Neil Finn on Fleetwood Mac internal politics

[anusha]

I actually enjoyed hearing what Neil had to say about his time in Fleetwood Mac. I’ve been a huge Neil/Crowded House fan for decades, but I could not bring myself to see that tour. I’m sure that Neil was paid well for his efforts with him, and probably more than he would earn on any of his own tours these days. Not to mention, it was a chance to play areas that he might’ve never gotten to play on his own and tour in a super luxurious way. And maybe even if you got 5% of the audience who didn’t know him before to check out his music, that would also be a win for him.

I think we’ve been trying to read the leaves on the Lindsey firing and hiring of Mike and Neil came to be. I’m sure I’ve said this earlier, but I think that Stevie has probably always had some thought that her life would be easier if she didn’t have to deal with conflict with Lindsey in FM. I think there were enough changes in the industry and the world at large that helped around 2017–2018 And made it possible for her and her management to push Lindsey out. Before, then, as much as Lindsay annoyed her, she probably felt he was necessary for the tours to be financially successful, because FM lean on the Stevie Lindsey dynamic to sell tickets since The Dance.

But, in the late 2010s, you saw other bands be able to go on the road with replacement members after core members died or left, especially the Eagles with Vince Gill. And they still did a ton of business. Then you had Lindsey pissing off Irving Azoff and Stevie by calling The Classic shows a cash grab. It was the truth, but it’s the part that most people don’t say out loud. Also, Stevie was getting a big profile with younger artists like Harry Styles and HAIM, and Working on American horror story. So her level of audience compared to the band as a whole was growing. Then you add to that a lot of the me too revisiting of bad male behavior in the past — And Lindsey has had some bad episodes in terms of treatment of women. I think the fact that you have someone like Vanessa Carlton tweeting about Lindsey in that context shows that it’s probably something that Stevie had in mind at the time that she pushed for Lindsey to be fired. I’m not saying Stevie did it to stand up for women or anything (After all, she knew about all this stuff for decades and continued to profit off of having him in the band), this was purely self interest, but a lot of people who do self interest in things like to wrap it in a cloak of self-righteousness. And I’m sure Stevie did that because she realized that kicking out somebody that she’s known since she was a teenager and he was a big part of her success, that’s a lot to ask an audience to tolerate when you’ve spent the better part of five decades talking about the everlasting connection between the members of the band. But I don’t think she regrets it to this day because ultimately she didn’t need Lindsey anymore and she doesn’t need him now to tour and make money and be adored. She only regrets that there was a blip in time where people called her out for firing him. But even that is long gone For the general public.

I’m only sad for Mick, John, and Chris, because their final tour as FM was overshadowed by the Stevie Lindsey drama again. But even they took it to the bank, so I don’t feel that bad. Everyone here made their choices.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by anusha

I’m only sad for Mick, John, and Chris, because their final tour as FM was overshadowed by the Stevie Lindsey drama again. But even they took it to the bank, so I don’t feel that bad. Everyone here made their choices.

Christine was sooooo tired of it. (John, too.) She was more than eager to tour BuckVie, make music. But, getting involved in that drama again at her age (and her condition). Hell no. She deserved every penny!

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Christine was sooooo tired of it. (John, too.) She was more than eager to tour BuckVie, make music. But, getting involved in that drama again at her age (and her condition). Hell no. She deserved every penny!

If she was that tired, she should have refused to go on the tour. That's why at first I was actually upset with the whole band when Lindsey was fire. And when I read she said she accepted to do the tour because she was buying a house, I got more upset.

I would have preferred OWTS tour to be the swan song instead of the 2018 tour without Lindsey.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by Villavic

If she was that tired, she should have refused to go on the tour. That's why at first I was actually upset with the whole band when Lindsey was fire. And when I read she said she accepted to do the tour because she was buying a house, I got more upset.

I would have preferred OWTS tour to be the swan song instead of the 2018 tour without Lindsey.

You missed the point completely. She was tired of those two's drama. I can't imagine why.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

You missed the point completely. She was tired of those two's drama. I can't imagine why.

She still should have stood up for the legacy of the band. ESPECIALLY after just coming off of BuckVie.

[BigAl84]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

She still should have stood up for the legacy of the band. ESPECIALLY after just coming off of BuckVie.

Yeah, that's still a hard pill to swallow all this time later. She and Lindsey could have made a second album in the year she spent on the road schleppin' the hits!

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by BigAl84

Yeah, that's still a hard pill to swallow all this time later. She and Lindsey could have made a second album in the year she spent on the road schleppin' the hits!

For Christine, Mick and John > Lindsey.

I’m sure there was some unbelievably colorful language, but there was never any doubt about where her loyalties were. Even Lindsey realized that and let her off the hook.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

She still should have stood up for the legacy of the band. ESPECIALLY after just coming off of BuckVie.

Completely disagree. The decision was made without her. And, it takes away her paycheck (once again) dealing with a war that has nothing to do with her.
It's easy to say, I would have done this or that. But, she's with Mick and John. Not Stevie or Lindsey. And that's where I expected her loyalty to be.

She's tired of being in the middle of a lousy love affair. I stand by her choice and also feel that even had she quit, it would have had zero impact because they would have toured without her. And why should she give up her (turned out to be) her last tour because of those two ego maniacs.

Finally, there's too many assumptions on what she said and did behind closed doors.

