When Lindsey Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac, he helped the group find unprecedented success but also opened them up to drama. Buckingham and then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks increased the band’s star power. Their tumultuous relationship also nearly broke the band apart. They weren’t the only ones causing problems, though. According to Buckingham, nobody was ever on the same page. He shared how he thought this made them the opposite of the Eagles. (Cheatsheet)
Lindsey Buckingham said Fleetwood Mac was the opposite of the Eagles
Fleetwood Mac was an incredibly successful band in spite of their personal drama. They broke up with each other, had affairs, consumed copious amounts of drugs and alcohol, and fought over their music. Buckingham said they were rarely on the same page, even after years of working together.
“[T]hings change, and that’s a part of Fleetwood Mac,” he told Rolling Stone in 2012. “We’re a moving target. We’re a group of people who, you could make the argument, don’t belong in the same band together. It’s the synergy of that that makes it work.”
He believed that the Eagles were a band that always seemed to be in agreement on their musical direction. This set them apart from Fleetwood Mac.
“It also sort of makes us the anti-Eagles, in terms of never, ever being on the same page,” Buckingham said. “One thing I admire about the Eagles is they always seem to know what they want. They always seem to know why they want it. They always seem to want it at the same time. We’re just the opposite. It’s kind of a political minefield out there. It’s interesting.”
Despite what Lindsey Buckingham said, Fleetwood Mac worked well together
While the members of Fleetwood Mac fought viciously, they also put out some of the top-selling music of all time. Despite all the problems in their personal lives, they were all committed enough to their music to make things work. Nicks and Buckingham sang breakup songs about themselves. John McVie played bass on songs about his divorce from Christine McVie. If anything, the heightened emotions made for better music.
While they still fought over lyrics in the studio and stormed out of sessions, Fleetwood Mac was able to make things work. Producer Ken Caillat recalled that Nicks and Buckingham could go from screaming at each other to singing harmonies in a matter of seconds. While the band may have been on different pages in their personal lives, they could still function in a group.
The Eagles also dealt with drama
Buckingham believed the Eagles were the opposite of Fleetwood Mac, but the band also had their fair share of disagreements. Per the Daily Mail, Don Felder and Glenn Frey fought viciously over who should sing lead, and their clash impacted a live performance.
Following the bitter concert, Don Henley famously said that the band would play together again “when hell freezes over.” They would eventually reunite, but it took years.
