Drama has always been part and parcel of the Fleetwood Mac mythology.
And to be honest, we wouldn’t expect anything less from the enduring rock band. When it came to the 2018 departure of songwriter and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac have continued to tour successfully with Neil Finn (Crowded House) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers).
Speaking in a new interview about the state of the band, Mick Fleetwood has been fairly open about the idea of welcoming Buckingham back into the fold one day. If you’re crossing your fingers for an eventual reunion, prepare for disappointment.
“Fleetwood Mac is a strange creature,” he told Rolling Stone. “We’re very, very committed to Neil and Mike, and that passed away a time ago, when Lindsey left. And it’s not a point of conversation, so I have to say no.”
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It doesn’t seem like Fleetwood Mac, as they are now, are hung up or rueful on how things ended with Buckingham. As far as break ups go, in the annals of Fleetwood Mac’s extensive history, this is probably the cleanest one (yet).
Conflicting accounts surrounded Buckingham’s departure from the band in 2018. Stevie Nicks had revealed that his desire to focus on his solo career was the cause for the break up, while Buckingham countered that he was given an ultimatum after receiving a message that Nicks never wanted to play alongside him again.
“A major, major part that will never be taken away, and never be down-spoken by any of us.” Fleetwood said. “Neil and Mike have tremendous respect for Lindsey. The situation was no secret. We were not happy. It was not working, and we parted company. And that really is the all of it.”