[Mr Scarrott]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Completely disagree. The decision was made without her. And, it takes away her paycheck (once again) dealing with a war that has nothing to do with her.
It's easy to say, I would have done this or that. But, she's with Mick and John. Not Stevie or Lindsey. And that's where I expected her loyalty to be.

She's tired of being in the middle of a lousy love affair. I stand by her choice and also feel that even had she quit, it would have had zero impact because they would have toured without her. And why should she give up her (turned out to be) her last tour because of those two ego maniacs.

Finally, there's too many assumptions on what she said and did behind closed doors.

I can't quite imagine a Mick/John/Stevie/Neil/Mike tour working or being marketable as Fleetwood Mac. It's techncally what theoretically existed after Christine's death until Mick pretty much confirmed the end of the band and no-one really wanted to see that re-grouping. Stevie wouldn't have gone for it, either, surely if Chris had quit. I hope Chris did enjoy that last tour, though and didn't feel it became a trudge as her health declined.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Completely disagree. The decision was made without her. And, it takes away her paycheck (once again) dealing with a war that has nothing to do with her.
It's easy to say, I would have done this or that. But, she's with Mick and John. Not Stevie or Lindsey. And that's where I expected her loyalty to be.

She's tired of being in the middle of a lousy love affair. I stand by her choice and also feel that even had she quit, it would have had zero impact because they would have toured without her. And why should she give up her (turned out to be) her last tour because of those two ego maniacs.

Finally, there's too many assumptions on what she said and did behind closed doors.

Yeah, well, word is that she kept Bob out of the R&RHOF, too. She wasn't perfekt.

[SteveMacD]

I’m thoroughly convinced these are the two quotes that got Lindsey fired. The first also shows why Stevie wasn’t going to let him do solo shows on the days off.

Oh, the old band with Waddy Watchtel. Wow. Well, listen, I would love to do a tour with Stevie. I think that would be very appropriate. She was talking about doing it in between legs of a Fleetwood Mac tour, which is not going to happen. It's logistically impossible. It's economically suicidal because you can't do enough touring it make it worthwhile.

Putting out Buckingham Nicks, I'm totally down with that. To do what she's talking about, we need some bonus tracks. We need to do one from each of us. I'm totally down with that. I'm not necessarily opposed to doing that in a Fleetwood Mac set, although it hits me a little bit like we're going off message. But did she mention any other new material to you? I bet she didn't.

Asked how he felt about playing a show explicitly geared to evoke memories of the old days, Buckingham cringed.

”It doesn’t necessarily speak of the aspiration to present anything in the way that Fleetwood Mac would want to present it on its own terms,” he said. “But we’re all very close to Irving, so it was just sort of a ‘Why not?’”

Pretty diplomatic for a rock star.

”I was going to put it less diplomatically, but I stopped myself,” he said.

“Do the undiplomatic version,” McVie chimed in. “What were you going to say?”

”I was going to say, ‘Just close your eyes and take the money,’” Buckingham answered, and the soundstage rippled with laughter again.

He lost Stevie in 2013 and I think Fleetwood Mac would have been over after that tour, but Christine McVie had other plans. However, it’s when he lost Irving in 2017 that he was toast. Go figure tour negotiations got heated when Mike Campbell was suddenly available.

[BigAl84]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

I’m thoroughly convinced these are the two quotes that got Lindsey fired. The first also shows why Stevie wasn’t going to let him do solo shows on the days off.





He lost Stevie in 2013 and I think Fleetwood Mac would have been over after that tour, but Christine McVie had other plans. However, it’s when he lost Irving in 2017 that he was toast. Go figure tour negotiations got heated when Mike Campbell was suddenly available.

This is just my opinion, but I think you're giving Stevie too much credit lol.

Having a meltdown because Lindsey had the audacity to suggest one of her Fleetwood Mac songs might not be the best choice for the entire band to make an entrance to and then going nuclear because you catch the entire band joking around behind your back during your 10 minute monologue...all of that is much more on brand for current day Stevie Nicks.

And that's not even mentioning the fact that the whole band proved they could record an album and release it without her, which they did. She wasn't about to feel threatened or intimidated by that situation ever again, she calls the shots (as confirmed by Neil!)

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by BigAl84

This is just my opinion, but I think you're giving Stevie too much credit lol.

Having a meltdown because Lindsey had the audacity to suggest one of her Fleetwood Mac songs might not be the best choice for the entire band to make an entrance to and then going nuclear because you catch the entire band joking around behind your back during your 10 minute monologue...all of that is much more on brand for current day Stevie Nicks.

And that's not even mentioning the fact that the whole band proved they could record an album and release it without her, which they did. She wasn't about to feel threatened or intimidated by that situation ever again, she calls the shots (as confirmed by Neil!)

Oh, I think you’re thoroughly underestimating her capacity to hold a massive grudge.

Also, I think Lindsey was toast before MusiCares. All that the playing of “Rhiannon” and the dancing while she was talking did was make her not feel bad about it.

[BigAl84]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Oh, I think you’re thoroughly underestimating her capacity to hold a massive grudge.

Also, I think Lindsey was toast before MusiCares. All that the playing of “Rhiannon” and the dancing while she was talking did was make her not feel bad about it.

Oh...I agree with you there, she's a major grudge holder!

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by BigAl84

Oh...I agree with you there, she's a major grudge holder!

She's bitter because she never got a life. Just her paid staff of yes people.