• Lindsey Buckingham Interview: His Life & Music •

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by segue, Oct 29, 2015.

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  1. MikeVielhaber

    MikeVielhaber Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    Buckingham has the most songs, but the most album space was given to Stevie's songs even though she had the fewest songs on the album, 4 fewer than Lindsey. If Lindsey were writing longer tunes he wouldn't have had so many on the album.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2015
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  2. PhilBorder

    PhilBorder Senior Member

    Location:
    Sheboygan, WI
    too bad he didn't produce other artists. That might have given him an outlet and a better perspective. Imagine him producing the Shoes, or N.R.B.Q., or McCartney
     
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  3. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    Think About Me was also a hit :)
     
  4. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    He did...he produced Brian Wilson in 1987
     
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  5. ...and look how that turned out! No offence to anyone who likes He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move, but it's clearly a disposable Lindsey production with Brian in autopilot mode singing (well, it's more like yelling) clunky lyrics from the "good" Dr. Landy about a topic he'd already covered to greater effect in the past - it's hardly surprising this remained a b-side along with the similar Too Much Sugar from around the same period. Based on the combined talent of the two main artists involved, I perhaps wrongly expected a lot more.

    As for that recent interview, I saw this earlier today after it came up in my YouTube recommendations, since I've been on quite the Fleetwood Mac kick lately. My only complaint is that the Mirage album and much of Lindsey's solo work didn't get a look-in, though the host does mention a few times that they're running late already so I can appreciate why they didn't get to cover a few subjects. Those comments about Christine were quite interesting, and the look on Lindsey's face after he watches that vintage footage of Stevie is priceless.

    P.S. To those who've not yet seen this, it's worth jumping to the amazing performances of Big Love and Tusk.
     
  6. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest
    If Landy hadn't been Involved, there might've been far more accomplishedx
     
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  7. Oddly enough, Jeff Lynne said the same thing about when he worked with Brian on Let It Shine...
     
  8. zelox

    zelox Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SoCal
    Do you recall if he mentions anything about Bob Welch, Danny Kirwan or Peter Green by chance? Or perhaps anything detailing the circumstances of how he and Stevie joined the Mac? I know that story well, don't get me wrong, but am always eager to hear any new details.
     
  9. Matt A

    Matt A Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Really looking forward to listening to this.

    Holy f*cking hell was she hot.
     
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  10. NotebookWriter

    NotebookWriter Forum Resident

    Yeah, I did notice before that it was even a top 20 hit. That surprised me because I don't remember hearing it at the time. Sisters of the Moon didn't chart at all, but I heard it a lot on a local FM station.
     
  11. NotebookWriter

    NotebookWriter Forum Resident

    I'd never thought of it that way. So Buckingham was perhaps attempting to be more democratic than it appeared?
     
  12. NotebookWriter

    NotebookWriter Forum Resident

    [QUOTE="My only complaint is that the Mirage album and much of Lindsey's solo work didn't get a look-in, though the host does mention a few times that they're running late already so I can appreciate why they didn't get to cover a few subjects. [/QUOTE]

    I had a similar reaction. Going in, I figured that his solo career would get at least some time in an interview that long. I could be wrong, but I don't get the idea that he recalls Mirage and Tango in the Night too fondly. Mirage was kind of the Rumours II that so many critics of Tusk had wanted. While making Tango, I think he'd already made up his mind to leave the group.

    I could not help but think that he must have been asked these same questions so many times before. It always seems to come back to the members' relationships during the Rumours sessions and the commercial defiance of Tusk. I think the truth is that most people are really only interested in hearing about the glory days of Fleetwood Mac. His solo work is wonderful and deserves a wider audience. That said, he's far from a household name.
     
  13. nicole21290

    nicole21290 Forum Resident

    He was and is a lucky man, lol. It's pretty insane really, that they've known each other for fifty years now. From the two most recent shows I attended:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The interview was a pretty decent one, overall. Lots of rehashed material and his usual scripted answers, but it had a nice flow to it and I always enjoy listening to him talk. I actually did a transcript of the entire thing based on an audience member's audio recording and, while it's not as accurate as it could have been had I had the video, it may be helpful for those wanting particulars and not wanting to dig through the entire hour and a half of video.

    http://www.buckinghamnicks.info/2015-usc
     
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  14. nicole21290

    nicole21290 Forum Resident

    He's been talking a little about Tango in his 'Big Love' introductions on the Australian leg of the tour. Basically, it comes down to 'As a producer, I was proud of my work BUT THAT PERIOD WAS SUCH A MESS AND IT WAS SO DIFFICULT.'



