadomasochistic portrait. No matter who is physically or verbally abusing her, she stands there, weeping like a sob sister, unable to speak or to move (how many people, when their arm is being twisted, don't use their free arm to push or elbow?). She is frozen in place, time after time, wondering what did I ever do to make them so angry with me? I love them and I know they love me because they said so, and . . .
Does anyone believe this dreck?

"I twisted myself out of his grasp & stumbled backward, speechless with shock" (speechless, mind you, even if it's the twenty-fifth time her romantic lover has smacked her). She is concocting a weirdly idealized "Carol Harris" in her febrile brain, a character who is as guileless and wide-eyed as Cinderella. She even says numerous times, "My life had become a fairy tale." My bull**** meter hit the red back around page 36.

There are descriptions of things here -- we've talked about this already -- that wouldn't be here at all if they hadn't already been described, in virtually identical ways, in Mick's book. Examples: the New Zealand business on the Tusk tour, the show at the Munich Olympic Horse Riding Stadium, the various rehearsals, the photo shoots, the album sessions, the radio broadcast of "Tusk" before release, etc.

Virtually every other page, we read something like, "I could see the rage in his eyes and I knew that I was helpless." This is a romance novel, for chrissake -- a bodice-ripper. It's cheap, it's corrupt, it's hypocritical, & it's fake. The only Polaroids in the whole book that aren't mysteriously blurry are those of Carol herself, professionally taken as part of her modeling. What the great Mary McCarthy once said about Lillian Hellman is true here: Every word in this book is a lie -- even "a" and "the."

Well CAH is a classic codependent. She gave up on her own life's ambitions to give everything to Lindsey. This is just not how healthy relationships work. People lose interest in someone when they do not have their own identity. She's also a classic love addict romanticizing everything (not living in reality) and staying in an awful relationship because she is "so in love". So yes she had/has some serious psychological issues that reveal themselves in the book. She even admits to having had panic attacks and being hospitalized for a bit due to them. Of course she blames Lindsey for them and again takes no responsibility for herself.

[hippilil86]

I just checked out "Storms" from the library yesterday and finished it today. It was a quick read, mostly because it was easy to skim. I guess it was interesting, but the writing was a little too flowery for my taste. Any new information about Fleetwood Mac that I can get my hands on is a bonus. I thought that she was purposely avoiding talking about anything deep involving Stevie, but I guess I would have avoided learning much about my boyfriend's ex, as well. One of the parts that I thought was intriguing was when Stevie, (apparently high out of her mind) came up to Carol and threatened her, telling her that she would do anything that it took to make sure that Carol and Lindsey would never be married. Then...it was back to silly stories about Stevie's poodle and gaggle of girlfriends. We got that little snippet of substance, then nothing.

[vivfox]

I have never read this book. I'd like to but some jerk stole it from the local library and because of budget cuts they said it will never be replaced. It was on order to arrive from another library in a city on the other side of the mirror/state and now no book for me. Maybe someday I'll come across it in a used book store or something.

[Nico]

Originally Posted by vivfox

I have never read this book. I'd like to but some jerk stole it from the local library and because of budget cuts they said it will never be replaced. It was on order to arrive from another library in a city on the other side of the mirror/state and now no book for me. Maybe someday I'll come across it in a used book store or something.

Why not just SEARCH INSIDE the book? it's free. if you're savvy enough you could prob end up reading the whole thing with the right search words.

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by vivfox

I have never read this book. I'd like to but some jerk stole it from the local library and because of budget cuts they said it will never be replaced. It was on order to arrive from another library in a city on the other side of the mirror/state and now no book for me. Maybe someday I'll come across it in a used book store or something.

Hang in there. Whoever stole it will be quickly returning it...

[GypsyBlueEyes]

Originally Posted by hippilil86

We got that little snippet of substance, then nothing.

