Stevie Nicks Looks Back During SXSW Interview
These are busy days for Stevie Nicks, with a number of projects converging at once -- and she talked about all of them yesterday (March 14) at SXSW, including the rejuvenated Fleetwood Mac, her participation in Dave Grohl's 'Sound City,' and her own upcoming 'In Your Dreams' documentary.
There is, of course, also the matter of Nicks' illustrious career, which she also spent a fair amount of time discussing during her SXSW interview session -- including the admission that when it came time to develop her signature stage persona, she turned to Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane. "Those are the three people that I emulated for who I was going to be onstage," she told attendees, explaining that she took "flamboyance and attitude" from Joplin, "humility and grace" from Hendrix, and "elegance" from Slick.
Nicks also looked back at the decision to strike out on a solo career in 1981, recalling that recording her 'Bella Donna' album meant facing a certain amount of blowback from her Fleetwood Mac bandmates. "They were so terrified that I would do that record and then I would quit," she explained. "I really had to convince them that I’m not going anywhere."
All's well that ends well: More than 30 years later, Nicks continues to maintain her solo career, and Fleetwood Mac is currently preparing for a return to the road (as well as songs that could form the basis for a new album). In the meantime, fans can look forward to an April release for the 'In Your Dreams' documentary, which chronicles the recording of Nicks' most recent solo release.