Message from Wendy Welch (re: BW RRHOF induction)

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

And I wouldn't suggest it was petty at all. I'm really not sure it was any of their business, so maybe they just stayed out of it. I mean, I know they were friends with Bob and respected him, but they weren't involved in the lawsuit, and their tenure in the band didn't overlap with his, so while they (like anyone) might have an opinion about whether he should be inducted, they shouldn't really have any decision-making power.

I agree with this. It wasn't Stevie's or Lindsey's decision.

I get that the two incarnations that had hit singles and albums are the ones that were inducted, and really, with the early Mac, it was all about Peter as far as being the star of the band. So, they got the picture of Mick, John, and the four who wrote the big hits. I've never agreed with that decision, but I understand it. Bob Welch, Billy Burnette, and Rick Vito should have also been inducted.

But that whole night was such an anti-climactic event. They did "Big Love", "Landslide", and the acoustic version of "Say You Love Me". I would much rather have had "Oh Well" (with Peter on vocals), "Dreams", and the "Rhiannon-Go Your Own Way-Don't Stop" melody they did shortly thereafter. Plus, there was no big all-band jam (of course, half the bands inducted had restraining orders...). I mean, no "Rattlesnake Shake" with Peter Green, Lindsey Buckingham, and Joe Walsh???

[aleuzzi]

I too was disappointed with the RRHOF performances. Why the two duets? Why the acoustic Say You Love Me? I got the sense that the band didn't want to deal with trucking a lot of equipment to the event, and if that's the case that is lame.

Would I have loved to have seen Bob Welch and Bob Weston there? Absolutely! I was as annoyed at their absence as I was at the video narrative before the speeches where the mid-period was completely undervalued and underplayed.

All this selective presentation also kept out Burnette and Vito (their absence bothered me much less than that of the two Bobs). So I am still not convinced this was any one band member's call to make, but rather the decision of the board of the RRHOF.

But, as I have said many times, even if one person were vocal about keeping Bob out, the rest of the band's silence and acceptance of it makes them equally culpable. Blaming Christine as THE ONE responsible is as selective as including only certain members of the band into the RRHOF.

[MacShadowsBall]

I'm afraid we won't ever really know what happened. People involved will give his or her take/opinion on it but opinions are colored by one's past experiences.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by MacShadowsBall

I'm afraid we won't ever really know what happened. People involved will give his or her take/opinion on it but opinions are colored by one's past experiences.

Yeah, but all I am saying is the entire band is responsible for the omission of Welch--even, admittedly to a lesser extent, Stevie and Lindsey. If anyone thought his cause was worth fighting for, he or she should have fought for it.

I wish he got to play something on stage with them.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

All this selective presentation also kept out Burnette and Vito (their absence bothered me much less than that of the two Bobs). So I am still not convinced this was any one band member's call to make, but rather the decision of the board of the RRHOF.

I was more bothered about Burnette/Vito than Weston. They were in the band longer, played many more shows, and the band sold more records. Basically, there were two albums worth of material released between 1988-1992 and a live video, which means Vito's time was as productive as Weston's. The case is even stronger for Billy, having been in the band for another album and two summer tours.

BTW, the "other" album's worth of material released was:
As Long As You Follow
No Questions Asked
Roll With Me Henry
Lizard People
Paper Doll
Love Shines
Heart Of Stone
Stand Back

[Wendy Welch]

If I don't get you to understand one thing, it will be the following: The RRHOF picks the band to be inducted, the band picks the member! That's why the Grateful Dead even has it's background singers in the RRHOF, because they wanted them. So give up blaming the hall of fame.
Weston was kept out because he had a fling with Mick's wife, Bob was kept up because Christine McVie is small minded and petty after the lawsuit and Mick, who owns the name, wouldn't cross her. Bekka, Vito and Burnette were left out because they never became contractual legal members of the band . Several days before they were supposed to become that, they were fired and that was wrong. But the rhythm section (Mick and John) put out a new Fleetwood Mac because they owned the name and the others wouldn't play. Not much different than what the manager Clifford Davis did. But they should have been in there as well.

