In a not so surprising turn of events, Lindsay Buckingham, virtuoso lead guitarist formerly of the classic pop rock band Fleetwood Mac who also co-wrote and sung many of the group’s hits, has chosen this point in time to fire shots at his former bandmates over his unceremonious firing in 2018. The famously embattled band has dealt with interpersonal drama among its members since the seventies and, like a heartbeat drives you mad, the feuds continue.
After telling the Los Angeles Times he’d been humbled by the firing, his subsequent heart attack, and lengthy recovery, Lindsey was quick to blame lead singer and ex-girlfriend Stevie Nicks for pushing him out and the rest of the band for not standing up for him. After describing himself as having become “not as aggressive” and “less self involved” he later broke into a lengthy analysis of Nicks proclaiming her lonely, suffering from a loss of creativity, and jealous of his age-inappropriate energy on stage.
Buckingham, who was replaced by Neil Finn (Crowded House) and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), had previously settled with his former band after suing them for his $12 million revenue share from their scheduled tour. He reportedly reconciled with band leader and drummer Mick Fleetwood after Peter Green, a founding member of Fleetwood Mac, died. Mick, for his part, seemed eager to work with Buckingham again in some capacity.
In a 2020 interview, Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac vocalist and keyboardist, told the BBC she felt too old to get back into it and said her ex-husband, band bassist John McVie, was too frail. Stevie Nicks, who reportedly contacted Lindsey after his heart attack imploring him to take care of himself, responded to the recent verbal attack calling Buckingham’s version of events “factually inaccurate” and a “revisionist history.”
