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(return
to part 3)
What has it been like to
live in exotic places over the years? What are some of your good
memories from such places as Brazil, the Philippines, India,
et cetera?
This is a big one! It's one thing to visit;
it's another thing to live in a foreign country! However, it's
come to the point that England is more of a foreign place for
me now than almost anywhere! But I would say that, generally,
I have good memories of the people of these exotic places, and
I enjoy their cuisine much more than Western food, my favorite
meal being a good Brazilian fejoiada!
The climate hasn't always been to my liking;
I'm a "four seasons" man. But I am always impressed
by the simplicity and humility of the people of the developing
world. "The meek shall inherit the earth," and although
some of them may not seem to have much, you can see that this
saying is true, in that they have wisdom, virtues, gifts, simple
faith, and gratitude through the rough times that the richer
nations lack.
Did you continue to play
as you moved around?
Yes. Sometimes recording in home studios,
sometimes for kids in a park, for friends and neighbors, and
a few concerts, such as in India for the National Association
for the Blind.
Do you mind recapping how
the Columbia and Atlantic albums came about?
The 1972 Columbia album came about as a result
of meeting one of the company's representatives, Stuart Love.
He liked a demo I presented him with, and they gave us quite
a bit of slack to do what we wanted, which I appreciated. I regret
that we fell short on the mixing side of things, going more by
our uninformed inclinations rather than professional advice.
Atlantic's Flee album in 1978 came
from a member of the Family's association with a French fashion
designer Arianne Brener, who was a friend of Ahmet Ertegun. This
was at a time when FM's Rumours was still hitting big.
The company wanted to cash in on the ex-FM thing, and although
Ahmet was excited about our original material, his subordinates
in the company won over and turned most of it into a disco nightmare.
For me, the only decent track on it is "Travelling."
An interesting aside I enjoy telling about
recording this album was about one evening in the New York studio
when we were finishing overdubs on the disco numbers. The vocal
arranger could tell I was down about the way things were going,
and he said to me, "It's hamburgers." I said, "What
do you mean?" He answered, "You wanna know how I reconcile
myself with this? It's just hamburgers. Look, I hate this shit
as much as you do, but I tell myself, just give 'em hamburgers.
It doesn't matter. Give the kids the shit they want and don't
worry about it."
Were you able to keep track
of what was happening with Peter and with Danny?
I was able to at a distance, as I've been
mostly abroad since I left FM. During a temporary stay in England
in 2002, I saw Pete a few times and met Danny once. I have kept
up regular communications with Mick over the years, and it's
always a very pleasant time when we get to meet.
Your old band became the
biggest act in the world in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Were
you glad for them and, at the same time, happy to be out of it?
You are correct. I knew I had left them in
the lurch in 1971, but I prayed desperately for them to have
success beyond anything they had experienced. They could have
taken action against me, but to the contrary, they were supportive
even to their own hurt.
Please recap the recent
years. I understand that you are living in Ireland now, doing
artwork as well as occasionally performing in public. What are
the satisfactions?
In the 1970s I lived in the States, England,
France, Brazil, and Italy. In the 1980s I lived in Greece, Sri
Lanka, the Philippines, and Japan. In the '90s I lived in Brazil
and Mexico. For the last few years I've lived in Switzerland,
England, and currently have been basing in Ireland. But my lifestyle
is [one] that many have found, one of a pilgrim and stranger,
and I have to be ready to go or stay, sometimes at a moment's
notice, depending on the needs of my wife and my work. It's not
comfortable sometimes, but it is exciting. And it's not as if,
because I'm almost 58, God is going to allow me to settle down
too long too soon.
I have done the occasional performance, but
it is with a great deal of thought and prayer. I don't have the
time or the desire to go back to the gigging grind, although
I do enjoy playing, especially with Trond [Ytterbo, harpist]
and the Norwegian musicians. It's a pleasure. And I hope to record
again with them someday.
Comic strip and graphic novel illustrating
is a joy for me, too: black ink brush-line work like Will Eisner
and Terry and Rachel Dodson. I get inspired with ideas for that,
and writing short novels and stories, too. I am busy!
Rumors have circulated
that the original four- or five-piece Mac lineup might reunite
for a tour. Is that possible? Would Peter's fragile mental health
allow it, is Danny in any kind of shape to do it, and would you
want to be part of such a carnival?
You have asked valid questions about reasons
that could make it a possible carnival. At this point in time,
I have no desire to be a part of it.
How would you sum up your
life to this point? All things considered, have you followed
the right path?
I was in Fleetwood Mac for three and a half
years and have been in the Family for 35. That's 10 times as
long. Unless, as some people accuse me of, I'm in a state of
denial, that should speak for itself.
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