In a new interview with Mojo, Fleetwood Mac’s Neil Finn explained who was running the band.
During the chat, he was asked about the band’s current leader today. Finn said they don’t have a ‘leader’ today, but Stevie Nicks’ leadership traits make the band keep going:
“It doesn’t currently exist, but when I was there Mick carried the flag. He always has and he’s the heart and soul. Yet Stevie’s the leader in many ways, because Stevie wants it the way Stevie wants it and that’s the way it’ll be.”
Finn then revealed the one thing Nicks couldn’t stand in the band:
“She couldn’t bear to be in a band with Lindsey [Buckingham] any more, but she still wanted to do it exactly the way he would have. It was more difficult for [Heartbreakers guitarist] Mike Campbell: she was really happy with the way it sounded between me and her, but she put a lot of pressure on Mike to be more like Lindsey. Sometimes Mike’s solos would go on and Stevie would get exhausted playing tambourine. She’d be, ‘Fucking hell, Lindsey only did 12 bars!'”
Why Nicks Couldn’t Stand Buckingham
The bumpy relationship between Buckingham and Nicks affected both their personal lives and the band. Even after their breakup, they were still bandmates and they used their feelings to write new songs.
This situation caused some tension in the band, and it affected the other members.
Nicks mentioned in a chat with Elle back in 2013 that their songs became a platform for their conversation. Although their relationship wasn’t stable, the two stayed connected by music. The singer also said their relationship took a different turn once they joined Fleetwood Mac, compared to before they were in the band:
“I ironed his jeans and sewed moons and stars on them and made the house beautiful. I was the cleaning lady. Then we joined Fleetwood Mac and moved to LA, and he became very jealous. I was trustworthy, but he didn’t trust me, so he tortured me every day until I ended up having an affair.”
Nicks also mentioned to Rolling Stone that she was mad at Buckingham for the lyrics of ‘Go Your Own Way.’ She said she felt frustrated because the song hinted that she was into other guys. She thought Buckingham intentionally tried to get under her skin as payback for their breakup.
