David Crosby Said Stevie Nicks Could ‘Only Ever Dream’ of Performing as Well as Her Idol
Stevie Nicks’ powerful performance style has earned her many fans, but David Crosby said she didn’t compare to one of her idols, Grace Slick. Nicks admired Jefferson Airplane’s Slick and tried to emulate her during Fleetwood Mac concerts. Slick has complimented Nicks, but Crosby said she couldn’t hold a candle to her. Here’s what he found so unique about Slick.
David Crosby said Stevie Nicks couldn’t compare to Grace Slick
Nicks said that as she was developing her notorious performance style, Slick was one of the primary people she tried to emulate.
“Flamboyance and attitude from Janis [Joplin], humbleness and grace from [Jimi] Hendrix, and a little bit of slinky from Grace Slick,” Nicks said (per Rolling Stone). “Those were the three people who I emulated when I was on stage.”
According to Crosby, though, Nicks’ performance style didn’t come close to capturing the power of Slick’s.
“When they got Grace in the band, that was just beyond belief,” he said of Jefferson Airplane, per the book Got a Revolution!: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane by Jeff Tamarkin. “She was stunning. She had a power and intensity onstage that Stevie Nicks should only ever dream she could get. With Marty [Balin], she was like a bullfighter with a bull. She would circle him and dart at him and pull from him and electrify him and touch him with bare wire. And Marty rose to the occasion.”
Stevie Nicks is a successful performer, even if she isn’t just like Grace Slick
According to Crosby, Nicks doesn’t emulate the same raw power as Slick in her performances. While she said that Slick was an influence on her, she wasn’t trying to copy her entire performance style. Nicks may not have had the “bare wire” intensity that Slick did, but she wasn’t going for that.
Nicks wore flowing skirts and gauzy shawls to bring a sense of magic to the stage. She danced around, twirling and shaking a tambourine in a way that brought lightness to the performance. A bullfighter’s intensity would not fit very well with Fleetwood Mac’s musical style. Nicks’ performances did match their songs.
In addition, Nicks was capable of unwavering intensity when she needed it. Anyone watching her stare down Lindsey Buckingham during a rendition of “Silver Springs” would have a hard time doubting that.
Grace Slick said watching Fleetwood Mac makes her cringe
Slick has complimented Nicks on her songwriting ability, but she said that Fleetwood Mac performances were tough for her to watch. Slick, who retired from music at 50, said the band was too old.
“There’s something about old people singing rock’n’roll lyrics that bothers me – it just doesn’t match,” she told WENN (via Louder Sound). “I saw a film of Fleetwood Mac doing something, and I was okay as long as I didn’t look at them. I couldn’t look at them. They sounded great, and if I looked away and imagined young people singing I was okay with it.”
Slick said she retired because she felt she was too old to continue performing.
