Lindsey Buckingham Takes Aim at Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks and Irving Azoff Over Dismissal From the Band

Lindsey Buckingham took a few shots at Stevie Nicks and former manager Irving Azoff over his 2018 firing from Fleetwood Mac.

In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Buckingham addressed the matter that he asked to delay the band’s touring schedule to accommodate his solo pursuits. According to Buckingham, Nicks gave the group an ultimatum.

“It would be like a scenario where Mick Jagger says, ‘Either Keith [Richards] goes or I go,’” Buckingham told the L.A. Times. “No, neither one of you can go. But I guess the singer has to stay. The figurehead has to stay.”

“You could do a whole analysis on Stevie at this point in her life and what she’s allowed to happen and what she’s allowed to slip away from her. Her creativity, at least for a while it seemed like she wasn’t in touch with that,” Buckingham continued. “Same with the level of energy she once had onstage. I think that was hard for her, seeing me jump around in an age-inappropriate way. Also, she’s lonely. She’s alone. She has the people who work for her, and I’m sure she has friends, but you know.”

Nicks fired back at Buckingham and what she calls “revisionist history.”

“His version of events is factually inaccurate and while I’ve never spoken publicly on the matter, certainly it feels the time has come to shine a light on the truth,” Nicks told the Times. “To be exceedingly clear, I did not have him fired, I did not ask for him to be fired, I did not demand he be fired. Frankly, I fired myself. I proactively removed myself from the band and a situation I considered to be toxic to my wellbeing. I was done. If the band went on without me, so be it. And after many lengthy group discussions, Fleetwood Mac, a band whose legacy is rooted in evolution and change, found a new path forward with two hugely talented new members.”

As for being painted as a lonely woman, Nicks cried foul.

“Those are my decisions that I get to make for myself. I’m proud of the life choices I’ve made and it seems a shame for him to pass judgment on anyone who makes a choice to live their life on their own terms,” she said.

Buckingham also took aim at Azoff, saying the manager was “driven by the money” in his decision making.

“I have historically declined comment on artists, but in the case of Lindsey Buckingham, I will make an exception,” Azoff said in a statement to the Times. “While I understand it’s challenging for Lindsey to accept his own role in these matters and far easier to blame a manager, the fact remains that his actions alone are responsible for what transpired. Frankly, if I can be accused of anything it’s perhaps holding things together longer than I should have. After 2018 when Fleetwood Mac evolved with their new lineup, my continued work with the band was due entirely to the fact I’ve been aligned with Stevie Nicks in thought and purpose from the earliest of days. While financial gain was not a motivator for me, it was a delightful bonus that the band scored their highest grossing tour ever without Lindsey.”