Guitarist and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham (far right), 50, made his first album in 1973 with his lover, the vocalist Stevie Nicks. In 1975 the duo joined Fleetwood Mac, and helped transform the band from one rooted in raw British blues to the biggest-selling mainstream rock act of the late Seventies. In 1987 he went solo, and has a new album out later this year. He now lives in Los Angeles. Fellow LA resident and drummer Mick Fleetwood, 51, founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 with Peter Green. After Green quit in 1970, the band went through several, famously stormy incarnations, before breaking up in 1995. The five members of the Seventies line-up were reunited for 1997’s ‘The Dance’ album and tour
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM: I met Mick right before New Year’s Eve in 1974. Stevie and I were living in LA. We’d done an album on Polydor as a duo, which had come out without making much of a splash, and we were trying to figure out what the hell to do next. Anyway, we were doing demos of new tunes one day at Sound City studio in the San Fernando Valley. At one point I walked towards the control room. I heard a song of ours, “Frozen Love”, being played very loudly and I saw this giant of a man standing up, grooving to a guitar solo of mine. I thought, “What is goin’ on?”, and left them to it. That man was Mick.
When he heard my guitar something obviously clicked in his mind, because after their guitarist Bob Welch left, I got a call from Mick asking if I wanted to join Fleetwood Mac. Originally they weren’t looking for a duo, but I said Stevie and I were a package deal.
Nobody proclaimed hell would have to freeze over before the members of the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac got back together. It’s been a decade since this particular fivesome — singer Stevie Nicks, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, keyboardist Christine McVie, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie — recorded together, and a decade-and-a-half since they last toured. But, thanks to a bit of maturity, some squelched drug habits and a few lukewarm solo careers, the Mac is back. And so is the audience that has scooped up some 26 million copies of Rumours since its 1977 release. Fleetwood Mac’s recent live album, The Dance, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and the ensuing tour sold-out arenas across North America. But the success continued into 1998. Mac was recently inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and The Dance is up for a Grammy. In this chat with RockVillage, Buckingham and Christine McVie show they don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.
RockVillage: Are you surprised at how successful this project has been?
Lindsey Buckingham: The album coming in at No. 1, that was really strange, I don’t know what that means. It’s just nice to know there’s so much of a pull for us to be up there together.
Christine McVie: I’m not now, no. But I was. Now I’m just happily sort of grooving along with it. It’s been terrific fun. I was shocked we did get together in the first place. I didn’t believe it would happen.
Jeff McDonald talks to Fleetwood Mac singer and pop-culture icon Stevie Nicks about old rumours, the new dance and her life as a “living adjective”
WHEN I FIRST RECEIVED THE ASSIGNMENT TO interview Stevie Nicks — who’s my all-time rock n’ roll idol, not to mention a pop-culture icon of legendary status — I was nervous. But upon my arrival at her West LA home, I found Ms. Nicks not to be the mystical, witchy, other-wordly pop diva I’d expected, but rather a casual, articulate and very down-to-earth person. As she opened the door barefoot wearing a thrift-store-type vintage dress, she invited me into her home and offered me fresh cherries and ice-water. Immediately, I got the feeling that if I had needed a place to stay, Stevie would’ve let crash on her couch. She’s a very cool woman. As you know, Stevie Nicks is Fleetwood Mac’s charismatic lead vocalist, who brought ballet (along with Freddie Mercury, that is) and brilliant pop poetry to the masses. On the 20th anniversary of their mega-platinum-selling album, Rumours, Fleetwood Mac have reformed for the most-anticipated tour of the year. Along with this nationwide string of appearances, the band which includes guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, keyboardist Christine McVie, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood- have just released a new CD, The Dance, which is a live recording of their already legendary MTV special.
I’m not a rock journalist so I’m a little nervous. Don’t be nervous.
When I get nervous I get chapped lips. Want some Chap-Stick?
I think I’ll be OK. Are you sure? We’ve got a whole house of women here, we’ve got everything.
I had a little problem with Chap-Stick-I got addicted to it so I’ve had to give it up, but thanks anyway. Let’s start with the MTV performance that you taped earlier this spring. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go, but a friend of mine who went told me her hair actually stood up on her arms. And I know that Courtney Love cried three times during the concert. It was so unfair that I had to miss it. I’m sorry you had to miss it, too.
I did see one song, “The Chain,” on video. It sounded so cool, so vital. Not at all “oldies” music. From the first day on April 1st, I said to myself, if I go up there and it feels like some kind of retro thing, I’m off the stage, I’m out of the hall, I’m not going to do this. But it never felt like that. It felt like we were getting back into rehearsal, just starting up again. Like maybe we’d been off for a year. That’s how it felt.
You must be logged in to post a comment.