Stevie Nicks Wrote That She Was ‘Worried About’ Christine McVie in a 1977 Journal
As two women in a band and industry dominated by men, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie had to look out for each other. Though the musicians say they were different personality-wise, they formed a friendship that helped them weather the fighting, breakups, and drug use that characterized Fleetwood Mac. In a 1977 journal entry, Nicks expressed that she was worried about McVie and hoped for some guidance to help her bandmate.
Stevie Nicks has kept journals for years
Nicks has kept journals since her early days in Fleetwood Mac. She said that she particularly likes writing about romance.
“When I keep my journal, it’s big, like a telephone book, because I always feel that that will never get lost,” she told The New Yorker. “So what I do is I write on the right side of the page, and then on the left-hand side I write poetry, which I usually take right out of my prose.”
She noted that romance doesn’t necessarily refer to the interpersonal relationships in her life.
“When I say the word ‘romantic,’ I don’t necessarily mean romantic as far as having a guy or somebody in your life,” she explained. “I mean just the halcyon days or, just, remember the way that the air felt on your skin, or the way your hair felt when the wind blew through it, or the way that the trees sounded, or that kind of thing.”
She shared a sneak peek into her 1977 journal, where she wrote about Christine McVie
In 1997, Nicks shared that her sister-in-law uncovered journal entries from 20 years earlier.
“My sister-in-law found my journals from the Tusk tour,” she told Harper’s Bazaar, per The Nicks Fix. “Tragedy and drugs make incredible writing.”
The writing was contained in velvet-covered books. They blended poetry, prose, and various sketches.
“August 24, 1977,” she wrote in one entry. “One more time, on the plane. As usual, Lindsey is his usual a**hole self. I am slowly coming to the conclusion that Lindsey and I are at an end. So sad to see good love go bad.”
In a later entry, she shared that she worried for McVie, who had ended her marriage roughly a year earlier. Both Nicks and McVie ended their relationships at around the same time.
“Seattle. Worried about Christine,” Nicks wrote. “Wishing some spiritual guidance would come from somewhere. Where are the crystal visions when I need them?”
Though Nicks didn’t elaborate on why she worried about McVie, the two women remained friends, and McVie maintained her reputation as the most level-headed member of the band. Perhaps some crystal visions did allow Nicks to help her out.
Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie have always looked out for each other
Early in their friendship, Nicks and McVie made a pact in order to ward off disrespect.
“Christine [McVie] and I were a force of nature,” Nicks told NME. “In the first two months I was in the band, Chris and I made a pact that we would never be in a room full of famous English or American guitar players and be treated like second class citizens.”
She said that they have stuck true to this for decades.
“If we weren’t respected, we would say, ‘this party’s over,’” Nicks explained. “We have stayed true to that our entire career.”
