Mick Fleetwood: ‘I’m 70 years old and I play harder now than I used to’ | The Guardian

The co-founder of Fleetwood Mac talks the glory days of the band, touring as a septuagenarian and what the swinging 60s were really like

‘I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do what I do’ … Mick Fleetwood. Photograph: Daniel Sullivan

Hey, Mick. How are you?
I’m OK, but I’ve got coconut oil all over my water bottle.

Coconut oil?
I put it on my hands. When you get old, you get lizard skin. I didn’t know but it’s an antiseptic. I put it on my head too. It doesn’t smell and it’s not full of chemicals. You can use it for cooking and it’s good for sex, too.

Sex and bald heads? Mick, I wasn’t prepared for this.
Well, now you know. It’s multipurpose stuff.

It’s the midway point of SXSW and some people are looking worse for wear. Any tips for hangover cures?
Drink lots of electrolytes even if you need to go to the toilet all the time, it’s worth it. And get hold of avocado or watermelon. Avocado is full of electrolytes and protein. Put it on some toast. Put a big fucking mashed-up avocado on toast and you’ll come back like you’ve never seen before.

Gracias. Why have you decided to put out a book about early Fleetwood Mac?
My former brother-in-law, George Harrison, did a similar thing in 1980. I saw it back then and it was something I wanted to do but didn’t get round to it. Jimmy Page did one for Led Zeppelin too. It’s all about what started the band and a lot of people don’t know about that period, and the band is 50 years old in August for the original members of Fleetwood Mac. This is the beginning of the group and it’s very important to me. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood: ‘I’m 70 years old and I play harder now than I used to’ | The Guardian

The Last Word: Stevie Nicks Talks Aging, Addiction, Fleetwood Mac’s Future | Rolling Stone

By Andy Greene
Rolling Stone

The singer on listening to her heart, turning 70 and why music comes before friendship

Stevie Nicks doesn’t have much sympathy for peers who are aging less gracefully than her. “I see lots of people my age, and lots of people who are younger than me, and I think, ‘Wow, those people look really old,'” she tells Rolling Stone. “I think it’s because they didn’t try.”

At 68, the legendary singer-songwriter is staying as busy as ever. In December, Nicks wrapped an extensive solo tour, and in July, she and her Fleetwood Mac bandmates will co-headline a pair of high-profile classic-rock fests in L.A. and New York. Nicks took some time recently to share her wisdom on drugs, relationships, aging and why her solo career was vital to Fleetwood Mac’s success.
What’s the hardest part of success?
I work very, very hard. I have a piece of typewritten paper here that says, “You keep going and you don’t stop.” You do your vocal lesson. I have a lot of friends from high school and college who want to hang out when I play in their city. I have to rest for my show. It breaks my heart, but what comes first? Don’t endanger my show. That’s been my mantra my whole life: Don’t endanger my show.

Who is your hero?
Michelle Obama, because she has such an optimistic outlook and she was able to move into the White House with kids and do such a beautiful, graceful job. That had to be really hard. After spending two weeks with my family for the holidays, which was long and emotionally difficult, I know that’s super hard. I think she’s wisdom personified.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
How about my early-forties self? That’s when I walked out of Betty Ford after beating coke. I spent two months doing so well. But all my business managers and everyone were urging me to go to this guy who was supposedly­ the darling of the psychiatrists. That was the guy who put me on Klonopin. This is the man who made me go from 123 pounds to almost 170 pounds at five feet two. He stole eight years of my life.

Maybe I would have gotten married, maybe I would have had a baby, maybe I would have made three or four more great albums with Fleetwood Mac. That was the prime of my life, and he stole it. And you know why? Because I went along with what everybody else thought. So what I would tell my 40-year-old self: “Don’t listen to other people. In your heart of hearts, you know what’s best for you.” Continue reading The Last Word: Stevie Nicks Talks Aging, Addiction, Fleetwood Mac’s Future | Rolling Stone