“Thank you SO much everybody for joining us in our Q&A! I hope to do it again soon. I have loved listening to all of your comments and point of views, especially about my new record ’24 Karat Gold- Songs from The Vault.’ I hope that each time you listen to the songs, you hear more of the stories, because there are stories behind the stories, and you will be able to pick up all the wisdom out of these songs. They really are full of advice if you listen carefully. There were many questions from women about how to live your lives, and the answers are in these songs!! xx”
Jo Hutchinson: How does it feel to be such a wonderful living Legend and so respected by the world? Would you consider being a judge on the Voice?
It’s better than being a wonderful dead legend!
Probably wouldn’t be a judge on The Voice. It takes a lot of time, and there are so many things I want to do over the next 10 years. If you work on one of those shows, you are invested in it, and they spend a lot of time- half a year!- of solid work, : you really can’t be taking off on tour. Most people can’t give up that time, for anything!
Melissa Hughes: First, let me tell you that I got 24 Karat Gold today and it is awesome! What would you say inspires you the most when you write songs?
People. People and relationships, and not necessarily my own. Relationships that I see around me, and inspiration- if I am inspired by somebody or something that somebody does. I can usually take that and make it into some kind of poem where I’m touching on the inspiration and the reality or sadness that makes me want to sit down and write a poem!
Chad Wiechman: What is your favorite Fleetwood Mac song? Love your work!!!
I don’t really have a favorite. Each song took so much time and thought, from all 3 writers, that I don’t really have 1 favorite. I have a bunch of favorites!
Jennifer Van Slyke-Quinn: What music do you listen too? Any favorites?
Right now I am listening to Haim, whom I think are going to be a huge force in rock n’ roll. I’m listening to the new Lady Antebellum album called 747, and I’m really good friends with them, so I’m very proud of this album. I try to give new music as much time as I have, but I don’t have that much time!
Shauna Watson: What is ur greatest lesson in life?
Listen to your own voice!! Try not to let other people make decisions for you, in general.
Suzanne Lewis Stumpf: Has there been one particular designer for your clothes that you’ve stuck with throughout the years? especially in the early 80’s during Bella Donna and Wild Heart? You’re style just amazes me since I’ve been 10 yrs old!!
Yes. A lady named Margi Kent started making my clothes in 1976 right at the end of the first tour, and has been making my clothes ever since. She makes all my casual clothes and stage clothes, and we have remained friends all that time. Every time I go on the road, I get a piece from Morgane LeFay and that is Liliana, so that’s been nice to add a few pieces to my already huge collection of stage clothes.
I was a combination of Morgane LeFay for the dress and Margi Kent black velvet jacket on Jimmy Fallon
Morgan Grove: What has been your favorite show to do on the tour so far?
I think the very first show, in Minneapolis, was my favorite, because it was the FIRST show with Christine back on stage. It was very moving and very emotional
Brenda Summers: I have long hair too, it is so easy to tangle, do you ever want to cut yours? I have a hard time wanting to cut mine.
No, I love my hair. I will never cut it. But it IS a lot of work!
Barbara Acker: Hi Stevie. ….love ypur poetry/lyrics and your voice is the best!! My question is how do you keep your skin on your face so flawless?. ..you look awesome!!
When I first joined Fleetwood Mac I realized I would really have to take very special care of my face. I think the secret is, you wash your face and use your moisturizer in the morning, and you do the same thing at night. If you’re me and you have a show, you do the same thing in the afternoon too! NEVER go to bed with your makeup on. Even if you’re totally drunk, crawl into the bathroom and wash your face. In addition, i stopped laying in the sun when I was 30, and then I never did it again. Staying out of the sun is major, and getting out of it- my skin fixed itself. All the damage left. Care for your skin!
Ana Graciela Exiga: Hey Stevie, where you friends with Ryan Murphy before starring on the set of AHS Coven?
Yes, because we did the Fleetwood Mac episode of Glee so i was down there for a couple days and got to know the cast. That’s how I got involved with him. As different as AHS is, I feel that Ryan and Brad just write about misfits. Whether it’s Glee or AHS, it’s about misfits, and I love that!
