Why was Stevie the breakout star?

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by Brad

Stevie loves bringing this up to play the martyr. Give me a break. Neither of their families was by any means hurting for money, so I seriously doubt she was "supporting" anyone. At best, she probably waited tables a few days a week to supplement their monthly allowances from mom and dad for their pot habit.

I know that's not exactly the topic at hand, but I've always found this story of hers to be very annoying and worthy of an eye roll.

True, especially since she left (the whole Destiny trip) and Richard and Lindsey were still keeping up rent payments on the apartment and she admits that she had to "eat crow" and ask him to come back. Lindsey couldn't have been that dependent on Stevie for income, if he and his friend were able to keep the apartment and eat without her being there and she was the one who had to ask them to take her back in.

Michele

[Nikolaj]

^^Maybe, Brad! But pot was very, very cheap in the early 70s, from what I have been told, and by associations alone, marijuana would have been all around them. I doubt they had to buy much pot on their own to have it around. I think SN's jobs paid for some stage frocks (certainly, her BN blouse she wound up not needing!) and maybe just for groceries, rent and some studio time, be it in a rehearsal facility or recording.
Like you wrote, though, SN and LB's parents didn't exactly have Skid Row as their residences, but perhaps like many 'old folks' of that generation, didn't really throw money at S&L left and right,to 'teach them the value of a dollar' or what have you.
SN probably did need to work the odd jobs. Plus, it may have been a relief for her to get away from an apartment full of - as Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash said on a tour bus: 'all these stinkin' myen!'

[David]

Originally Posted by Artemis

This isn't a Stevie vs Lindsey vs Christine thread or anything, I'm just rather curious as to why it was Stevie who was, and still is, the most popular, why she alone managed to sell multiple platinum records both within the confines of the group and as a solo star.

Her music speaks to millions of people. I personally don't know why, but it does.

What makes some kids in high school the most popular kids? Why do some people at your job get promoted & treated so well by the boss? Some people have charm. Some people are magnetic. Some people attract other people. Some people are liked by everybody. Maybe they're sexy. Maybe they're funny. Maybe they're sweet. Maybe they're smart.

Stevie Nicks is -- or was -- a fox. When you have a fox in rock & roll, you're gonna have a popular person. When your fox sings & dances & wears clothes well & has a sexy, alluring whiskey speaking voice & has big, brown eyes & a pouty mouth, your fox is gonna be the biggest star on the stage.

When your fox writes weirdly pretty songs & surrounds herself with romantic trappings & talks about how writing her poetry is the most important thing to her, your fox is gonna be the eternal object of cult adoration.

[henryscutter]

because she is AWESOME of course ....

Her looks didnt hurt, but I think her writing style and the way she performed connected with people in a way that the others didnt. Christine is very talented but to most people she was soft pleasant love songs and nice piano not much else (although I personally could listen to her talk for hours with her british sense of humor) Lindsey on the other hand is a very exciting performer but his solo stuff seemed to turn a lot of people off. I remember my older sister had friends who really liked the song Trouble but when they got the album they didnt like anything else. In hindsight, I think with an outside producer to help him Lindsey could have had a solo career as successful as Stevie. The control freak in him would not allow that though. We should ask Mick, he said in his book he knew from the beginning she would be a megastar.

[Jondalar]

She was different. She didn't try to be one of the boys. She was the first feminen but strong female rock star. She created a character that was totally different. Lets face it, nothing about Stevie Nicks should work. She doesn't dress, sing or write songs like anyone. That is the magic of Stevie Nicks. If you think about, Kiss created a character, David Bowie had Ziggy Stardust. She was the only woman and she had the songs to back it up. Joni Mitchell seemed like she wanted no part of stardom. Janice Joplin almost seemed like a male and who would want her life. Tina was getting the crap knocked out of her. Carly and Carole King seemed uncomfortable with their stardom. Stevie owned hers.

[StandbackStevie]

Stevie to me had the whole artist package really she just shines when you see her your focused on her and out of all the people of FM She stands out like the north star really. She has a presence that few people have that your glued to her, her beauty, music, vocal sound,song writing everything about her just radiates. I have been hooked on Stevie and FM since I was 9yrs old back in 1979 and bein seeing her live in concert since 1986 when I was 16yrs old now 4o yrs old and still going to her shows and was one of the lucky to have met her at the barnes and noble signing of her soundstage cd/dvd in NYC 2yrs ago was a special moment in my life to say I have met my rock n roll legend my favorite singer songwriter she is just so special person to me among everyone here on this board. Stevie was destined to be a singer/songwriter it is with in her to be a rock star with our with out being in FM she is a destined person.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Brad

Stevie loves bringing this up to play the martyr. Give me a break. Neither of their families was by any means hurting for money, so I seriously doubt she was "supporting" anyone. At best, she probably waited tables a few days a week to supplement their monthly allowances from mom and dad for their pot habit.

I know that's not exactly the topic at hand, but I've always found this story of hers to be very annoying and worthy of an eye roll.

