Storms: My Life with Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac Paperback – January 1, 2009

I first heard the name Carol Ann Harris back in 1997, in a Fleetwood Mac newsgroup online. Fans were discussing Mick's book, specifically Lindsey's abusive behavior towards Stevie. I'll never forget a Mac fan specifically naming Carol Ann Harris being on the Geraldo Rivera show. This Mac fan described Carol Ann discussing Lindsey Buckingham dragging her by the hair from a moving car. I purchased Carol's book in 2007, and Carol describes the same abusive incident in dramatic detail. Carol states she only gave one interview on Lindsey Buckingham over the years, to Rolling Stone magazine. Obviously she had to be on the Geraldo show, how else would a Mac fan in 1997 be able to describe what Carol recounts in her 2007 book? I believe Carol, for the most part, but I do believe she puts a spin on certain things to make herself seem as innocent as possible during a time when nobody was innocent. That said, this is one of the best, most entertaining books I've ever read, a real page-turner. In fact, I'm re-reading the book for a 3rd time. What makes the book so good is, it felt like I was right there with Fleetwood Mac, right along with Carol Ann for the roller-coaster ride that it was!Carol's ride starts in the early 1970's, when she graduates from high school in Oklahoma and that same day moves to Hollywood, CA. That right there should tell you something about her, how many 17-18 yr old have the guts to do that? I related to Carol as someone who is constantly over-coming shyness, willing herself to pursue her dreams and propel herself forward despite obstacles. She becomes a teenage mother, gives her baby up for adoption at 5 months old, runs a live bootleg business with her live-in boyfriend, then eventually pursues a career as a sound engineer. Ed Cobb (Google him) is her mentor in this male dominated field, which she takes seriously....until she meets Lindsey Buckingham. From then on it's like she's Alice down the rabbit hole, getting further away from an independent young woman with her own dreams....and turns herself into the kind of woman Lindsey Buckingham wants. Someone who lives for Lindsey, period. That includes doing the same drugs as him (cocaine) and living his lifestyle (traveling with him almost constantly on tour). The only dream of Carol's Lindsey supported 100% benefited himself: Carol was basically Lindsey's stylist starting on the Tusk tour. Lindsey was a Jekyll and Hyde character for sure, but it was Carol's choice to give up her dreams and stay with him for 8 years. Carol finally has an epiphany when a Doctor at the hospital tells her the abuse will not get better, it will get worse. That was her wake-up call. Carol begins her journey back to her "old self", pursuing her dreams and slowly becoming an independent woman again. I do believe Carol loved Lindsey Buckingham, but he drove her away probably the same way he drove Stevie away.This book reads like a Rock n' Roll version of something V.C. Andrews would write. I'm a huge fan of V.C. Andrews, so that's a good thing! The narrative can be overly dramatic at times, but is never boring. It was obvious to me Carol admired and wanted to be friends with Stevie. BUT given the circumstances, that wasn't possible. I think Carol felt as much jealousy towards Stevie as she felt admiration and respect! Prime example is the 1978 Grammys: Carol strongly implies Stevie was jealous of her, after Carol had spent 3 hrs getting her hair and make-up done. I looked up the Grammy footage on YouTube and LOL when I saw Carol's hair! Only Suzanne Sommers (as Krissy on Three's Company) could get away with that hairstyle, Carol spent 3 hrs making herself look silly, and was delusional to imply she stole Stevie's thunder! I felt Carol was being overly defensive and insecure at times, but was 95% honest overall. Like when she realizes "It's not over" between LB and SN. Other times Carol seemed to be willfully sticking her head in the sand. It was obvious to me *something* happened between Stevie and Lindsey during the early Tusk tour....I find it hard to believe this wasn't obvious to Carol, given her description of events. If I was Carol I would have felt LB and SN were still intimate on occasion, and they most likely were! At the end of the day Stevie Nicks is only human, this was a very human portrait of her, some of the stories were downright funny (Stevie comparing her poodle with heatstroke to Lindsey's epilepsy) and it's obvious to me Stevie is good person. This wasn't a hatchet job because it's too even-handed. Carol finds mostly good things to say about everyone, most usually Lindsey (who had many good points) despite his abuse.As for the 5%........I find it very hard to believe Carol Ann disappeared with Dennis Wilson for 2 hours in his hotel room, and absolutely NOTHING romantic happened. Not even a kiss? Not even 2nd or 3rd base? Christine seemed to suspect otherwise, and this is BEFORE Dennis told Chris he fooled around with Carol Ann. My gut was telling me Carol Ann made her own confession to Christine, Chris told Lindsey, and that explains Lindsey's "out of the blue" meltdown towards Carol at Christine's house. Whatever Carol did, that doesn't excuse Lindsey's abuse. I just don't think we're getting the full story. Carol's portrayal of herself and LB being 100% faithful to each other is where the most grains of salt come in! I think we're getting a highly entertaining 95% of the story, and I liked it enough to read 3 times so far.

I'm in a biography phase it seems. I've recently read Rod Stewart, Andre Agassi, Carl Reiner and Rob Lowe.This book was very well written, Ms Harris has a lovely writing style that is easy to read.However, I felt really deflated at the end of this book. You didn't feel like you had got to know any of the Fleetwood Mac band members. They came across as narcissistic people whose personalities weren't allowed to come through in this book at all. At the end, I wondered if so little was said about them because the author didn't have a whole lot to say that was nice. Who knows.The endless reiteration of Carol Ann's "vows" to love Lindsay more, make him feel safer, make his life easier blah blah blah grated with me after a while. To call that creep a musical genius was a real stretch for me, my taste runs to Stevie Nicks music and I think her songs are Fleetwood Mac's best. To my way of thinking, anyone who can write the words and music of a song is a musical genius. Like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder.The fact that the band toured for a year and then were told it made no money was covered in about 5 lines. THAT was a story I'd like to have heard, where the money went. It was simply stated in the book that the money was never found!The endless, mindless reiteration of Lindsay Buckingham's musical genius as an explanation of his bad behaviour didn't wash with me either. He was simply a self absorbed narcissist and therefore, not very interesting to me.Mick Fleetwood came across as an immature numbskull who seemed to lurch from disaster to disaster (love, money) but you didn't know enough about him to understand why.Christine and John McVie you didn't get to know at all, nor Stevie Nicks. It was stated that Stevie had a band of girlfriends around her all the time, but no explanation of them, what they did and where they came from.Quirky details of the above things would have made the book more interesting.