Laura Murphy: Hi Stevie! I have loved you and your style for years!!! What kind of purses do you carry? I love your outfits and wondered what style of purse you’d wear along with them?! Take care and YOU (continue to!) ROCK! xo
I have a really soft leather bag that has fringe on it. I hang bracelets on it that I don’t wear and hang them off my purse. I don’t change a bag until it literally falls apart! I dont have expensive bags, I see one that’s pretty and use it for 10 years!
Amy Lynn Krusz: What is your favorite song to perform on stage?? Huge fan by the way!!
Over the last several years, I pulled out a song from Shangri-La to end my set that is called “Love Is” which I had never done on stage before. That song, I thought was a reall super special song to do live. We’re not doing it now because I’m in Fleetwood Mac , but something about it caused a connection where the audience, and almost me were in tears when I would sing that song!
Danny Kvalheim: Hi Stevie, I read somewhere that you and Tom Petty never set foot in a studio together for the recording of Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around. How did that work? Did you even record your separate lyrics in the same studio, just at different times?
The fact is that Tom had already recorded Stop Draggin My Heart for Hard Promises. He had already done his vocals. He being friends with Jimmy Iovine, they decided to ask me if I would like to have that song and make it into a duet. So, I said, sure. Jimmy Iovine said he didn’t think I had a “single” and this record needs one. I said, OK! I don’t remember the moment of recording that, but I’m pretty sure Tom was there! It ended up being a huge hit single. Had I not used it, my solo career may have gone in a different direction.
Christine Sechler: What is the inspiration for Rooms on Fire? Thank you for your beautiful talents. Your music is my best friend. What I wouldn’t give to shake your hand and have a conversation with you.
The inspiration was being in love with somebody that you would grow old with. Even if they passed away, they would always still be with you. You’d walk into a room, and the room would be on fire with the soul of that person. There is a really good video of that which tells the story. http://youtu.be/2SHhInzoSss
Summer Dai: Hi Stevie. You are such a phenomenal Singer/Songwriter. What is the first thing you jot down, when a idea comes to your mind for a song? The 1st verse, bridge etc..
All my songs start out in a journal entry. They don’t start in journal, they start in prose. I write on the right hand side of the journal. Then I go onto the lefthand side and write a poem so when I feel like writing a song, all I have to do is open my journal and look at the lefthand side to see what I find most inspiring at the moment. I don’t ever just make up songs.
Morgan Grove: How do feel about the younger group of fans that have started to like you because of American Horror Story?
God Bless American Horror Story. What a gift. What a gift that show gave me, by taking Seven Wonders, and a lot of my other songs to a whole generation of kids that probably wouldn’t have ever heard my music. I consider myself very lucky to have bee…See More
Desri Gail Spink: When will you start writing your autobiography? I would love to read about your life journeys! Rock on Sister of the moon!! Love you Stevie!!
I will probably never write a tell all book. All the people I would talk about are still alive, and probably wouldn’t be happy about it, so I wouldn’t do that to them. Some day, when we’re all very old, I will write the story in a very kind, calm, fun and romantic way. But- not for a LONG time.
David Lucero: What song off of Haim’s cd do you enjoy listening/singing too?
My favorite is ‘Go Slow.’ They came to my house to do a photo session for T Magazine, so I came down the stairs, with my IPod player, playing ‘Go Slow.’ I came down the stairs with that just blasting. That was our first connection, and the photographer just started taking pictures, and we got that amazing shot for the cover in less than 15 minutes.
Claudia Falzone Robinson: If you could do a duet with anyone in the world, with whom would it be?
I would say James Taylor.
Jonathan Winchell: Were their certain songs in 1975 -1978 that was consensual or was there creative control that everyone wanted their own say on how things played out?
Everybody always wanted their own way in the way things played out. When you have 3 writers, you’re always going to run into that. Each one is very independent, so the answer to the great universal question is- “How do you blend those 3 independent spirits into the making of one song?” We managed to do that. No matter what was going on outside the studio, in the studio, we really tried to be very focused, and do the best work that we could, and not drag our baggage into the studio. It was our rule- otherwise it just would have been chaos!
Bart Dapkus: What do you think is the biggest change for new artists trying to break into the business now, compared to when you got started?
