Christine McVie Shared Her ‘Most Prized’ Luxuries to Indulge In
In 1998, Christine McVie exchanged a rock and roll lifestyle for a quiet, pastoral one. She retired from Fleetwood Mac and moved to the English countryside to restore an old home. She shared that living the retired life didn’t stop her from occasionally indulging in something luxurious. She revealed what these things are, including her most prized possession.
Christine McVie left Fleetwood Mac to live a quiet life in England
By 1998, McVie had been a member of Fleetwood Mac for nearly 30 years and a working musician for even longer. She was ready to step away from the long nights of performing and recording. She had also developed a fear of flying, which made touring quite difficult.
“I left the band because I developed a terrible fear of flying,” she told the New Yorker. “I wanted to restore an ancient house in Kent, and that’s what I did. It was a heap — this Tudor building with the beams painted lime green, so hideous. And I had this idea that I’d love the small village life, with the Range Rover and the dogs and baking cookies for the Y.W.C.A.”
At the time, she believed that she would step away from the band permanently.
She shared some of her favorite things she owns
In 2004, McVie had fully settled into her life in England. She shared the luxurious items she used to fill her home.
“The only thing I collect is antique perfume bottles: art deco and cut-glass stuff, or any other odd ones that catch my eye as I hobble past antique shops or antique fairs,” she said, per the book Fleetwood Mac on Fleetwood Mac: Interviews and Encounters. “I try to get up to London a couple of days a week for a bit of retail therapy, and that usually has the desired effect.”
She revealed that her most prized possession is a painting by an artist she doesn’t believe many people would recognize.
“My most prized possession is an oil painting of St Cecelia, patron saint of music,” she said. “It’s hanging up in my hall landing, and it was painted by a guy called Peter Frampton — not the rock musician, but a turn-of-the-century painter from 1904 or thereabouts. St Cecelia is playing the organ, and she’s surrounded by beautiful spring flowers. I don’t know if many people have even heard of Frampton, but he’s becoming quite collectible. I also love my grand piano. It’s still the same one I wrote ‘Songbird’ on.”
She shared that she also can indulge in highly affordable items at the end of each day.
“I used to be a late-night person, but these days I’m more of an early bird and so I go to bed about nine in the evening,” she explained. “Usually I’ll read for a while, but I’m always asleep by midnight. When I still drank, I’d wind down at the end of the day with a glass of good champagne, but now I find that a cup of tea and a chocolate Hobnob does the trick. Exciting stuff, eh?”
Christine McVie eventually grew bored of tranquility
Though McVie swore her retirement was permanent, she returned to Fleetwood Mac in 2014. She wasn’t ready to settle down for the rest of her life.
“It got so boring,” she explained. “You couldn’t walk down the road without meeting two people related to each other. I missed the songs. And I missed the audience.”
These days, she’s still an active member of the group and has no plans to slow down.
