Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Must Read: "In Defense Of Stevie Nicks"

This was a good read:

I’m a fan of Stevie Nicks. And that hasn’t always an easy thing to admit, at least not publicly.

But, today, with many of her songs (“Landslide,” “Leather and Lace”) rightfully acknowledged as modern pop standards, and as a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ms. Nicks is being more and more recognized as a true rock legend. But for many years, as she airily floated about, she was far too close to punchline and parody for even the most die-hard of fans to ably defend her fully. Hence, our frequent silence. Even the truly devoted among us, who secretly worshiped every aspect of her gothic crystal vision, often had to wonder if she wouldn’t be taken a bit more seriously, by audiences and critics alike, if just once she’d toned down some of her Enchanted Forest fever.

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12 comments:

  1. Really? That's what makes Stevie, Stevie.
    I don't want her to ever stop. Never Change, Never Stop. Keep being yourself, Stevie.

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  2. I have always loved Stevie Nicks and I have never been ashamed to say it. Even when she was all coac...ed out and had a hard time performing. I stood by her when people wrote her off due to her addition to anti depressents and her weight gain. But she is a tough lady and a true rocker. True to her music and true to her fans. And her new CD is some of her best work. I will keep supporting her no matter what others say.

    PJ

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  3. "addition to anti depressents"

    Not exactly true. It was tranquilizers.

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  4. the "Enchanted Forest fever" is the whole reason her fans are drawn to her. She keeps the ideas of fairytales alive while weaving into it her experience with the real world and how it has hurt her. She writes and sings songs that let you know it's ok to want the fairytale, the happy ever after, the prince charming, kind of love even despite all of realities heart breaks. i can relate to that which is why her songs are so important and special to me and it's why i am a stevie nicks fan.

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  5. Always will be a Stevie fan. Never once ashamed to admit it. Her music has helped me in more ways than she'll ever know. & for that I thank her. Rock on Stevie!

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  6. Stevie Nicks needs no defending. I have been a fan since 1976, and have always been up front about being one. It is the writer of the absurd article who needs to evaluate their own phobias, not the rest of Stevie's millions of fan all around the world.

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  7. Stevie is timeless, and has always rocked to the beat of her own drum. And know that she is in her elder stateswoman phase of her career, She's all of a sudden heralded as an unwavering original worthy of respect!?? WTF!! Those of us who've never been ashamed of Stevie's eccentric or unconventional stylings both as a performer and singer-songwriter, and been fans for decades, not just in during the popular years...but all the years, get it! It's the rest of the world that is catching up, Including this blogger. So as Stevie now nurtures her illustrious legacy as the legend she was always destined to be, She is doing so with class, dignity and of course her enduring singular aesthetic! She truly is an American treasure, No Question.

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  8. Not only is she talented with singing, song writing and enchantment, to entertain her audiences. She in her own life has over come additions and terrible break ups of loved ones. She helps people, builds hospitals, Visits soldiers in VA hospitals and send zillions of Ipod's to soldiers overseas, gives to childrens hospitals, all the stuff she gets on the edge walk she does, and does many benifits. She is not some dingy woman. You say in this reading "hasn’t always an easy thing to admit, to liking Stevie Nicks" Who ever you are who wrote that I would think it would be a hard thing to admit you dont like her or have a problem liking her.

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  9. I agree!!
    There has never ever been a reason to defend Stevie Nicks. She is eternally genuine in an eternally artificial world. She has remained true to her heart and her vision and her craft.
    It is so wonderful to see her finally being recognized and celebrated. She is timeless and indeed a true American Treasure and I have always been proud to be fan and always will be... complete with a Stevie inspired Top Hat on my bookcase!!!
    Rock on Stevie!!

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  10. Just when are the "Powers That Be" going to put her into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame all on her own??

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  11. I totally agree she has earned an induction in to the R&R Hall of Fame as a solo artist. She is a true Rock Star....

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  12. I really love Stevie, but not everything she's done has been perfect. I was disappointed when I saw the re-shot close ups in the Live At Red Rocks video, with the red streaks in her hair that don't match the other scenes. I was sad when I saw the terrible graphic design on the Street Angel album. I was sad when I went to see the Behind the Mask tour and Stevie was only on stage briefly, phoning it in with very old songs.
    But because I don't blindly love everything she does, I was thrilled when I heard the beautiful, focused vocals on the Timespace tour, excited by the innovative set list of the Enchanted show, fell in love again with the re-energized singing on "If You Ever Did Believe" and moved by the mature, layered lyrics of "New Orleans."
    Can one really equate the rawness of "Soldier's Angel" to the naivety of "Desert Angel"? ("I was born in the desert, so I know how it feals there.") This is why In Your Dreams is so amazing. It's not just another Stevie album. It is an extraordinary album.
    And that's what makes Stevie great. Because she does strike out sometimes. There have been bad tours. There have been disappointing albums and song. But at 63, she is making some of the best music of her career. I've seen her perform live for the past 30 years. I saw her last May at the Wishire Theater in Los Angeles. It was the best performance I have ever seen. It was great because she was better than she's ever been. She was energetic, exciting and fresh. She was singing new music and was out of her souvenir-of-the-Seventies comfort zone. She was ELECTRIC!
    Woody Allen has made some stinky films, but I know he'll come back with something that will be brilliant. It's okay to be disappointed with someone we admire because we know how great they can be. I find "Love is Dangerous" lacking because I know that there's an "Italian Summer" waiting to happen.

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