LOL...from what I've read/heard, she is a little snippet of substance, then nothing...so I'm not overly surprised that it translates into her writing

[Nico]

Even though she comes off as a total flake, this book may actually be the best written thus far about Fleetwood Mac, in terms of relating some of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans. I personally took it all with a grain of salt. Retrospectively, perhaps her intent was to knock LB's image and take him down off of whatever pedestal his fans placed him, but really and truly I lost tons of respect for her. It appears to me that she enjoyed her lifestyle more than her self-respect, and she was one of those types of women that are annoyingly clingy and dependent, and although I believe LB probably enjoyed being the man and in charge, I'm unsure of how much respect any man could have for a woman who doesn't appear to want to live her own life and be somewhat independent.

Stevie Nicks, in comparison, was very independent. And maybe that bothered Lindsey but I'm sure now he respects her for it...or he wouldn't even be around her. And his wife as well seems to do her own thing and, although none of us know what goes on behind closed doors, it looks to be working wonderfully for them.

Being someone who lives for my independence, Carol Ann is the type of person I can never relate to at all.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by Nico

and although I believe LB probably enjoyed being the man and in charge, I'm unsure of how much respect any man could have for a woman who doesn't appear to want to live her own life and be somewhat independent.

In a couple of places, Carol said that Lindsey was relieved to have her have something to do when he was with FM (even if she was just doing it with other FM hangers on), so I got the feeling even he felt it important for her to have a life other than his.

Cheri, Anne and Kristen all seemed to have had outside, active lives. I remember an interview where they asked Lindsey what he did in his spare time and he said he helped his girlfriend run lines. It just sounded like more of a partnership.

Of course, Anne did say something along the lines that while playing with Lindsey was fun, she did feel like she was playing his games (traveling on tour with his band) and not pursuing her own and that made her restless.

Michele

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by Nico

Why not just SEARCH INSIDE the book? it's free. if you're savvy enough you could prob end up reading the whole thing with the right search words.

I read the first 6 pages but I'm not savvy enough to find the rest. It was very good so far. I was sad for her when she described giving up her baby and her boyfriend taking her to the theatre to drive in the point at her.

[trackaghost]

Originally Posted by Nico

Even though she comes off as a total flake, this book may actually be the best written thus far about Fleetwood Mac, in terms of relating some of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans. I personally took it all with a grain of salt.

I agree 100 per cent. There was stuff in that book that's always been alluded to, the drugs, the debauchery, the parties, the fights etc, but had never been written about in detail before, even in Mick's book. Carol Ann's book at least gave a flavour of that I think and what the excessive lifestyle of being in a band like that was like, despite the flowery language.

[CrystalVisions6]

Hello everyone,

I'm re-reading Storms for the first time in around a year. I've been wondering about some of the things raised in the book.

First of all, what are your opinions on Carol Ann, and did they change after you had read the book?

Secondly, did anything you read surprise you? I know I was quite surprised about the extent of Lindsey's anger issues...

Anything else you found particularly interesting?

I know this has been discussed a lot on this forum, I just thought I'd bring it up again

<3

[louielouie2000]

My pet name for Carol Ann many years prior before the book was released was "Crack Whore" (because of her well documented substance abuse issues and penchant for drama/lying), and I still call her that after reading the book . The book didn't change my opinion of her for one reason alone: she never admitted any wrongdoing in any circumstance in her book, and instead painted herself as a wholly naive victim. The reality is nobody was innocent in the Mac's inner circle in the '70s and '80s, period. They all made mistakes, they all did horrible things to themselves and each other, etc.

Anything that surprised me? Carol Ann's retelling of Lindsey's health issues. I didn't realize he was an epileptic. Lindsey's anger issues didn't surprise me, Carol Ann had been telling of those for more than a decade. Plus, Lindsey is highly emotive, has a complex where he feels unappreciated and uncredited, he famously assaulted Stevie ON STAGE on the Tusk tour, etc. Lindsey seems like he could quite easily be a dark, moody person in private.

