Lindsey Buckingham and his former band Fleetwood Mac have been going their separate ways since 2018. The guitarist has since been replaced by Neil Finn and Mike Campbell. However, even six years later, Buckingham is still not really happy with the way they broke up back then.
“We have always been able to resolve our differences”
In a conversation with Conan O’Brien from SiriusXM the 74-year-old gave some insights into his thoughts on the then and current situation. He himself would have liked to continue to be part of the band and would have preferred if problems had been sorted out at the time instead of breaking up. But he wasn’t angry.
Buckingham: “Without pointing fingers, the way it was run was certainly quite unique. Others in the band were not happy with what was going on at the time. And I think everyone would have liked to see me stay in the band, but they did what they felt was necessary at that moment. And that is understandable. There is no reason to point fingers at anyone. That’s rock and roll, right?”
The band had previously acted differently and had removed larger construction sites in the past, said Lindsey Buckingham. “I’ve been in the band for almost 45 years and we’ve always been able to resolve our differences over things that were far deeper than any issues that happened with my departure from the band in 2018,” he explained.
Fleetwood Mac perform “Dreams” live with Lindsey Buckingham
“If there’s a way to cure this, that would be great.”
Disappointment grew in Buckingham and he no longer felt respected and what the band previously stood for. Instead of pulling themselves together and finding a common path, Fleetwood Mac simply went on tour without him and instead went on tour with Neil Finn and Mike Campbell. For the guitarist it was pure frustration: “The band collectively allowed this to happen, perhaps out of a certain weakness, and trampled on the legacy we had built. Because we had some very difficult moments and years over 45 years, and we always came back. Like I said, this is our legacy.”
It remains uncertain whether the band could reunite today. Not only is Buckingham’s expulsion now taking effect, but it is also a fact that after Christine McVie’s death in 2022, both Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood declared that this might be the end of the band.
However, should a comeback against and possibly a tour become possible, Buckingham would not have to be asked for long: “Immediately, definitely. If there’s more, if there’s a way to cure this, that would be great.”