Lindsey Buckingham says Fleetwood Mac is “on the edge of being a cover band” because the band that fired him in 2018 is playing “a range of material lacking a centre.”
Still, in an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Buckingham said he would love to go back.
Buckingham, who joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, wrote or co-wrote hits like “Go Your Own Way,” “Second Hand News,” “Tusk” and “The Chain.” He took a decade-long hiatus from the group in 1987.
Buckingham blames Stevie Nicks for having him kicked him out and for keeping him out.
“It would be like a scenario where Mick Jagger says, ‘Either Keith [Richards] goes or I go.’ No, neither one of you can go,” he said. “But I guess the singer has to stay. The figurehead has to stay.”
Buckingham is not above taking some shots at Nicks. “You could do a whole analysis on Stevie at this point in her life and what she’s allowed to happen and what she’s allowed to slip away from her,” he said. “Her creativity, at least for a while it seemed like she wasn’t in touch with that. Same with the level of energy she once had onstage. I think that was hard for her, seeing me jump around in an age-inappropriate way.
“Also, she’s lonely. She’s alone. She has the people who work for her, and I’m sure she has friends, but you know.”
Lindsey Buckingham: iHeartRadio.ca Music News Coverage
Buckingham said when the band’s manager Irving Azoff fired him, it was about appeasing Nicks – and a fear of losing out on the cash Nicks’ presence brings.
He said Mick Fleetwood has “never quite gotten to the point where he’s financially stable all the time. He’s been married and divorced many times. He’s just not smart with his money.” Buckingham said Fleetwood “probably didn’t want to see me go” and has, in text messages, “talked about getting us back together.”
In March, Fleetwood told Rolling Stone: “Would I love to think that [reunion] could happen? Yeah. I’d love to think that all of us could be healed.”
Buckingham said Christine McVie sent him an email after he was booted from the band that read: “I’m really sorry that I didn’t stand up for you, but I just bought a house.”
(While Fleetwood and McVie declined comment, Azoff told the Times: “While I understand it’s challenging for Lindsey to accept his own role in these matters … his actions alone are responsible for what transpired.”)
In a statement, Nicks told the Times that Buckingham’s version of events is “factually inaccurate” and she insisted: 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 wellbeing. I was done. If the band went on without me, so be it.
"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.” (Buckingham was replaced by Neil Finn of Crowded House and Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers.)
Buckingham filed a lawsuit against his former band in October 2018. Two months later, he said he had reached a settlement with the band. “We’ve all signed off on something,” he told CBS News. “I’m happy enough with it.”