[Wendy Welch]

I have read all of your comments and I believe it has nothing to do with what you are arguing about. Bob was an equal member of Fleetwood Mac and earned his place in the Hall of Fame, no matter who thought what. History can not be changed by an unwarranted deletion. It's not a matter of sticking together, it's a matter of FACT. Also, he was only suing for monies he earned and should have been paid as a pro rata share member of that band and not a dime more. I now wish we had taken it to court and I could now be able to speak about the injustice that I feel. Bob deserved being in the hall of fame and that is not up to anyone to be able to delete. Also, they are not keeping Bob from putting out any re-recordings, we have already done that. We wanted to put out the Tribute album of Bob's old Fleetwood Mac original songs that he played and sang and wrote, nothing more. It would only make money for Fleetwood Mac members, where on the re-records, I now make all the money and don't have to share it with FM. That album would have only taken money out of my pocket and put money into theirs and have competed only with the re-records I legally have out that Bob did prior to his death. I just felt Bob deserved that record. But I must have Mick, John and Chris to sign off on it. So what is there to argue about in anyone's favor but Bob Welch's.

[Phil]

What I don't understand about any of this, is why Bob was not named as an inductee, regardless of whether he attended the ceremony or not. Whilst I disagree with Christine's extremely petty insistence that he not be present (as he most definitely should have been), I just can't accept that her vitriol would extend to ignoring his contribution to the band outright. For this, she and whoever else was complicit in the decision, ought to be thoroughly ashamed.
In regard to Christine recently singling out Bob's talent and the Mystery To Me album in the January 2013 editon of Mojo magazine, I wonder if she is now at all regretful of her actions 15 years earlier?

[Phil]

Hypothetical: If Stevie one day goes off on a homophobic rant thus alienating her gay fanbase (a la Michelle Shocked)

If only she would! How hilarious would that be? Imagine the multitude of turn-coats vowing never to forgive, until of course, the next opportunity to ingratiate themselves presented itself...

[BombaySapphire3]

Originally Posted by Phil

If only she would! How hilarious would that be? Imagine the multitude of turn-coats vowing never to forgive, until of course, the next opportunity to ingratiate themselves presented itself...

Ain't gonna happen ..La Nicks knows which side her bread is buttered on .Besides if La Nicks went on a homophobic rant that would most likely indicate that she has succumbed to born again evangelical Christianity ..meaning the Rhiannon garb and her entire mystical image that she has spent all these decades cultivating would be in the Salvation Army bin.....fat chance.

[Phil]

Yes, but I wonder how she secretly feels?

[The Catdancer]

Originally Posted by Wendy Welch

If I don't get you to understand one thing, it will be the following: The RRHOF picks the band to be inducted, the band picks the member! That's why the Grateful Dead even has it's background singers in the RRHOF, because they wanted them. So give up blaming the hall of fame.
Weston was kept out because he had a fling with Mick's wife, Bob was kept up because Christine McVie is small minded and petty after the lawsuit and Mick, who owns the name, wouldn't cross her. Bekka, Vito and Burnette were left out because they never became contractual legal members of the band . Several days before they were supposed to become that, they were fired and that was wrong. But the rhythm section (Mick and John) put out a new Fleetwood Mac because they owned the name and the others wouldn't play. Not much different than what the manager Clifford Davis did. But they should have been in there as well.

I think the timeline is a little off. Billy was still a part of Fleetwood Mac when they did the Time album, Rick had already left (or was fired, he never said what happened) and what do you mean by "Mick & John put out a new Fleetwood Mac because they owned the name and the others wouldn't play"? Which others? After the Time album, Stevie & Lindsey came back, hardly a "new" Fleetwood Mac. They didn't need other players. Or is that the reason why Billy, Bekka and Dave Mason were fired?? I'm all confused now...

[BombaySapphire3]

Originally Posted by Phil

Yes, but I wonder how she secretly feels?

