Lindsey Buckingham isn’t over getting fired from Fleetwood Mac back in 2018.
The former lead guitarist and male lead singer of the music group blames his ex-bandmate Stevie Nicks and manager Irving Azoff for his untimely departure.
In an interview with Los Angeles Times about his upcoming solo album, Buckingham, 71, claimed that Nicks gave Fleetwood Mac an ultimatum – her or Buckingham – after he asked to delay their 2018 tour to promote his own personal music.
“It would be like a scenario where Mick Jagger says, ‘Either Keith [Richards] goes or I go,’” Buckingham recalled. “No, neither one of you can go. But I guess the singer has to stay. The figurehead has to stay.”
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“I think she saw the possibility of remaking the band more in the Stevie Nicks vein,” Buckingham mused. “More mellow and kind of down, giving her more chances to do the kind of talking she does onstage.”
Meanwhile, in the same story, Nicks snapped back at Buckingham’s version of events calling it “revisionist history.”
Lindsey Buckingham arrives at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Lindsey Buckingham arrives at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
( Steve Granitz/Getty Images)
“His version of events is factually inaccurate and while I’ve never spoken publicly on the matter, certainly it feels the time has come to shine a light on the truth,” she told the Times. “To be exceedingly clear, I did not have him fired, I did not ask for him to be fired, I did not demand he be fired. Frankly, I fired myself. I proactively removed myself from the band and a situation I considered to be toxic to my wellbeing. I was done. If the band went on without me, so be it. And after many lengthy group discussions, Fleetwood Mac, a band whose legacy is rooted in evolution and change, found a new path forward with two hugely talented new members.”
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Then, Buckingham retorted that Nicks has let her “creativity” slip away from her. “For a while it seemed like she wasn’t in touch with that,” he said. “Same with the level of energy she once had onstage. I think that was hard for her, seeing me jump around in an age-inappropriate way. Also, she’s lonely. She’s alone. She has the people who work for her, and I’m sure she has friends, but you know.”
Nicks snapped back, “Those are my decisions that I get to make for myself. I’m proud of the life choices I’ve made and it seems a shame for him to pass judgment on anyone who makes a choice to live their life on their own terms.”
(L-R) Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood perform onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City.
(L-R) Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood perform onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City.
(Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Then Buckingham went after Fleetwood Mac’s manager Irving Azoff claiming his decisions were “driven by the money.”
Azoff responded as well. “While I understand it’s challenging for Lindsey to accept his own role in these matters and far easier to blame a manager, the fact remains that his actions alone are responsible for what transpired. Frankly, if I can be accused of anything it’s perhaps holding things together longer than I should have,” he said.
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“After 2018 when Fleetwood Mac evolved with their new lineup, my continued work with the band was due entirely to the fact I’ve been aligned with Stevie Nicks in thought and purpose from the earliest of days. While financial gain was not a motivator for me, it was a delightful bonus that the band scored their highest grossing tour ever without Lindsey,” Azoff concluded.