Mick Fleetwood is singing a new tune about Lindsey Buckingham, who was ousted from Fleetwood Mac in 2018.
Early last year, Fleetwood ruled out a farewell tour that would include Buckingham.
“I have to say no,” he told Rolling Stone. “His legacy is alive and well, and as it should be. A major, major part that will never be taken away, and never be down-spoken by any of us.
“The situation was no secret. We were not happy. It was not working, and we parted company. And that really is the all of it.”
But, in a new conversation with Rolling Stone, Fleetwood said he reconnected with Buckingham following the death of one-time Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green. “Both of us have been beautifully honest about who we are and how we got to where we were,” he said.
Asked if Buckingham could return to the band for a farewell tour, Fleetwood replied: “Strange things can happen. I look at Fleetwood Mac as a huge family. Everyone plays an important role in our history.
“Lindsey’s position in Fleetwood Mac will, for obvious reasons, never been forgotten, as it should never be forgotten.”
Fleetwood added: “Would I love to think that [reunion] could happen? Yeah. I’d love to think that all of us could be healed.”
The 73-year-old musician said he can’t speak to the issues between Stevie Nicks and Buckingham but said he is open to playing with Buckingham again. “I would love that,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be in Fleetwood Mac.”
Buckingham, who joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, wrote or co-wrote hits like “Go Your Own Way,” “Second Hand News,” “Tusk” and “The Chain.” Buckingham took a decade-long hiatus from the group in 1987.
In April 2018, Fleetwood Mac announced that Buckingham was out. “The band wishes Lindsey all the best,” it said in a statement.
A month later, Buckingham addressed his departure during a concert. "This was not something that was really my doing or my choice,” he told the crowd. “I think what you would say is that there were factions within the band that had lost their perspective.
“It harmed the 43-year legacy that we had worked so hard to build, and that legacy was really about rising above difficulties in order to fulfill one’s higher truth and one’s higher destiny.”
Buckingham filed a lawsuit against his former band in October 2018 alleging breach of fiduciary duty and oral contract and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage. He claimed he was fired after asking for a three-month delay in tour plans but that he “was and remains ready, willing and able to perform his duties and obligations.”
Two months later, Buckingham 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.”
Buckingham said he received a supportive email from Christine McVie. “She wrote me an email and basically said, ‘Dearest Lindsey, just know that I had nothing to do with any of this. Know that I miss you so much.’”
In early 2019, Buckingham underwent emergency open heart surgery.