Probably that signing a record deal with a big record company that doesn’t have much money to give you, and support you, as you turn into who you’re going to be. When we were starting, you made a record that doesn’t do very well and they still supported you and didn’t drop you. Now, if you falter at all, they will jut drop you. Even if you are not brand new. A song on the internet may get 5 million hits, but does it mean you’re going to be playing a huge tour the next year? Even if you get a record deal, it is still totally iffy.
Connie Breedlove: Hi Stevie! In regards to your album “Rock a Little”, where were you at in your life and what was the motive for the title song? I’ve always felt so drawn in to it, thank you!
“Rock a Little” I lived in Venice Beach, LA on the sand. It was the first time I had ever lived on the ocean. Every time the waves break, my whole condominium shook. So, I would think it was an earthquake. It took a long time to not be startled every time the waves crashed down on the ground and made it shake. I started to write this song about the ocean rocking a little. Even when it’s calm, it rocks a little. That’s where the whole parallel to the ocean came. “Rock a Little” was about 7 months before I checked into Betty Ford. It was a dangerous time in my life, where I was really walking on the dark side … I love that record, but that was a difficult record to do, because I knew I had to go into rehab but had to go on tour first. I was scared, and it was starting to make me sick.
Kelly Ann: Who is the song 24 karat gold inspired by, and what is your favorite song on the new album ?
24 karat Gold was inspired by Mick Fleetwood about our relationship. Even though it’s kind of a sad, crazy song, I’m so glad it all happened so I could write that song. The ’24 karat gold’ part was inspired by Micks beautiful gold jewelry that I had personally never seen before, and I was so drawn to that yellow gold color so I started collecting pieces of that myself. That’s why I named the record ’24 karat gold’ because it’s like my pieces of jewelry that are special to me in my collection.
My favorite song is Mabel Normand. Because of exactly the same thing. Mabel Normand was written around the time of “Rock a Litte” She was a silent movie star going along the same route I was. She died, and I survived. I saw a documentary on her in 1985 that scared me to death. That’s when I realized I had to seriously do something about my cocaine problem, and she was a cocaine addict also. She was in the 20s, a whole different world, but all the same things were going on for her. She was going to be a HUGE star, in a lot of different areas, and she threw it all away, to be a drug addict. THat is my most important statement on this record, that I hope people who are out there involved in that world of drugs, and it’s backfiring on them- maybe they will sit down and listen to that song and say- I have to make some decisions here, or I’m going to die.
Rebecca Jones: I love the song “Rhiannon.” My father actually named me after it. I have always wondered where the song originated and what do you enjoy about the song?
Rhiannon comes from the Welch mythological stories from a manuscript called the Mabinogion, which you can get written and translated by a lady named Evangeline Walton. Rhiannon was a great Queen from the world of Gods and Goddesses. It’s a really great name to have, and very familiar in Whales. Because of the song, there are a lot of girls now named Rhiannon.
Mary Anne Ferro-Meyer: I love the song Fire Fly from Firewood Mac live. Any chance of that song ever being brought back. Angel also is a favorite.
I don’t remember exactly, but it was about somebody leaving. The set for this tour is set in stone for now, so it won’t be on this tour.
Amanda Nicole: What advice would you leave to your 16 year old fan you inspire me everyday and would love a bit of advice on growing up
I would say try to take it slow and not grow up too fast. You’re only young once, and you will be “older” for a long, long time. Try to enjoy being 16!
Lori Reems: How many fur babies do you have ..the one with you in PiC is too cute. What are your major influences in music
I just have her, and she’s 16. She’s really like over 100 years old, and she’s a Chinese Crested yorkie. half and half. She is the great love of my life!
Todd Nemphos: Are you still in touch with Sandy Stewart? I thought “Cat Dancers” was very good.
Yes, I am totally in touch with her. I think she is one of the best writers ever, and we’re very good friends. She wrote Seven Wonders!
Samantha Vettel: What was your favorite memory?
