Stevie Nicks's tumultuous life as a rock queen led her to addiction, heartbreak and "insanity". As Fleetwood Mac reunites, she tells Caspar Llewellyn Smith why she's going back for more
by: Caspar Llewellyn Smith
Scented candles are spaced throughout the room and there's a well-thumbed copy of the first book in The Twilight Saga on a side table – signs that suggest that the 64-year-old singer is comfortably in residence. Plus there's her Yorkshire terrier, getting stuck continuously under my feet. But, as Nicks says, when all five feet one-and-a-half inches of her does emerge at the top of the stairs, she can't seem to settle.
Instead she asked to see if this place, which she'd rented previously, was available. "I'm trying to rest and it's really hard to rest because in either one of my own houses I feel like I should be working," she explains. "I've been coming here off and on for nearly 10 years and there's absolutely nothing for me to do except draw or sit and write poetry or bring the electric piano down." Problem is, "I've been here since Tuesday and I haven't managed yet to actually come up here at three in the afternoon and go sit on that miserable couch and draw for a few hours – because that's when I know I've made a change."
Before I meet Stevie Nicks, I hear her. She is downstairs somewhere in the house she's renting on the beach in Malibu – a short drive, traffic allowing, up the Californian coastline from the two homes she owns in LA – and looking for her dark glasses. It's early evening in December and has long since turned dark outside, but if you're the ultimate rock goddess – NME's recent description, testament to an ongoing revaluation of interest in Fleetwood Mac among the younger generation – wearing shades at night goes with the territory.
Scented candles are spaced throughout the room and there's a well-thumbed copy of the first book in The Twilight Saga on a side table – signs that suggest that the 64-year-old singer is comfortably in residence. Plus there's her Yorkshire terrier, getting stuck continuously under my feet. But, as Nicks says, when all five feet one-and-a-half inches of her does emerge at the top of the stairs, she can't seem to settle.
In fact she shouldn't be here at all (and wasn't planning any interviews), but on holiday in the Florida Keys she was getting bitten to death by bugs and, besides, felt bored. Going home to either of her places in the city wasn't an option because right now she's "making a molecular change": parking her solo career, which saw her tour the world with her solo album In Your Dreams for the past two years, and getting ready for the return of the Mac.
Instead she asked to see if this place, which she'd rented previously, was available. "I'm trying to rest and it's really hard to rest because in either one of my own houses I feel like I should be working," she explains. "I've been coming here off and on for nearly 10 years and there's absolutely nothing for me to do except draw or sit and write poetry or bring the electric piano down." Problem is, "I've been here since Tuesday and I haven't managed yet to actually come up here at three in the afternoon and go sit on that miserable couch and draw for a few hours – because that's when I know I've made a change."
Despite the homely touches, the house looks perfectly nondescript from the outside, and it's modestly apportioned by the standards of LA rock aristocracy. But then Nicks doesn't play the diva either – kooky fan of fantasy, yes (her fondness for the oeuvre of Stephenie Meyer and liking for US fantasy TV series Game of Thrones fits right into that), but not the figure who insisted during Fleetwood Mac's Tusk tour that every hotel room she stayed in be painted pink and must house a white piano.
It is now 40 years since her first album, Buckingham Nicks – the fruit of her relationship, both musical and romantic, with Lindsey Buckingham – and life is coming full circle. Later this month, the most classic of all Fleetwood Mac albums, Rumours, gets the full reissue treatment, and the band will hit the road again for a US tour that will also likely come to Europe. (Of the rumours that they'll headline Glastonbury, Nicks is noncommittal, though she does say she'd love to do it.)
There is also the likelihood of the first new Fleetwood Mac record in 10 years – and even the prospect of a second Buckingham-Nicks album. For fans, this news is as exciting as it might sound improbable. Nicks once said herself that "to be in Fleetwood Mac is to live in a soap opera. And it has been pretty scandalous and incestuous…" And of all relationships, it's been that between her and Buckingham that has provided the richest story lines of all.
Full Article at The Guardian
16 comments:
I loved that interview. Brought a little tear to my eye, too.
Same ol' same ol'. Put your money where your mouth is, Stevie, and don't just go through the motions on the upcoming tour. You will be much happier that way.
