The “emotional” TV show that made Stevie Nicks “feel like a ghost”
Most of us switch on the television for some mindless entertainment, whether that be in the form of watching people watch TV or tuning in to the trashiest drama imaginable.
Much more rare is turning on the box to see a fictionalised version of yourself at the height of your career – including all of the fallout – and few can say they’ve gotten to watch such strange events play out in front of them.
When you think about it, watching characters heavily inspired by you and all the people you know must be one of the most bizarre experiences you could fathom. I’d probably have a personality crisis then and there, no matter how nice my fictionalised self came across.
Stevie Nicks had to reckon with a version of herself portrayed on screen by Riley Keough when she watched Daisy Jones and the Six, an adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book of the same name featuring a ‘70s feast of flares and good hair, it takes us into the heart of the titular band’s journey to success, although this is contrasted by the interpersonal issues that might ring bells for those with the slightest bit of knowledge about the tumultuous romances that caused the demise of Fleetwood Mac.
As Fleetwood Mac made Rumours in the mid-1970s, the relationships between John and Christine McVie and Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were crumbling, how they were able to produce such a classic album while they were fighting and battling substance abuse issues is impressive, and as much as the album immortalised Fleetwood Mac as icons of the decade, it also immortalised them as one of the most drama-fuelled bands in rock and roll history.
Of course, then, their story has captivated many fans, including Reid, who was also inspired by the band the Civil Wars. Talking to Rolling Stone, the author revealed how these rock and roll obsessions shaped her story, which would ultimately become a TV sensation.
Explaining, “The more real it is, for us, the more intriguing it is to listen to, which is why Rumours is so good, and why it has stuck with us in our culture for such a long time. But I also feel that way about the band Civil Wars. I loved them, and when they broke up, I wanted to know why.”
So, while the characters of Reid’s story have their own identities, Nicks still knew that Daisy Jones was basically her, yet that didn’t stop her from watching the show, and taking to Instagram in 2023, the singer wrote, “Just finished watching Daisy Jones + the 6 for the second time. In the beginning, it wasn’t really my story, but Riley seamlessly, soon became my story.”
In fact, she admitted that “it brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story,” describing it as a very “emotional” viewing experience. “I just wish Christine could have seen it. She would have loved it. Hopefully it will continue,” Nicks added.
It must be such an out-of-body experience to view a show like that, able to analyse the actions of a character who so closely mirrors you. Nicks wasn’t afraid to sit with it, though, even if she was left feeling a little like a ghost.