    I also wish he'd discuss his solo work more. To be fair, even when the interviewers DO try and draw him in that direction, he can sometimes take it right back to the script. He'd been asked about Go Insane before and gone right back to how difficult it was working with Stevie after the break-up, he's been asked about his process of songwriting and defined it entirely in opposition to Stevie's songwriting process, etc.
     
  15. NotebookWriter

    NotebookWriter Forum Resident

    Maybe he's simply adopted an interview persona from decades of experience. I mean, I'd love to hear him rattle on about the creative process behind The Seeds We Sow.

    (Actually, there is a video of him doing exactly that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJK9VeGj8xY)

    Like I said before, however, he probably realizes that a lot of other people would have little or no interest.
     
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  16. DrAftershave

    DrAftershave A Wizard, A True Star

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    What's wrong with that?
     
  17. rushed again

    rushed again Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Thanks for posting. Puts a smile on to see this.
     
  18. We need "Out of the Cradle" in 5.1 surround sound. 2017 is the 25 year anniversary. It's time.
     
  19. SecondHandNews

    SecondHandNews Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA, USA
    Thanks for posting that, I thought it was pretty great, though it felt like it got off to a slow start.

    I thought some of the audience questions, actually most, were very good to great.

    Anybody catch the interviewer calling Christine "Christie"?

    Gotcha, guy.
     
  20. I seem to recall Bob Welch only getting a fleeting mention, and even then it was merely to link into Lindsey's joining the group, which was discussed in some detail. However, I have to agree that it was more an interview for casual fans, with nothing about the Green/Kirwan era from what I can remember. As for the Mirage or Tango In The Night sessions, why do I get the impression that few of those involved are able to remember much about this period? Fleetwood Mac's episode of Rock Family Trees is probably the closest we'll ever get to learning more of this period, since I can't imagine Stevie or Lindsey wanting to revisit their altercation following his announcement to leave just before their 1987 tour was scheduled to begin... I'm still not entirely sure why he couldn't commit to live shows, but it seems as if Lindsey was in a very dark place around that point that was probably drug-related, ending with him violently attacking Stevie from what I can tell.
     
  21. lennonfan1

    lennonfan1 Senior Member

    Location:
    baltimore maryland
    or was it Stevie violently attacked him, the moment he said he was out and they had a ton of shows booked...
     
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  22. Stevie's version of events is that she was the one pushed against a car outside Christine's house after chasing Lindsey down the street and back again... I'm just grateful they've reached a place in their lives where you can still see a chemistry between them that I suspect may never entirely disappear.
     
  23. lennonfan1

    lennonfan1 Senior Member

    Location:
    baltimore maryland
    They were all so coked up they were lucky they didn't kill each other.
     
  24. nicole21290

    nicole21290 Forum Resident

    1990 MICK'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY

    We had a big confrontation over this at a much-dreaded band meeting on the white leather sofas in Stevie Nicks’s living room that July. ‘Lindsey,’ I said, ‘we want to go back to work, as you know, and I think it’s about time you gave us an answer.’

    ‘I’m feeling a lot of pressure,’ he said quietly. ‘I know the band should go out, but check it out from my point of view. I just finished Tango and I’m fried. I’ve got my own album to do. Why should I go out and kill myself on the road?’

    ‘Because Fleetwood Mac has to play this new music live if we are going to survive,’ I said. ‘It’s simple, Lindsey. I want to know what this band is doing, and whether we go on the road or not, we all would like to hear what you want in connection to this band. You’ve aired your feelings to friends and to the public. Why don’t you give us a clue?’

    There was a pause, and Lindsey looked at the floor. ‘Mick,’ he said. ‘You’re not letting go of this, are you?’

    ‘No, Lindsey, I’m not. It’s not fair to the rest of us. The days of five years between albums is over. We’re musicians and we just wanna go back to work.’ Stevie, Chris and John nodded in assent. We were all focusing on Lindsey, and he was writhing.

    ‘What should I do?’ Lindsey groaned. ‘I don’t want to tour - I don’t need to tour - but I feel funny leaving the band. I might regret it later.’

    ‘You probably would,’ Stevie said. Lindsey looked at her darkly.

    I intervened. ‘C’mon, Lindsey. People are upset.’

