Stevie Nicks has issued a public statement on her former Fleetwood Mac colleague Lindsey Buckingham’s departure from the band three years ago.
Lindsey Buckingham was fired from the band in 2018. At the time, it was reported that his departure resulted from “a disagreement over the band’s upcoming tour”.
Earlier this year, Lindsey Buckingham had blamed his departure on Nicks. He also claimed that the band’s manager Irving Azoff told him that “Stevie never wants to be on a stage with you again”.
The guitarist also added that he had never got complete closure after he and his former girlfriend Stevie Nicks split up.
Nick’s calls Buckingham’s version of events “a revisionist history of what transpired”
But now, Stevie Nicks has released the following statement.
“It’s unfortunate that Lindsey (Buckingham) has chosen to tell a revisionist history of what transpired in 2018 with Fleetwood Mac. His version of events is factually inaccurate, and while I’ve never spoken publicly on the matter, preferring to not air dirty laundry, certainly it feels the time has come to shine a light on the truth”.
The statement continues, “Following an exceedingly difficult time with Lindsey (Buckingham) at MusiCares in New York, in 2018, I decided for myself that I was no longer willing to work with him. I could publicly reflect on the many reasons why, and perhaps I will do that someday in a memoir, but suffice it to say we could start in 1968 and work up to 2018 with a litany of very precise reasons why I will not work with him”.
“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 well-being. I was done. If the band went on without me, so be it”.
“Championed independence my whole life”
“I have championed independence my whole life, and I believe every human being should have the absolute freedom to set their boundaries of what they can and cannot work with. 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”.
The statement concludes, “Further to that, as for a comment on “family”—I was thrilled for Lindsey when he had children, but I wasn’t interested in making those same life choices. 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, even if it looks differently from what his life choices have been”.
Meanwhile, Lindsey Buckingham announced his first set of European Solo Tour Dates for 2022. Including a gig in Dublin.
He also recently released his single “Scream”.
