Bereft of Christine, and broken with Lindsey (or so it seems) for good, STEVIE NICKS soldiers on, her Hyde Park show in July a testament to the power of her personality. Fifty years since she joined the band that made her name and wrote songs that gave them new life, it’s time to do something for herself. “I can do anything I want now,” she tells BOB MEHR, “and not have to worry about going back to Fleetwood Mac.”
IN 1959, WHEN STEVIE NICKS WAS 11 YEARS OLD, HER MOTHER BOUGHT HER a gift – a new doll introduced by toy maker Mattel, designed to be the very embodiment of glamorous American womanhood.
“My mom gave me the first Barbie,” recalls Nicks, “and she was a tall, beautiful girl in a bathing suit with blonde hair, black eyeliner and heels. And I looked at Barbie and I looked at myself, tiny little thing that I was, and I thought, God, I’ll never be her.”
Sixty-five years later, Barbie has become Stevie Nicks – quite literally. Last fall, Mattel rolled out a new version of the iconic toy modelled after the singer, down to her signature black chiffon clothing, tambourine and feathered coif.
“I love her,” says Nicks of her mini-me. “I’m always taking pictures of her. I talk to her. I think she’s real.” Nicks laughs: “People are like, ‘Stevie, we’re getting a little worried about you.’”
It’s a late spring night in Los Angeles and Nicks is in an expansive mood as she considers the cosmology of her remarkable life and career. In a sense, the Barbie story perfectly encapsulates the way in which the world has bent to her will for nearly 50 years.
As a member of Fleetwood Mac – which she joined in 1974 – she’s come to define and, in many ways, dominate the group. At the height of the band’s multiplatinum peak, she would venture off into a solo career with an equally successful debut, Bella Donna, eventually earning distinction as one of the only women elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
These days, multiple generations of stars – including the biggest contemporary pop acts, from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé to Lana Del Rey – all pay homage to Nicks. At 76, she’s arguably at the height of her cultural relevance and popularity, playing massive shows throughout the world.
“Look at the power and joy she brings to people,” says her friend and longtime bandmate Mick Fleetwood. “She’s like Edith Piaf. They love her. They feel her. And for good reason. Her story – and how she has sustained it over all these years – is monumental.”
“She’s a force,” notes Nicks’ longtime collaborator, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench. “And it’s not just some iconic pop star thing, or about the way she looks or her style.
Artist after artist – mostly wom
