Mick Fleetwood’s Contradictory Feelings About Stevie Nicks’ Solo Career: ‘She Will Not Let It Go’
Fleetwood Mac‘s drummer and co-founder, Mick Fleetwood, had some contradicting feelings about Stevie Nicks and her solo career. On one hand, he was happy for her in whatever she does and has supported her in any way. On the other, he was impatient for her to return to the band and tour, therefore making them all more millions.
Mick Fleetwood said he’s supportive of Stevie Nicks’ solo career
In 2012, Fleetwood spoke to Playboy (per Fleetwood Mac News) about Fleetwood Mac and their hiatus at the time. Due to Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham’s solo careers, Fleetwood Mac’s tour was on hold. Fleetwood wanted to support them, so he was OK with it.
“I don’t believe Fleetwood Mac will ever tour again,” Fleetwood said. “But I really hope we do. We have rehearsed and prepared for it since 2010. We were supposed to tour in 2011, but we delayed it for a year to allow Stevie Nicks to support her solo record and for Lindsey Buckingham to do the same with his.
“I’ve always been supportive of my bandmates doing solo albums, so long as we kept our band together. If you look at the credits as far back as you like, I’ve always played extensively on many of them, and this time was no different. I played drums on most of Stevie’s latest album, the one she is still out there supporting and the one that is the reason that for now she refuses to do a Fleetwood Mac tour.”
Then, suddenly, Fleetwood didn’t seem too pleased with Nicks and her decision to focus more on her solo career than Fleetwood Mac.
Fleetwood said he didn’t like the uncertainty that Nicks’ solo career caused
Fleetwood said that even Buckingham was tired of waiting for Nicks. Suddenly, Fleetwood didn’t sound too supportive of Nicks. He didn’t like all the uncertainty she caused.
“It comes down to her, and for the first time, I think, even Lindsey has lost his patience,” Fleetwood said. “All of this uncertainty is a tremendous change for me. Stevie is really proud of her new album, and I get that, but she will not let it go.
“Honestly, it’s not easy out there, and it’s done well, but she’s insistent upon working it until it is incapable of growing further. I understand what she likes about her situation: Touring in support of her album, she is able to be her, without any degree of compromise.
“She doesn’t have to worry about the other three of us asking her to do anything—which is basically the contract that comes with being in a band. She has become enthralled and obsessed with her album in a very nice but very inconvenient way.
“She’s working 20 times harder than she would ever have to with Fleetwood Mac and not making anything close to as much money as she would with us. But that is what she wants to do, and I respect that. In the past I’d not have taken no for an answer.
“I’d have persuaded Stevie or whoever needed persuading at the time to do the tour. But I’m not doing that this time or ever again, and there is nothing else to say about it. Stevie changed her program and changed her mind, and however willful anyone may be, this is what’s happening.
“Or not happening, rather. It’s quite simple: Stevie changed her mind. And you know what? That is our innate privilege as humans: Each of us has the right to change our mind.”
Fleetwood Mac made tons of money on tour
Since starting her solo career, Nicks always promised to record and tour during the periods that Fleetwood Mac wasn’t.
Nicks needed another outlet. She needed a place to put all of the songs that didn’t get put on the next Fleetwood Mac album. However, breaking up the band was never an option. Nicks told NPR, “I really did convince them I’m not going anywhere. I loved my band. I would never break up Fleetwood Mac ever.”
“‘Cause there’s, you know, there’s no reason to. I just take the time in between. [They] just take their vacations. That’s all.”
Nicks’ In Your Dreams tour seemed to go beyond her usual allotted time, though, and Fleetwood knew they were all losing a lot of money. They toured after The Dance, playing 44 shows in the U.S. It raked in $60 million.
“It is certainly a blow to all of us financially,” Fleetwood said. “I don’t care what you have and what money means to you, we’re talking about a very sizable, profitable tour. We’re talking about being paid well to do something that, unless I’ve misread things in this band for the past 30 years, we all love to do, because we’ve continued to do it even during our most difficult times individually and as a group.
“As a band we don’t work very often, so we never became some big moneymaking machine like the Eagles. Fleetwood Mac could have been that and still could be today if we choose to, but we’re not and we won’t. Instead we are the worst-run franchise in the rock-and-roll business.”
Now, 10 years later, Fleetwood Mac isn’t any closer to touring together like they used to. No one knows if the band will ever play together again. However, Fleetwood will undoubtedly support Nicks in whatever she does in the future.