One of my very favorite memories. IS when I joined Fleetwood Mac on our first tour, we went up to the Oakland Coliseum and the first one was 75k people, and because it was Peter Frampton promoting his big album at the time ‘Baby I love Your Way’, Bill Graham had built a castle around this massive stage. It had balconies, and so Fleetwood Mac went on right before Peter. When we were done, I went back and changed, and my best friend Robin and I got to sit on one of the side balconies and watch Peter from above, and the whole audience of 75k people. Peter was so gorgeous with his long, golden curls. He had a great band, and I will never forget that. This was my first serious “This is what rock n’ roll can be, if you’re in a big rock n’ roll band”
Nicole Barker: In press for 24 Karat Gold, you mentioned several times that about half the songs on the album are about Lindsey and yet Lady (and a line in Cathouse Blues) are the only ones you’ve publicly connected to him. Any chance you could let us know which other songs are about him?
That was mis-quoted. Lady and Cathouse Blues were written when we first got to LA. Lindsey’s influence touches through a lot of the songs, but they’re not necessarily about him. My songs are about a lot of different people. Sometimes one song is about a lot of different people.
Julia Elizabeth: Stevie, how did you know what you wanted out of life? And how can young women feel like rock stars every day?
I knew I wanted to be a singer, by the time I got to the 4th grade. My grandfather had been a country singer, who never made it, but tried. Music had been in my life for a long time. I was determined in that knowledge that’s what I was going to do. When i was 15.5 I wrote my first song, and I told my parents and they were supportive but said you have to go to school. I decided I was going to be a rock star in my freshmen year of high school. In the 10th grade, i was sure that’s what I was going to be. Whatever you’re going to be, you have to bring the attitude to go along with it. I just became a rock star. If I was walking down the hallways, I was just “being” Janice Joplin. Whether if it’s you wanting to be a lawyer or what not. If you put it out there, people will see it. Build the field and they will come.
Nadia Laffan: Hi Stevie! My question is, what kinds of things do you like to do for fun when you’re not working? Any favorite places to shop, etc.?
I like to decorate! I like to go decorating shopping at furniture stores. I’m constantly changing around the rooms in my house, so that’s something I really love to do. You’ll be at my house one day, and 2 weeks later, you’ll come in and it’ll be different.
Brian John: Hi Stevie Nicks! Your new album is amazing and I’m thrilled with the song selection. I do have one question — do you have any plans to re-record “Julia” sometime in the future? It’s long been a fan favorite, and many of us were very surprised you didn’t include it on 24 Karat Gold.
It was on the original list. It’s kind of like why the songs that DID make the record didn’t make it back in ’75. You have to start cutting songs. When I do ’24 Karat Gold- Part 2 Songs from the Vault,’ Julie will definitely be on it!
Kfab Waldrop: Do you still draw or do any other kind of artwork? I’ve seen some of your artwork and would really loveeeeeee to see some more of your work!!!
I absolutely still draw. I have 4 drawings out here with me right now. Drawing for me is like a tranquilizer. It puts me into another state of mind and takes me out of the Rock N’ Roll mind and puts me into that drawing I’m working on. I can just sit and draw for hours and hours. It is food for my soul. Someday I will put our my art, just as I have begun putting out my polaroids.
Michelle Gamble: soooo happy about this!! Thank you Stevie….we are all sooo incredibly lucky to alive during your Reign as Queen Of Rock on this Earth! What you did was…YOU Saved OUR Lives! ~ ~
Maria Aragones: Landslide is one of my favorite songs. What inspired you to write it?
I was making a decision whether or not Lindsey and I should break-up and if I should go off on my own or if I should stay in the relationship, and I decided that the music was more important, so I decided that I wasn’t going to leave the relationship- I was going to stay and do the music with him.
Sylvie Bryan: How did you come to write the song “seven wonders”?
My friend Sandy wrote it, but when I got to New Orleans to do AHS, and got the script- in the script they talked about “The Witches Test” which was called The Seven Wonders. I called Ryan late at night and said , you know, Fleetwood Mac has a song called ‘Seven Wonders,’ and he hung up and said- OK! I have to go write it in! So the whole end was written as part of The Seven Wonders Test.
Kimberly McKinley: Do you think a belief in the metaphysical has guided and given your blessed gift of music more purpose and meaning?
Absolutely!
Melinda Anna Farina: Song that is most sentimental to you? Why?