    ‘Are you gonna go on the road without me?’ he asked.

    ‘Yes, Lindsey, we are. We wanna go back to work. Now it’s cards on the table. We know you’re the one on the spit here, but we just want to do our jobs. Are you on the pot or not?’

    ‘Yeah, yeah,’ he said, stalling. ‘How long do you want to go out for?’

    We looked at John Courage. ‘Eight months, give or take,’ the Colonel said.

    C’mon, Lindsey,’ I said. ‘If you wanna leave the band, go on the road with us and then go your own way.’ Lindsey shook his head. ‘I don’t need this,’ he said.

    Then Stevie decided to swallow her pride and have a go.

    ‘Hey, Lindsey,’ she joshed. ‘It won’t be so bad. We can have a great time out there. Let’s do it for old times’ sake, just once more.’ Stevie stopped and blushed, and we all laughed. For the first time that evening, Lindsey smiled. Somehow, Stevie almost broke through. ‘Lindsey,’ she said. ‘I can promise you this tour won’t be a nightmare.’

    ‘OK,’ he said, ‘let me think about it.’ And then he left, saying he would meet us later for dinner with his answer.

    ‘The old boy’s got his screws turned pretty tight,’ John McVie observed a bit later.

    ‘Too bad,’ I said. ‘If it’s considered pressure, then pressure it has to be.’ But when we met later that evening at the restaurant, Lindsey didn’t show. Actually he drove up to the place, and then turned around and roared off again.

    ‘Well, lads and lasses,’ I said, ‘looks like he’s packed it in.’ But the others didn’t want to give Lindsey up so easily, and we were determined to try to convince our singer and guitarist to stay with us.

    Finally, Mo Ostin persuaded Lindsey to tour with us for ten weeks. The news was flashed over the telephone. Hey! It’s on! ****ing hell! Great! There was a big meeting at Christine’s, and Lindsey was enthusiastic. I was thrilled! It’s on!

    A week later, we were doing a Zoo gig in Salt Lake City. All that spring, Stevie had been coming along and singing with the Zoo, and she was there that day. Back in LA Fleetwood Mac had started rehearsing, signing on roadies, confirming dates with booking agents. We were rolling. Then Dennis Dunstan called me at Stevie’s house in Phoenix. ‘Are you sitting down?’ he asked. Oh no, I thought, what now?

    ‘The tour’s off,’ Dennis said. Lindsey had called John Courage and said he had changed his mind, that he couldn’t go through with the tour. Courage told Lindsey that the rest of Fleetwood Mac deserved an explanation, and a meeting was set up for the whole band to have it out.

    It was a real showdown.

    7 August 1987.

    We gathered at Christine’s house, where from the start feelings ran high. No one wanted to face the humiliation of a cancelled tour - it was like a hideous spectre from our distant past - except for Lindsey, who just wanted out. The meeting was civil for about five minutes. Stevie felt devastated. She took Lindsey’s rejection of us personally. ‘You can’t do this,’ she said. ‘Why are you doing this?’

    Lindsey apologized. ‘Look, I’m sorry. I just can’t do it anymore. I’ve given twelve years of my life to this band? I’ve done it all - arranged, produced, played guitar, sang. I just can’t… hack it… and do it all anymore.’

    Christine spoke now. ‘What do you mean, Lindsey, do it all?’ Her tone was withering. It was her singles, after all, that got played on the radio, not Lindsey’s. This was a sore spot, because in interviews Lindsey had been describing his role in the band as the grand interpreter of Chris’s and Stevie’s music to the world - as if he felt he had carried the rest of the band. Nobody liked this, especially now. Lindsey was silent. No one knew what to say. Lindsey had given his answer.

    I looked over at Stevie, who was brushing back tears. ‘Lindsey,’ she said, ‘you’ve broken my f**king heart on this.’

    ‘Hey,’ he said, turning on Stevie and becoming agitated, ‘don’t do this again. Don’t start attacking me.’

    ‘Watch out, Lindsey,’ Stevie said. ‘There’s other people in the room beside yourself yourself.’

    ‘Oh s**t!’ Lindsey shouted. ‘Get this b***h out of my way. And f**k the lot of you!’ A great hue and cry now ensued. Lindsey headed out to his car, and Stevie followed him outside to the courtyard, trying to change his mind. It was a terribly sad moment, because I could tell that even in her anger, a part of Stevie still loved Lindsey Buckingham and didn’t want him to leave Fleetwood Mac. She didn’t want him to go. They exchanged words in Chris’s courtyard for a few moments. I didn’t hear what he said, but Stevie cried out, ‘Hey, man, you’ll never be in love with anyone but yourself!’