With apologizes for sidetracking this thread into the realm of the twirling Gypsy I will say in her defense that way back in the summer of 1985 a few months before the release of RAL that Stevie had been scheduled to perform at an AIDS benefit at as I recall the Los Angeles colliseum with a bunch of other acts,many of them not even musical. For some reason the event never did take place.I will say at that time that there were precious few then at her level of rock stardom that would have associated themselves with that cause,when AIDS was considered purely a gay male disease by most.This was at time when the President of the U.S. would not even utter the word AIDS even as he and Nancy's old friend Rock Hudson was dying of the disease.So judging from this I would say that the woman never really had a homophobic bone in her body.

[The Catdancer]

Originally Posted by Wendy Welch

I have read all of your comments and I believe it has nothing to do with what you are arguing about. Bob was an equal member of Fleetwood Mac and earned his place in the Hall of Fame, no matter who thought what. History can not be changed by an unwarranted deletion. It's not a matter of sticking together, it's a matter of FACT. Also, he was only suing for monies he earned and should have been paid as a pro rata share member of that band and not a dime more. I now wish we had taken it to court and I could now be able to speak about the injustice that I feel. Bob deserved being in the hall of fame and that is not up to anyone to be able to delete. Also, they are not keeping Bob from putting out any re-recordings, we have already done that. We wanted to put out the Tribute album of Bob's old Fleetwood Mac original songs that he played and sang and wrote, nothing more. It would only make money for Fleetwood Mac members, where on the re-records, I now make all the money and don't have to share it with FM. That album would have only taken money out of my pocket and put money into theirs and have competed only with the re-records I legally have out that Bob did prior to his death. I just felt Bob deserved that record. But I must have Mick, John and Chris to sign off on it. So what is there to argue about in anyone's favor but Bob Welch's.

Considering the fact that they wouldn't induct him in the RRHOF and there's money to be made off of his recordings, I think the chances are rather slim of them signing off on it

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

I too was disappointed with the RRHOF performances. Why the two duets? Why the acoustic Say You Love Me? I got the sense that the band didn't want to deal with trucking a lot of equipment to the event, and if that's the case that is lame.

Wouldn't there be equipment there for them to use in place of their own? I mean, I'm sure they could have scrounged up a piano, a drum kit. Go knocking door to door for a guitar.

I was disappointed in the two duets and wish they had been replaced with band songs. But I was extremely happy with SYLM and thought the acoustic performance helped us focus on the band at its core. stripped all the money, back up singers, and extra musicians away and left 5 people standing up there playing together.

As for Christine being the one who did it, who says that? Mick? I find it wrong of him to have singled her out, if that's indeed what he did. A decision was made. For him to say, "Wendy, it's not me. It was really Christine who didn't want him in and there was nothing I could do," is really backstabbing from both ends of the story, backstabbing Christine and Bob. So, I don't know if he did that, but if so, it's really deceitful.

At any rate, I wouldn't take his account as true. I don't know how the RRHOF works. I thought reading Bob's comments that Catdancer posted here was very helpful and I believe what he said about why the RRHOF didn't choose him and their pop prejudice. So, I'll just accept that. But if Mick did say that Christine kept him out, I wouldn't believe Mick. I think he was just trying to escape his own hand in the matter. I think if the band was involved in the decision at all, it would be Mick, John and Christine together. I don't know if Stevie and Lindsey would be involved or not, but there are only 2 of them anyway. If there was a vote, they could have voted against inclusion and lost. I don't see any reason for them to run to the press on Bob's behalf. That would not be right.

In fact, this public shaming approach is not an effective way to resolve problems. I remember how hurt Bob was when Wendy was sick and he named the people who would not help raise money. As a fan, I found his statements illuminating, but I also think speaking out to the public about his disappointment probably hardened FM members against him. I don't think outing people is the way to get them to change their minds. It makes the problem worse. What Mick may have done is even trickier, because it sounds like he tried to out Christine to the Welches, but didn't want anyone else to know he was blaming her. So, yikes.

Michele