I still greatly enjoyed the book, despite Carol Ann's craziness. It's a trashy, fun, deliciously gossipy read. Carol Ann's run ins with Stevie Nicks were especially hilarious... I adore the way Carol Ann realistically painted Stevie as a batsh!t crazy b!tch... which you just KNOW she really had to be at the height of her fame . I think the general atmosphere Carol Ann painted of the dynamics of the band was probably quite accurate. They all loved to play pranks on one another, tried to one up one another, their egos battled, they loved to do as much drugs as they could ingest, spent wildly, and just in general did as much stupid sh!t as they could.

So that's my two cents. I don't think you can take any particular story Carol Ann says as being completely accurate, but I still think she paints a true picture of the band. I still think Carol Ann is completely nuts. And not a whole lot in the book surprised me.

[mezzoforte]

As I'm new to the board, I'd never heard of Carol Ann before reading the book, so I didn't have preconceived notions. But my impression of her, having finished it, is that she's probably a very sweet girl, but a bit lacking in humor, personality, and introspection, which are, I think, necessary to an autobiography.

The extent of Lindsey's anger was surprising (and I do believe her accounts of the violence). I'd always imagined him to be a pretty dark guy, but the assault caught me a bit off guard.

And though I found the Stevie stories hilarious and can totally believe that she was that out of it, I was surprised/skeptical of Lindsey's reactions to her. It was odd; early on, Carol described seeing them interact and realizing that he "wasn't over her," or something like that. But that thread is immediately dropped, and for the rest of the book he just seems to find Stevie utterly ridiculous.
I'm by no means a shipper--I don't need to believe that he has been pining away for her for 30 years. But I would assume their relationship was more complicated than portrayed, and that it wasn't totally over in those years. I mean, Stevie and Lindsey both described holding each other following the RS shoot. As Lindsey's girlfriend, it's hardly shocking that Carol wasn't around for moments like that, but I would still think the entire relationship would have been more complex than it appears in Storms.

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by mezzoforte

As I'm new to the board, I'd never heard of Carol Ann before reading the book, so I didn't have preconceived notions. But my impression of her, having finished it, is that she's probably a very sweet girl, but a bit lacking in humor, personality, and introspection, which are, I think, necessary to an autobiography.

The extent of Lindsey's anger was surprising (and I do believe her accounts of the violence). I'd always imagined him to be a pretty dark guy, but the assault caught me a bit off guard.

And though I found the Stevie stories hilarious and can totally believe that she was that out of it, I was surprised/skeptical of Lindsey's reactions to her. It was odd; early on, Carol described seeing them interact and realizing that he "wasn't over her," or something like that. But that thread is immediately dropped, and for the rest of the book he just seems to find Stevie utterly ridiculous.
I'm by no means a shipper--I don't need to believe that he has been pining away for her for 30 years. But I would assume their relationship was more complicated than portrayed, and that it wasn't totally over in those years. I mean, Stevie and Lindsey both described holding each other following the RS shoot. As Lindsey's girlfriend, it's hardly shocking that Carol wasn't around for moments like that, but I would still think the entire relationship would have been more complex than it appears in Storms.

Lindsey was a mean drunk, that's not surprising...

It's not surprising that 30 years ago, CAH couldn't see the complexity of Lindsey's relationship with Stevie - too much coke and too much smoke and love is indeed blind, as they say...

But, it is surprising that CAH admitted in an interview a couple-three years ago that she KNEW Lindsey was still in love with Stevie ... and then left that juicy bit of fodder out of her sensational book! Wow...talk about missing a great marketing strategy...must be why she's decided to put out a new one...let's hope she's a little bit more realistic next time around...

Not that I would mind reading between the proverbial *lines* for any other instances where Lindsey felt Stevie needed a good talking to and then proceeds to leave his girlfriend stranded for several hours while he confronts Ms. Nicks in her hotel room and she ends up breaking out in an emotional carpet bur - I mean - "rash"...

favorite.story.ever.