Probably ‘Landslide’ because it was my dads favorite song. Whenever I sing it now, and he died , and I always dedicated it to him and I think of him
Daisy Buchanan: Hi, my question for you is: In the song “Seven Wonders”, you mention a girl named Emmaline. Does she have any connection to the spirit of your Sara?
This is the ONE line I wrote in that song. My friend Sandy wrote the song and she didn’t say Emmaline, but I thought she said that, and she hadn’t… and I had become so attached to the name Emmaline, that we kept it in, and she gave me a small percentage
Ralph Storrier: No questions. Just wanted to thank you for providing the sound track for my life, through good and bad times. I saw you with FM at MSG last month in New York City. So glad that Christine is back, a terrific show. I’m also thoroughly enjoying 24 Karat Gold, some of your best ever work!
That is music to my ears. Thank you for that!
Jade Roberts: Where is your favorite venue to play in America?
The Garden on the East Coast, and on the West Coast, The Fillmore in San Francisco !
John Collins: Who are the “He, She, and I” in “Starshine”?
It was written about somebody else, but it’s about an affair
Lisa Dargan-Johns: Hi Stevie Do you have any regrets as far as not releasing a record you wanted to release but couldn’t..
No, not a record. But, the removing of Silver Springs off the first record was devastating to me. I wasn’t asked, I was told, with another song ‘I don’t Wanna Know.” Silver Springs went onto the B side of Go Your Own Way. They printed it once, and the next time, Silver Springs was gone. I didn’t speak to anybody in the band for about the month.
Sara Elaine Summers Pickett: Hi Stevie! Do you have one song on your 24 Karat Gold collection of songs that seems to either mean the most to you, or touches the depths of your soul when you perform it? What would that song be and how does that song touch you? PS.. That is a very sweet looking little fur baby you have. What is his/her name? Thanks for answering my questions Stevie.
We must remind you we haven’t performed any of these songs yet, except for “Lady” on Jimmy Fallon. That was the first time that we performed that song. We only played it twice in the studio. No dubs, no anything. Just me and the piano. That was the first time since it was recorded in Nashville in April since that song had been sung. That pretty amazing for me, because that song really was the first song I ever wrote on piano. To stand up there and sing it, knowing it was going out to millions of people, was pretty heavy. That song was about when Lindsey and I first moved to LA and the premise of “what if this doesn’t work out?”
Ahh Bisto: I’d love to know what stevies favorite foods are?
I am always on the Weight Watchers diet. I kind of eat food that is fixed for me all over the US. I don’t really get to eat my favorite foods, like vanilla bean ice cream, gelato, cherry pie, and lemon cake, and chocolate chip cookies. I’d love to have them every day, but I don’t. I have to zip back into that long, black, seriously tight dress!
George Cox: What is your opinion on some of today’s pop stars who make millions of dollars lip syncing at every concert and need auto tune to make a record?
Well, I’m glad I don’t have to do that. I don’t lip synch well. I always have to really be singing. I don’t know why anybody would want to lip synch. As far as auto tune, I think it’s just one more stab in the heart for real music, and real artists that really sing their own music. It’s too bad. Basically, I hate it!
Chloe Marie Puig: If you could collaborate with anyone dead or alive who would it be?
I’d have to say I’m not sure, because there are a lot of people still making music today that I’d like to work with. Most of the people that I really wanted to work with, I already did. There’s a whole new world out there- for instance, I’d like to work with Haim!
Curtis Ryan Blessing: Have you considered playing a small venues tour with deep cut songs like “Battle of the Dragon”, “Love is Like a River”, “That’s Alright”, and “Rock A Little”?
Yes, and I would love to do that at some point on a more intimate tour at smaller venues
Michael Joseph Dumar: Good afternoon Stevie….do you feel there are any bands, singers, songwriters who will have the longevity and continued success you and Fleetwood Mac have had? BTW, what is up with you not being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist? Love you!
Because of the state of the music business, I don’t know I can really answer that. Because, I don’t think it’s the fault of artists, I think it’s the fault of the music business itself and the fact the people aren’t buying the records, so you can’t support yourself. It really cuts down the amount of people who can stay in this business until they make it and stay above water. Until another 5 years from now, when we see how the business goes, and we see who is there now- then we can really make a good assessment of that! It’s not because there aren’t people who are that good- it’s if they can sustain themselves to stay in it!
Amy Elizabeth: Would you consider doing another amerian horror story? Coven was brilliant!!!
I would always consider working on anything that Ryan and Brad were working on, because I just think they’re so smart and fantastical.
Lisa Bass Burton Hi Stevie,
First I must say I have always been such a huge fan of yours. No one has a amazing voice as yours. I would love to see Fleetwood Mac in concert. But I am disabled now. So I am just not able to make it to the show. What a shame. Your music has been a major part of my life. You have seen me through some really good times. And also some really hard times. So Thank-You for sharing you gifted talent with me. My question is if you could change anything about your life. What would that be? I wish you nothing but peace and joy in your life. May you sing and write for many, many more years. A big fan from North-Carolina, Lisa Bass Burton
The afternoon I walked into a psychiatrists office, and he prescribed Klonopin for me, which over the next 8 years, nearly destroyed my life. That’s my only real regret.
Kayla Penteliuk: Hi Stevie! I’m a 2nd year university student and huge fan in the process of writing a paper on you for my Gender and Popular Music class. I feel incredibly lucky because I get to see you and the band perform next Wednesday in Saskatoon. My mom sang Silver Springs to me in the cradle, so it’s accurate to say that I grew up listening to your music. My question for you is… What is your absolute favourite memory of working with Tom Petty?
In I think it was 2007, I went on tour with him, was only supposed to do 7 shows, ended up doing 27 shows and it was his 30th anniversary. He rented me a jet, and I took my assistant and my makeup artist, and my goddaughter who does teleprompters, so it was just 4 of us. We were on the road together, and I got to sing 6 songs on stage. One of the best times of our life! SO much fun
Nathan Chastain: What was the inspiration behind “Blue Water”? Such an amazing and gorgeous song!
I have a little story about a ladybug and a goldfish and their love affair. “Blue Water” was the Ladybug song, where she was sitting on her rock, waiting for the goldfish to come up above water and talk to her. I was going to save it for that, and right before I did this record, I decided not to save it, and to let The Ladybug song go, the world should have it now. When Lady Antebellum came in to sing on it, it just really made it perfect!
Julie Brooks-Harris: What is on your bucket list that you definitely plan on doing?
Living in Paris for 6 months to a year at some point in my life!
Annie Zangari: Do you consider the fact that “Silver Springs” wasn’t included on Rumours to be one of the greatest travesties in the history of music production? Because I certainly do.
Yes, I do. And did.
Neika Steiner Smessaert: What is your puppies name?
Sulamith. She is 16. She is the great love of my life!
Watsenniiostha Shaelyn Nelson: I am so excited to see Fleetwood Mac perform in Montreal!! What is your favourite thing about touring?
That’s the only time that you really get to spend with your fans. The intimate moments of the set like “Landslide” is when you really get to turn your stage into a living room, and pretend like it’s just us and there’s nobody else!
Christina Lynn: Ok consider this: marty mcfly and doc brown have given you the keys to the time travel machine – the delorean. What time in history would you go to and why?
I would go back to the 20s in Paris, so I could hang out with Coco Chanel and all the writers- Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the ex pats from the US, and all the artists who flocked to Paris during the 1920s. TO be a part of that scene, I think it was very similar to when we moved to LA, it was a total art scene. That’s why I would like to live over there for a year and re-trace the steps of those people!
Deedee Mills: Good Morning from Australia. Only for you would I wake up so early Lady was sooooo beautiful on Fallon the other night…and so was Rhiannon. Would you ever consider bringing out the piano and playing either of these songs by yourself on stage during a concert?
I have often thought about doing that. I actually bought a piano to take it out on stage with me and I just chickened out. I’m not quite ready to do that now. If I were to do that, I’d have to plan a show that was a more intimate show, where I actually did play piano. To do it in the middle of a Fleetwood Mac set would make me extremely nervous!
Pedro Serrazina: Would you ever consider doing an all acoustic album? I’m sure it would be great. I love you Stevie. Thank you.
That’s just one more album that I would love to make. I have considered it, and will continue to consider it through the next 10 years!!