Strange bird, our Stevie. She has two residences at the beach (I live in L.A. and know exactly where one is and the general area of the other) but still needs to rent another. I think she gets bored easily.
I've seen the house that she is renting in Malibu (actually a stone throw away from Cher's house) - it's very small compared to her compound in Santa Monica. The house she's renting in Malibu is ocean front property and is brown and white.
No need to watch the Oprah with Stevie. This is what she is going to talk about.......
Sounds like Stevie may be suffering from writer's block. She left her holiday in Key West Florida early, where she had gone to write a song or two for Fleetwood Mac, to go with the two songs Lindsey did. Not at a rented beachfront Malibu house, she still seems unable to call upon her muse to get out a song or two. Despite the fact that she says her New Year's resulolution is to make the 2013 year of Fleetwood Mac her priority. Come on Stevie, write us a couple new classic Mac songs ! ! !
Poster # 4, did you dig through her garbage, too?
I also believe she is suffering from writers block these days as well. In addition, I think her belief about internet piracy bums her out and gets in her way of creating since her mindset seems to be - why write another song, nobody's gonna buy it, or hear it (the general public), and then they'll probably steal it off the internet. I really wish she'd just stop wagging her finger at the internet. Hell, she's been on this internet rant since 2005! It's been 8 years and the internet is not going away and has forever changed the music business model. Even if the Internet wasn't a factor, at this stage in her career age, she'd still be selling less units anyway. She'd be wise to and just continue to create & write beautiful masterpieces in her golden years & not concern herself about sales in general and aim for critical success and further cement her legacy as one of the primiere singer songwriters of a generation and beyond.
Is this magazine in print form? It's the Guardian correct? Anyone know if it's US or UK? Thank you.
Exactly. She should be making music because she WANTS to. Not because of sales figures. She has nothing to prove.
I thought the same thing about Stevie having writer's block. She claims to write all the time, but I have a feeling that is mostly daily ramblings in her journal. Turning those musings into magical poetry is surely difficult, and it seems to me that she's having a tough time getting to that point. She really needs to stop thinking about how much she's going to sell, who's going to "steal" her songs, and what the record company will think if she doesn't write a "Call Me Maybe"-style hit song. You're STEVIE NICKS!!!! If you'd embrace the Internet you'd realize that you don't even need a record company anymore and that you'd make more money if you just put your music out there yourself, a couple of songs at a time. Come on, Stevie, clear your mind and write some beautiful music for Fleetwood Mac......
Maybe she's just tired and trying to deal with the loss of her mom. That had to be difficult for her.
95% of people buy their music online. Stevie needs to get on board and accept it. Her rants toward internet piracy will change nothing. No one is going to stop downloading music illegally because Stevie Nicks said to.
Thanks John, I agree. Now we need to give Stevie a little break, too. She's lost both of her parents, she's almost 65... and she probably needs a little time to ponder her life, where she is, and where she is going. She's sacrificed her whole life for her fans and a little down-time is allowed...
Fleetwood Mac's fragmented nature has made for some wildly inconsistent messages (Sheryl Crow's joining! - um, no she's not) and career paths over the last decade or more. While other acts of their stature (The Eagles, Paul McCartney) have scored sales successes through alternative distribution channels (WalMart exclusives, Starbucks), FM has operated under an obsolete business model that's done little to enhance their sales. It a wonder that SAY YOU WILL sold at well as it did. They're still very popular but fans need to know they're active and making music - and there's only one way to do that. Stay active and make music. Easier said than done for our merry band of misfits.
Well you have John and Mick leaving in Hawaii, while Stevie and Lindsey live in Los Angeles (only about 40 min from each other) yet when they're not touring they never seem to get together. I know Stevie visits Mick and John in Maui quite often, but Lindsey seems to be focused on being a dad and husband and living in his own bubble. Nothing wrong with that, but you have to BE together to make music...unless you want to do what the "pop" bands do and make music in whichever studio your closest to and email your digital track to everyone else. I was quite shocked that Stevie went up to Lindsey's house to record her vocals, especially when his assistant could have just forwarded them to Stevie's people and record her in her living room. I can't wait to see the new photo shoot Stevie's been talking about - hopefully some great "commercial" shots that they'll use on this tour instead of rehashing the same old 10 year old photos from SYW.
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