    Then it got physical. Lindsey grabbed Stevie and slapped her and bent her backwards over the hood of his car. Was he going to hit her again? He’d done it before. Suddenly Dennis Dunstan and Stevie’s manager, Tony Diminitriades, pulled Lindsey off her and told him that was enough. Lindsey then came back into the house, very distraught. He shouted, ‘Get that woman out of my life - that schizophrenic b***h!’

    Christine sounded furious. ‘Lindsey, look at yourself, screaming like a madman.’

    There was a silence. And John McVie quietly said to Lindsey Buckingham, ‘I think you’d better leave now.’

    ‘You’re a bunch of selfish bastards,’ Lindsey said, and walked out. He said in his car in the driveway for fifteen minutes, obviously distraught, but nobody wanted to go to him. Eventually, we heard him start his motor and leave.

    I’ve put down as complete an account of this incident as memory allows, because I want it clear that Lindsey Buckingham was not fired from Fleetwood Mac. He left the group on his own.

    1995 ROCK FAMILY TREES

    Stevie Nicks: Because of that guilt I’ve always had about not leaving Fleetwood Mac, I flew out of the couch and across the room to seriously attack him. And I did. I mean, I’m not real scary but I can be fairly ferocious, and I grabbed him, y'know, which almost got me killed.

    John McVie: It got ugly, physically ugly *John mimes strangling someone*

    Stevie Nicks: He ended up chasing me all the way out of Christine’s maze-like house and down the street and back up the street, and he threw me against the car, and I screamed horrible obscenities at him and I thought he was going to kill me. And I think he probably thought he was going to kill me too. And I said to him, if the rest of the people in the band don’t get you, my family will. My dad and my brother will kill you.

    John McVie: And I said to Lindsey, ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ He left, but what I meant was why don’t you just leave the room *laughs*.

    2013 THE DAILY MAIL

    The fracas, Fleetwood claims, culminated in Buckingham slapping her and bending her over the bonnet of a car, before storming off shouting, ‘You’re a bunch of selfish b******s.’

    ‘That was in the courtyard of my house,’ Christine McVie concurs. ‘There was a bit of a physical fight, and she wasn’t beating him up. It wasn’t nice.’

    ‘There wasn’t any physical violence,’ contends Buckingham. ‘It was an unpleasant situation that day, but you have to ask yourself the question, if someone is beating on your chest because they don’t want you to leave, isn’t that in a way kind of flattering?’

    ------------------

    There’s also this, which doesn’t refer specifically to the FIGHT but to what was said. Stevie’s also said that they said all the things to one another which you don’t say, just in case you get back together, that those things were said when he left.

    ‘It’s very hard to get up and walk out of a room instead of turning around and saying “Well, if you really want to know how I feel, you know, let me, I’ve got a list, let me go get it.” You know. “And let’s just sit here for two or three hours”. And the next day, you’re so sorry. Because, really, half of it was totally ridiculous anyway and you could’ve just been having a bad day. An unfortunate thing that happened, you know, with me and Lindsey was, when the band broke up, was that Lindsey and I said things to each other that I wish we had never said. That are etched on both of our hearts in stone. And because of that we can never, ever be anything to each other again, ever. That was a very big lesson for me to learn and I’m, I’m very sorry for the things that I said to him. And I know he’s very sorry for the things he said to me. Because, you know, we went through too much and we lived together and we loved too much and we meant too much to each other for those words to be said. And they were said and they can never be taken back.’
     
  25. zelox

    zelox Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SoCal
    Good synopsis, and I have to agree. I think Lindsey (realistically) had a sense of foreboding regarding that upcoming tour they were planning, apprehensions that largely keyed around drug consumption and frayed wires. Moreover, his heart wasn't in it, which is never a good thing for a project that taxing. As for the altercation itself, I think any "attacking" amounted to a two way affair, from everything I've ever gathered or read. But Lindsey should never have allowed it to become physical. At that point, he needed to break away and cut distance, as it was no longer a fair fight.

    After things went down like they did, and to everyone's regret, he did just that... for ten long years.

    Thanks for the cliffs mate. Appreciate it.
     
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