“I would have given up anything”: the artist Stevie Nicks called the musical love of her life
Stop the presses…you are about to experience something exceedingly rare. No, it is not the rediscovery of some form of long-lost animal species, nor is it an unheard act of witchcraft or magic. It’s Stevie Nicks saying something nice about Lindsey Buckingham. It may seem inconceivable, impossible even, given the level of ire that broils between the pair, but it’s worth remembering that beneath the ruse of hatred, they really did once love each other.
Having begun their musical lives as a double act in the form of Buckingham Nicks, the pair’s sonic efforts palpated with their romance – and, of course, it was then only a matter of time before they joined up in the ranks of Fleetwood Mac. From then on, it was a different story. Fame and fortune brought tumult and tension in its wake; what had once been a prolific partnership was transformed into one of rock music’s most famous feuds, and the guns have never fallen silent since.
It’s almost impossible to simply shove the heights of Fleetwood Mac aside in all of this – it was the band that launched their careers, after all, and they quite simply wouldn’t be famous without it – but it still somewhat distorts the illusion. Although it may have been lost over time, what really lay at the heart of the relationship between Nicks and Buckingham was their deep-rooted passion for each other. This may have manifested itself in different forms, for better or worse, but it was something that Nicks has never forgotten.
Through all the arguments and animosity, ultimately Buckingham has always been her North Star, as she confirmed in a 2001 interview when she said: “He was the musical love of my life. And I would have really given up anything for him, because of that. It was more than just a love relationship. It was everything.” As much as this all seems entirely shrouded in a fantasy romanticism, Nicks’ words evoked strong memories for her of exactly why she came to love the man in the first place, and the journeys, both literal and metaphorical, that they travelled together.
“We really did get in a car and drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles,” she added, “And having no idea what we were going to do or how we were going to do it… But we were going to do it.”
If you’re ever stuck wondering how exactly Nicks and Buckingham ever got along, given the amount of mudslinging they aim at each other these days, that statement might be your very answer. It was tenacity, grit, and integrity that always kept the pair driving forward, even as it eventually steered them apart. Although prolific, you will never meet a pair of rock stars more stubborn.
Between the heights of Rumours, Tusk, and everything else in the midst of it, you could never find a band with more dysfunctional passion for each other than Fleetwood Mac. It was certainly not all romantic love, nor even platonic friendliness, but for the frontwoman at the beating heart of the band was the memory of the open road, on the path to achieving her dreams. She’d be damned if she let a man get in the way of making that happen.
As such, even if she would be pained to admit it, Nicks is always bound to be grateful to Buckingham, even in some small way, for changing her life. It may not have been through romance in the end, but nevertheless, he will always occupy some small morsel of her heart for being by her side as she created a life of rock star glory.
