Mick Fleetwood appriciation thread

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by chiliD

...sure, Mick has kept Fleetwood Mac together, but he's also responsible for its near demise, too.

The Mystery To Me tour, Jenny Fleetwood/Bob Weston affair. When he flipped out & hid out in Africa setting up the "fake Mac" debacle, which, although we think of now in barely passing (thanks to BOB WELCH), nearly was the demise of the band altogether. If they hadn't won the subsequent litigation (which, considering the contracts that had been signed, was a miracle), The band, as we know it, would've ceased to exist.

Blame the victim much? Why not blame Weston and Jenny? If they had kept it in their pants and not been cavorting around like a couple of idiots in front of Amy and Lucy, the tour would have continued, and THAT variation of Fleetwood Mac could have been a hit. And, that IS the reason why it happened. Not because Weston had an affair with his wife, but because they were so open about it in front of the girls. If it had just been the affair, I bet the band would have continued. But, I suspect Mick's breakdown was a cumulative effect of three years of being in an incredibly stressful situation. Since taking over the leadership role from Peter, he lead the band through the Jeremy and Danny crises, through what was becoming a revolving door of personnel, through various dysfunctions within the band (including a very demanding manager), and all while seeing guys he came up with (i.e. Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton) become rock gods while his band was just making ends meet. Hell, how hard could it have been for him to see Carlos Santana, a guy who Peter Green convinced Bill Graham to give a shot at the Fillmore when Fleetwood Mac was in town, having a HUGE hit with a Fleetwood Mac song, while Fleetwood Mac itself hadn't had a huge hit since "Manalishi," and never in the USA? Mick had a moment of weakness, which most people would have had YEARS earlier. We all have our breaking points, and Mick found his.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by chiliD

I agree in general, but being a nit-pick for details...

...sure, Mick has kept Fleetwood Mac together, but he's also responsible for its near demise, too.

The Mystery To Me tour, Jenny Fleetwood/Bob Weston affair. When he flipped out & hid out in Africa setting up the "fake Mac" debacle, which, although we think of now in barely passing (thanks to BOB WELCH), nearly was the demise of the band altogether. If they hadn't won the subsequent litigation (which, considering the contracts that had been signed, was a miracle), The band, as we know it, would've ceased to exist.

Well, it's good to present all the facts. Bob definitely was a major part of keeping things together those rough few months

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Blame the victim much? Why not blame Weston and Jenny? If they had kept it in their pants and not been cavorting around like a couple of idiots in front of Amy and Lucy, the tour would have continued, and THAT variation of Fleetwood Mac could have been a hit. And, that IS the reason why it happened. Not because Weston had an affair with his wife, but because they were so open about it in front of the girls. If it had just been the affair, I bet the band would have continued. But, I suspect Mick's breakdown was a cumulative effect of three years of being in an incredibly stressful situation. Since taking over the leadership role from Peter, he lead the band through the Jeremy and Danny crises, through what was becoming a revolving door of personnel, through various dysfunctions within the band (including a very demanding manager), and all while seeing guys he came up with (i.e. Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton) become rock gods while his band was just making ends meet. Hell, how hard could it have been for him to see Carlos Santana, a guy who Peter Green convinced Bill Graham to give a shot at the Fillmore when Fleetwood Mac was in town, having a HUGE hit with a Fleetwood Mac song, while Fleetwood Mac itself hadn't had a huge hit since "Manalishi," and never in the USA? Mick had a moment of weakness, which most people would have had YEARS earlier. We all have our breaking points, and Mick found his.

Excellent point!!! I still think he mustve known somewhere deep inside that sucsess would come in a big way one day soon.

[Villavic]

I like Mick, I like his book and I like the way he kept the band alive.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by Villavic

I like Mick, I like his book and I like the way he kept the band alive.

That wa a good book wasnt it?

[jbrownsjr]

i liked the book too

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

i liked the book too

Just to be clear were talking about the one he wrote with Steven Davis right? not the one that came out in conjunction with the box set.

[David]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

i liked the book too

The book is a great read!

