Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has opened up about his firing from the group, placing the blame solely on Stevie Nicks.
Back in April, it was revealed that after a total of 35 years in the group, Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham had been fired from the band, with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Crowded House’s Neil Finn joining the lineup in his absence.
“We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the calibre of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family,” the band said at the time. “With Mike and Neil, we’ll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we’ll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs. Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution. We look forward to honoring that spirit on this upcoming tour.”
While Buckingham remained silent at the time, he eventually addressed his firing, noting that it “was not something that was really my doing or my choice.”
Likewise, Stevie Nicks opened up about Buckingham’s departure as well, explaining that their “relationship has always been volatile.”
“This is sad for me, but I want the next 10 years of my life to be really fun and happy,” she explained. “I want to get up every day and dance around my apartment and smile and say, ‘Thank God for this amazing life.’”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDG2m5hN1vo
Now, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Lindsey Buckingham has placed the blame on Stevie Nicks, noting that she’s responsible for hit firing from the group.
In the interview, Buckingham revealed how he received a phone call from Fleetwood Mac manager Irving Azoff back in January explaining that “Stevie never wants to be on a stage with you again”.
Two nights previously, the band had performed at a benefit in New York where Nicks had reportedly ‘taken issue’ with Buckingham’s behaviour, including how he “smirked” during Nicks’ thank-you speech.
“We rehearsed for two days, and everything was great,” Buckingham explained of the performance. “We were getting along great.”
However, he defended his supposed smirking, noting it was just part of a long-running joke between the group’s members.
“The irony is that we have this standing joke that Stevie, when she talks, goes on a long time,” he explained. “I may or may not have smirked. But I look over and Christine and Mick are doing the waltz behind her as a joke.”
Lindsey Buckingham also noted how after the call from Irving Azoff, he was left with the impression that Stevie Nicks was the one quitting the band.
“I called Irving and said, ‘This feels funny. Is Stevie leaving the band, or am I getting kicked out?’” Buckingham recalled, only to be told that Nicks had given the band “an ultimatum: Either you go or she’s gonna go.”
While Fleetwood Mac have always been known for some of their in-fighting and strained relationships between members, we do have to feel somewhat sorry for Lindsey Buckingham. After all, when you spend a lifetime in a band, getting fired over the phone is undoubtedly one of the worst ways to go.
Check out Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’:
