So it’s been exactly a month since I last had a cigarette or an alcoholic drink. I’ve done it cold turkey, and I feel great (physically) but the not entirely unexpected side effect has been that I’ve become rather short tempered. Basically, I’ve gone from being a chilled out entertainer to feeling homicidal whenever I am around total morons. The only thing that is calming me down whenever I encounter idiots is Fleetwood Max Greatest Hits. I am not kidding.
I carry a tiny iPod shuffle (with Seven Wonders cued up) in my jacket pocket, and whenever I feel myself wanting to punch someone in the face, I stick my headphones in and soak up Stevie Nicks’ faintly ridiculous vibrato and I feel instantly better. I hope if you’re having a stressful Tuesday, it’ll have the same effect on you.
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Thursday, 24 September 2009
“Seven Wonders”, Fleetwood Mac

So it’s been exactly a month since I last had a cigarette or an alcoholic drink. I’ve done it cold turkey, and I feel great (physically) but the not completely unexpected side effect has been that I’ve become rather short-tempered. Basically, I’ve gone from being a chilled out entertainer to feeling homicidal whenever I am around total morons. The only thing that is calming me down whenever I encounter idiots is Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits. I am not kidding.
I carry a tiny iPod shuffle (with Seven Wonders cued up) in my jacket pocket, and whenever I feel myself wanting to punch someone in the face, I stick my headphones in and soak up Stevie Nicks’ faintly silly vibrato and I feel straight better. I hope if you’re having a stressful Tuesday, it’ll have the same effect on you.
I carry a tiny iPod shuffle (with Seven Wonders cued up) in my jacket pocket, and whenever I feel myself wanting to punch someone in the face, I stick my headphones in and soak up Stevie Nicks’ faintly silly vibrato and I feel straight better. I hope if you’re having a stressful Tuesday, it’ll have the same effect on you.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Still going their own way

Lindsey Buckingham is surprisingly laid back about being a spurned lover. It's been more than 30 years since his then girl friend and Fleetwood Mac band mate, Stevie Nicks, got it on with the band's drummer, Mick Fleetwood, while on tour in New Zealand.It's not that time has cured his aching heart. You see, back when the unfaithfulness happened Buckingham didn't give a hoot either it was 1977 and they were promiscuous and drug fuelled times, after all.In a current interview the guitarist and pop genius of the pair recounted how Nicks and Fleetwood made a big deal of coming round to his house to tell him about their affair, to which he replyed, "Yeah? So? That's it?"And he's just as flippant on the phone today from his home in Los Angeles: "Stevie and I were on the road to breaking up before we coupled the band."Considering the two lovers who before Fleetwood Mac were making music as the duo Buckingham Nicks coupled the band in 1975 it must have been a long, rocky break up.No band has mixed a cocktail of melodrama, romantic shenanigans, and hedonistic substance insult quite like Fleetwood Mac and through it all they came up with two cracker albums, the mega-selling Rumours (1977) and kooky double album Tusk (1979).It was Rumours, though, with songs like Buckingham's Go Your Own Way, Nicks' Dreams, and keyboardist/singer Christine McVie's Don't Stop, that went on to sell more than 40 million copies recently the tenth best selling album ever and made Fleetwood Mac the longest band in the world.It's these songs, and many others, that the band will be playing at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands on December 19 when they come back for the first time since 1980's Tusk tour.The Unleashed Tour is a two hour plus show of wonderful hits material and the Downunder dates follow a sold out 55 city North American tour earlier this year, and a European leg which starts in October.The version of the band coming to New Zealand is the classic Rumours line up of Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood and bassist player John McVie, minus his former wife Christine McVie who stop the band in 1998 because of her fear of flying."One of the things that makes the tour fun, and a little bit fundamental for us is that we don't have a new album yet anyway so we're not trying to go out there and do stuff that is unfamiliar," says 59 year old Buckingham. "And oddly enough, for the first time, we've been able to sit back and take parentage of the body of work that we have and appreciate it."When you're in the second of making songs, and particularly for us with the politics and all the drama that went on, it has never been that easy, and the fun of being on stage has always been tempered by all of that."
Friday, 28 August 2009
Fleetwood Mac legend to perform at grace Aldershot stage

FLEETWOOD Mac legend Peter Green will be playing the West End Centre in Aldershot.
He is touring to play the band’s classic hits and will seem at the West End Centre on September 3.
He played with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and, most excellently, Fleetwood Mac.
Raised in the East End of London, Peter was playing bass in several amateur bands before he met drummer Mick Fleetwood during a brief stint playing lead guitar with Peter B’s Looners.
He left the Looners to replace Eric Clapton as guitarist in the John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Taking Clapton’s place was never going to be easy but it didn’t take too long for Peter to prove his worth and become the new ‘darling’ of the blues scene.
After Peter joined them the Bluesbreakers recorded their seminal Hard Road album, which included his major instrumental masterpiece The Supernatural.
Having collaborated on just the one album, Peter left the Bluesbreakers to start his own band, with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass, and Fleetwood Mac was born.
The band liberationed their first album in 1968 to rave reviews, and Green’s classic tracks Black Magic Woman and the number one hit Albatross cemented the band’s achiever.
Drugs took their toll on Peter’s mental health and he decided to leave Fleetwood Mac in 1970.
He recorded a solo album but then faded into obscurity.
He made guest visual aspect on albums by ex-band mates and friends before recording more albums in the late 70s and early 80s.
In 1998 he and the rest of Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
At the time, Mick Fleetwood said of Green: “He’s back in the studio, he’s really playing again, which is why he’s here on this planet. I do earnestly believe he has a magic touch. I think you will never see Pete back out in the showbiz sense of the word but I think you will hear some more music from Peter Green and I hope I’m part of that. I hope that comes to pass.”
Westy employee Nicci Hewett said: “We’re pleasured Peter has chosen to play at the Westy, because you actually never know when you will get another chance to see this legend, who played such a large part in shaping contemporary music.”
He is touring to play the band’s classic hits and will seem at the West End Centre on September 3.
He played with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and, most excellently, Fleetwood Mac.
Raised in the East End of London, Peter was playing bass in several amateur bands before he met drummer Mick Fleetwood during a brief stint playing lead guitar with Peter B’s Looners.
He left the Looners to replace Eric Clapton as guitarist in the John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Taking Clapton’s place was never going to be easy but it didn’t take too long for Peter to prove his worth and become the new ‘darling’ of the blues scene.
After Peter joined them the Bluesbreakers recorded their seminal Hard Road album, which included his major instrumental masterpiece The Supernatural.
Having collaborated on just the one album, Peter left the Bluesbreakers to start his own band, with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass, and Fleetwood Mac was born.
The band liberationed their first album in 1968 to rave reviews, and Green’s classic tracks Black Magic Woman and the number one hit Albatross cemented the band’s achiever.
Drugs took their toll on Peter’s mental health and he decided to leave Fleetwood Mac in 1970.
He recorded a solo album but then faded into obscurity.
He made guest visual aspect on albums by ex-band mates and friends before recording more albums in the late 70s and early 80s.
In 1998 he and the rest of Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
At the time, Mick Fleetwood said of Green: “He’s back in the studio, he’s really playing again, which is why he’s here on this planet. I do earnestly believe he has a magic touch. I think you will never see Pete back out in the showbiz sense of the word but I think you will hear some more music from Peter Green and I hope I’m part of that. I hope that comes to pass.”
Westy employee Nicci Hewett said: “We’re pleasured Peter has chosen to play at the Westy, because you actually never know when you will get another chance to see this legend, who played such a large part in shaping contemporary music.”
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Fleetwood fluster over ticket prices

Tickets to the Fleetwood Mac gig haven't gone on sale yet but earlier there's puzzlement over how much they will cost.
One website, www.showbiznz.co.nz, has begun offering pre sale tickets at $147.50 for general acceptance to $369 for the best seats on the platform over the lake at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands.
But these prices look to be more valuable than what will be suggested when tickets go on general sale next month the Taranaki Daily News understands they will range from $120 to $320.
That won't be officially known until September 4 when first claim on Fleetwood Mac's December 19 gig will go to TSB Bank customers, who will be able to buy them on line until September 8. Public sales will then open the next day.
Leesa Tilley, general manager of promoter Andrew McManus Presents, said promoters often worked with on sellers like Showbiznz who were admeasured a very limited number of ticket "holds".
"These aren't real tickets these won't be available until the general public tickets go on sale and they can market or sell them however they like," she said.
"How they market and sell them is up to them."
The prices to be asked for the big gig look similar to pricing for Taranaki's last major concert, the performance by Sir Elton John in December 2007.
One website, www.showbiznz.co.nz, has begun offering pre sale tickets at $147.50 for general acceptance to $369 for the best seats on the platform over the lake at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands.
But these prices look to be more valuable than what will be suggested when tickets go on general sale next month the Taranaki Daily News understands they will range from $120 to $320.
That won't be officially known until September 4 when first claim on Fleetwood Mac's December 19 gig will go to TSB Bank customers, who will be able to buy them on line until September 8. Public sales will then open the next day.
Leesa Tilley, general manager of promoter Andrew McManus Presents, said promoters often worked with on sellers like Showbiznz who were admeasured a very limited number of ticket "holds".
"These aren't real tickets these won't be available until the general public tickets go on sale and they can market or sell them however they like," she said.
"How they market and sell them is up to them."
The prices to be asked for the big gig look similar to pricing for Taranaki's last major concert, the performance by Sir Elton John in December 2007.
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Fleetwood Mac play at Pokolbin

HUNTER conferences will get the chance to see rock super group Fleetwood Mac accomplish live when they play at Pokolbin's Hope Estate later this year.
The band, which recently finished a 55 city sold out tour of North America, will act a two hour plus show at Hope Estate on December 5.
The tour is its first in five years and will feature wonderful hits including Rhiannon, Dreams, Tusk, Go Your Own Way and Sara.
After the successful American tour, Fleetwood Mac also included a two month European leg.
The Australian tour will start at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on December 1 and then head to Hope Estate before accomplishment in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. Tickets are on sale through Ticketek from September 4.
The band, which recently finished a 55 city sold out tour of North America, will act a two hour plus show at Hope Estate on December 5.
The tour is its first in five years and will feature wonderful hits including Rhiannon, Dreams, Tusk, Go Your Own Way and Sara.
After the successful American tour, Fleetwood Mac also included a two month European leg.
The Australian tour will start at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on December 1 and then head to Hope Estate before accomplishment in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. Tickets are on sale through Ticketek from September 4.
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Fleetwood Mac on the way

The rumoured appearance of Fleetwood Mac on West Australian shores act to be true, with the band believed to be playing at Member's Equity Stadium on December 11 and 12.
The band are gearing up for their Unleashed wonderfu hits tour, with fans hoping a New Zealand and Australian leg will be approved.
It seems some more big musical action could also be recent headed to Perth later this year that's if some cryptic clues delivered by the administration of Member's Equity Stadium at a event are anything to go by.
Allia Venue Administration chief executive officer Peter Bauchop addressed a crowd of sports representatives assembled for a night of celebration at the venue hinting at big things to come. And the events had nothing to do with sport.
"I don't want to scattered any rumours, and I would much rather stay alive, than take the glory and the consequences," he said.
He told the crowd the months of November and December would be huge for the arena, but assert that he was only joking around and could not conform anything.
But the guessing games started with hopes that his reference to "rumours" referred to Fleetwood Mac's legendary album,"stay alive" to Pearl Jam's hit Alive and "take the glory" to Badly Drawn Boy.
Pearl Jam is playing at the stadium on November 14. Tickets are on deal now.
There is now a list of major acts heading for the city, including Beyonce, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Greenday and ACDC.
The band are gearing up for their Unleashed wonderfu hits tour, with fans hoping a New Zealand and Australian leg will be approved.
It seems some more big musical action could also be recent headed to Perth later this year that's if some cryptic clues delivered by the administration of Member's Equity Stadium at a event are anything to go by.
Allia Venue Administration chief executive officer Peter Bauchop addressed a crowd of sports representatives assembled for a night of celebration at the venue hinting at big things to come. And the events had nothing to do with sport.
"I don't want to scattered any rumours, and I would much rather stay alive, than take the glory and the consequences," he said.
He told the crowd the months of November and December would be huge for the arena, but assert that he was only joking around and could not conform anything.
But the guessing games started with hopes that his reference to "rumours" referred to Fleetwood Mac's legendary album,"stay alive" to Pearl Jam's hit Alive and "take the glory" to Badly Drawn Boy.
Pearl Jam is playing at the stadium on November 14. Tickets are on deal now.
There is now a list of major acts heading for the city, including Beyonce, Marilyn Manson, Britney Spears, Greenday and ACDC.
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