Nicks and Buckingham in happier times
Lindsey Buckingham spoke out publicly for the first time about his departure from “my band for 43 years.” The now-former Fleetwood Mac member performed on May 11 at a fundraiser for California Congressman Mike Levin.
“This has been an interesting time on a lot of levels for me, personally,” he said. “Probably some of you know that, for the last three months, I have sadly taken leave of my band for 43 years, Fleetwood Mac. This was not something that was either my doing or my choice. I think what you would say was that there were factions within the band that had lost their perspective.”
As he paused, an audience member shouted: “Fuck Stevie Nicks.” Was his former lover and longtime band mate the main culprit? Buckingham clearly heard it, acknowledging: “Well, it doesn’t really matter. The point is that they’ve lost their perspective and what that did was to harm… and this is the only thing I’m really sad about it… the rest of it becomes an opportunity… but it harmed the 43 year legacy that we built. And that legacy was really about rising above difficulties in order to fulfill one’s higher truth and one’s higher destiny.”
Fleetwood Mac in 2014
Related: Fleetwood Mac discuss their new lineup
He then turned political. “Now we’re also at a point with our country in Washington… where there’s been a loss of perspective. Mr. Dean saw it first-hand 45 years ago,” he said, referring to the Nixon White House Counsel. “I think the difference was that perhaps there were more separation of powers… more potential for checks and balances.
“But the loss of perspective we see now is, indeed, threatening to harm the legacy that is the United States. In the context of that you’ve got to think of what needs to be done. And it is not gonna come from the top down… it is gonna come from the ground up and this is why we are here. I am most honored and most pleased to have been asked, in my own small way, to help in that push back which very, very much needs to happen in order to continue the legacy we have all come to value.”
Tickets for Fleetwood Mac’s 2018-2018 tour are available here and here.
Watch Buckingham’s speech
Related: Our story on 11 private concerts by classic rock stars, includes a performance by Fleetwood Mac
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversation“F Stevie Nicks!” Heh. Many have.
Anyhow… while I have little interest in Mac in 2018 — and really haven’t had any interest in anything new by them in over 30 years — Buckingham is a bit disengeuous here. He left once before, after a lousy, albeit successful, album in the late 80s (Tango in the Night) and they toured without him. He didn’t come back for over a decade.
Then they had that mostly forgotten lineup without Buckingham, Nicks, or Lady McVie (adding Dave Mason and Bekka Bramlett). They even cut an album few heard. Then the 1975 lineup regrouped, but later Chrstine left yet again before returning,
The band has been a revolving door, and always was from their days as a blues band.
I agree that going on without Buckingham at this point seems pointless, but this band has really just been a nostalgia act in it for the $ ever since the regrouped for The Dance, what, 20 years ago??
Last summer Buckingham toured with Christine McVie, and had an extremely talented group that produced the best sound I have ever heard from Lindsey. I have seen him solo about four times, and I hope his new direction that started with Christine continues. As for his politics, well what do you expect from an artist? They “feel” all day!!