I learned a lot about the band from the book. Others who say it's all a pack of lies or whatever mystify me. How can it all be a pack of lies? Probably a good 50 percent of it is copied right from Rolling Stone & Hit Parader articles, & even some Circus & Mojo articles.

The only disappointment with the book was the photos. Mick should have busted the book FULL of color photos: candids, live shots, stuff nobody had ever seen before. Instead, he runs a bunch of press photos that are everywhere.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by David

The book is a great read!

I learned a lot about the band from the book. Others who say it's all a pack of lies or whatever mystify me. How can it all be a pack of lies? Probably a good 50 percent of it is copied right from Rolling Stone & Hit Parader articles, & even some Circus & Mojo articles.

The only disappointment with the book was the photos. Mick should have busted the book FULL of color photos: candids, live shots, stuff nobody had ever seen before. Instead, he runs a bunch of press photos that are everywhere.

I cant remember, who exactly were the leaders of the "Pack of lies" theory regarding the book?

[ThePenguin]

Originally Posted by David

The only disappointment with the book was the photos. Mick should have busted the book FULL of color photos: candids, live shots, stuff nobody had ever seen before. Instead, he runs a bunch of press photos that are everywhere.

I recall also being really disappointed in the boring photos he used. He must have photos out the wazoo, but chose the ones we've all seen.

-Lis

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by ThePenguin

I recall also being really disappointed in the boring photos he used. He must have photos out the wazoo, but chose the ones we've all seen.

-Lis

Yeah, but werent the ones with Judy Wong on the plane in that book or was that the other one?

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by David

The book is a great read!

I learned a lot about the band from the book. Others who say it's all a pack of lies or whatever mystify me. How can it all be a pack of lies? Probably a good 50 percent of it is copied right from Rolling Stone & Hit Parader articles, & even some Circus & Mojo articles.

The only disappointment with the book was the photos. Mick should have busted the book FULL of color photos: candids, live shots, stuff nobody had ever seen before. Instead, he runs a bunch of press photos that are everywhere.

About the pack of lies, I have not found in any other source about a fact that was 100% denied about Mick's book. I think the most controversial point is the day Lindsey definitely left the band. But as long as I know John confirmed he said to Lindsey "you better live" as the describes it; though he meant leaving the room, not the band. Anyway, I think that episode was very private for the band and everybody was upset with Mick about writing that.
Some facts may differ in details from the truth, but in general I think it's very accurate.

And about pics, look for the annivesary big book that appeared the same year of the box set "My 25 years in Fleetwood Mac" (by M.F.) It rules in pictures!!! (OH!!! btw, in that book Mick says Stevie and Chris left the band and the BTM tour because they were wealthy and didn't want the pressure of touring, etc..) but I learned that the girls were upset with him about the book

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by ThePenguin

I recall also being really disappointed in the boring photos he used. He must have photos out the wazoo, but chose the ones we've all seen.

-Lis

Kind of sounds like a songlist we all know!

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by Villavic

(OH!!! btw, in that book Mick says Stevie and Chris left the BTM tour because they didn't want the pressure of touring, etc..) but I knew that the girls were upset about the book

That's not true. Christine's dad died during the BTM, and Christine realized that she wanted to be with her family, and that she really didn't enjoy being on the road. Stevie decided to quit touring with the Mac because she didn't want to be the only singer from "Rumours" fronting the band. She could do it without one, but not both. Initially, both were still going to record with Fleetwood Mac, which Christine DID, but Stevie decided to quit altogether. They might not have liked the book, but that had nothing to do with their decision in 1990. I read ONE article that said they were upset about the book, but nothing that said the book was why they quit. Honestly, do you believe that Mick would intentionally do something if he thought for a moment that it would cost him his band?

[macfan 57]

Originally Posted by Villavic

Some facts may differ in details from the truth, but in general I think it's very accurate.

I agree. Even Bob Welch confirmed in one of his Q & A's that Mick's book was largely accurate. I really enjoyed it. It's a great read & I'm glad he wrote it. The 1992 book has terrific photos. I had never seen most of them anywhere else before. But, the text is redundent. Most of it was reprinted from Mick's 1990 book.