IDK, I get the sense that Jess & Barbara, esp. Barbara, handed Stevie a heavy dose of tough love. Yes, she may have gotten some money from them here and there when Stevie came up short, but by no means do I believe that it was a steady stream. Stevie has said over the years, her family was not there to support her unless she was in college working towards a degree. When she dropped out, so did the steady support. I strongly suspect Lindsey was by far the more spoiled of the two.

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by Nikolaj

Like you wrote, though, SN and LB's parents didn't exactly have Skid Row as their residences, but perhaps like many 'old folks' of that generation, didn't really throw money at S&L left and right,to 'teach them the value of a dollar' or what have you.
SN probably did need to work the odd jobs.

It wouldn't surprise me if she was lying to her Dad about going to college and using the tuition money to support them.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by henryscutter

I remember my older sister had friends who really liked the song Trouble but when they got the album they didnt like anything else. In hindsight, I think with an outside producer to help him Lindsey could have had a solo career as successful as Stevie. The control freak in him would not allow that though.

I think I had the same reaction to not only Law and Order, but Tusk too, but in hindsight I wouldn't change them. I would just change me -- and I did change.

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

It wouldn't surprise me if she was lying to her Dad about going to college and using the tuition money to support them.

Been there. Done that. My poor wonderful, dad. Hope he hasn't found out in heaven everything I hid from him in life! I did attend college. I just didn't apply the money he gave me each month to school, as he intended!

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by Christopher

IDK, I get the sense that Jess & Barbara, esp. Barbara, handed Stevie a heavy dose of tough love.

Yes, they tried. But if you call home crying in an emergency, you probably get bailed out -- as in the plane ticket home from Aspen. I'm sure Barbara was a tougher sell than Jess. They didn't have cell phones then that allow you to reach exactly the person you want, so I could just see Stevie trying to call home at times when she knew her dad would pick up the phone and not her mom!

Michele

[Jondalar]

In almost honesty, Stevie worked the hardest to be the star and she sorta deserves her success. She has made really good connection. The fact that she is connecting Glee and mentioning Twilight shows how smart she is.

[kimmersxa]

Originally Posted by David

Her music speaks to millions of people. I personally don't know why, but it does.

What makes some kids in high school the most popular kids? Why do some people at your job get promoted & treated so well by the boss? Some people have charm. Some people are magnetic. Some people attract other people. Some people are liked by everybody. Maybe they're sexy. Maybe they're funny. Maybe they're sweet. Maybe they're smart.

Stevie Nicks is -- or was -- a fox. When you have a fox in rock & roll, you're gonna have a popular person. When your fox sings & dances & wears clothes well & has a sexy, alluring whiskey speaking voice & has big, brown eyes & a pouty mouth, your fox is gonna be the biggest star on the stage.

When your fox writes weirdly pretty songs & surrounds herself with romantic trappings & talks about how writing her poetry is the most important thing to her, your fox is gonna be the eternal object of cult adoration.

this is such an awesome sum up of stevie's foxiness! lol.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by David

What makes some kids in high school the most popular kids? Why do some people at your job get promoted & treated so well by the boss? Some people have charm. Some people are magnetic. Some people attract other people. Some people are liked by everybody. Maybe they're sexy. Maybe they're funny. Maybe they're sweet. Maybe they're smart.

Stevie Nicks is -- or was -- a fox. When you have a fox in rock & roll, you're gonna have a popular person. When your fox sings & dances & wears clothes well & has a sexy, alluring whiskey speaking voice & has big, brown eyes & a pouty mouth, your fox is gonna be the biggest star on the stage.

Agree. Stevie has a certain "aura" that you either have or you don't. It draws people to you; they feel like something interesting always happens around this person and they want to be part of it.

Also, Stevie always seemed the most accessible. She was friendly, gregarious in the press, she totally comes across as someone you want to sit and have a beer, or a cuppa, with, and you know you'd have a great time yapping away and laughing and all that. Lindsey... not so much. Much more intense, serious, at times brooding.. not to say he doesn't have a lighter side but really, it doesn't come across in interviews and his public utterances and such. It also translates in their music. Stevie's songs may be messy and technically less than perfect a lot of the time, but what they have is HEART, they really speak to people, they resonate with what is happening in your own life. Lindsey focuses sooo much on technical perfection and takes a much more intellectual approach to his music that sometimes (esp a lot of the solo stuff) can come off as cold. Who can relate to lyrics like "reading the paper/read a review/said I was a visionary/but nobody knew?" versus something like "I still look up/when you walk in the room" or "don't say that she's pretty/and did you say that she loved you/baby I don't want to know"? Stevie just always, TO ME anyway, spoke to more universal experiences, things that everyone can relate to.

Christine, whom I love and I think wrote songs that were BOTH technically excellent AND universal in their themes, was just far more reserved personally and you didn't always feel like you knew her as well.

I think it's interesting that the Lindsey solo album people always say they love is Out of the Cradle, and he had Richard Dashut work on that with him...and his most successful songs are with FM... maybe he needs that outside influence on his music.

I don't know, but if I had to vote who to hang out with while they were making an album, I'd vote for Stevie. Way more fun.

[MrStevie]

Stevie is one hot Mama. It's a simple as that.

Oh, and she wanted it. Stevie's the only one who really wanted stardom. The others, except maybe Mick, didn't crave it like an addiction the way she did.