Stevie Nicks Speaks for the First Time About Lindsey Buckingham’s Firing from Fleetwood Mac
Stevie Nicks has spoken publicly for the first time about the firing of Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac, which happened back in April 2018.
In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Nicks says of Buckingham’s firing, “I never planned for that to happen. Any time we re-formed to do a tour or a record, I always walked in with hope in my heart. And I just was so disappointed. I felt like all the wind had gone out of my sails.”
Buckingham told Rolling Stone in October 2018 he was fired from Fleetwood Mac after Nicks allegedly gave the band a “him or me” ultimatum following the band being honored at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala in January 2018 where she was not pleased with some of Buckingham’s behavior. There was also an issue within the band regarding the start of Fleetwood Mac’s current tour. The band wanted to start in August, while Buckingham wanted to start in November to give him time to promote and tour in support of a solo album.
The Los Angles Times notes, “Nicks is reluctant to discuss the details of that night, though she admits it was the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back.'”
Nicks added, “I just felt like a dying flower all the time. I stayed with him from 1968 until that night. It’s a long time. And I really could hear my parents — I could hear my mom saying, ‘Are you really gonna do this for the rest of your life?’ And I could hear my dad saying in his very pragmatic way — because my dad really liked Lindsey —‘I think it’s time for you and Lindsey to get a divorce.’ It’s a very unfortunate thing. It makes me very, very sad.”
While Nicks and Buckingham haven’t spoken since the firing, she did say she sent him a note following his heart attack in February 2019. She wrote, “You better take care of yourself. You better take it easy and you better do everything they tell you and get your voice back and feel the grace that you have made it through this.”
October will see the release of a concert film and a live album from Nicks. Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold the Concert will hit select theaters and drive-ins on October 21 and 25. The concert film was recorded during Nicks’ solo tour in support of her 2014 album 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault, which featured re-recordings of various unreleased tracks from throughout her career. On October 30, a double live album of the concert film will also be released.
Complete details for the film and live album can be found at StevieNicksFilm.com.
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