John McVie Quotes

Things the man with the bass has said...

[johnmcviequotes]

Interviewer: “How relaxed were you when you were up on stage? You looked very calm.”

John: “Oh. You should have seen it from my side.”

Interview - 1997

[johnmcviequotes]

Interviewer: “So far Fleetwood Mac has had successful individual solo projects and so far John you have avoided or gotten away with or not been interested in doing your own...”

John: “The latter is closest to the truth yeah, but I think that may change.”  

Interview - 1987

[johnmcviequotes]

“We get on the road and you’re cocooned, you don’t have to deal with, like, paying the electricians bill, paying this, that. You’re just wafted from show to show, it’s wonderful.”

Two On The Town - 1982 

[johnmcviequotes]

“But Songbird, for years we used to close the show with it and every time, stand in the wings and Mick would stand with me and we’d both get a tear. Uh, whether it’s ‘cause it’s a beautiful song or because it evokes memories, I don’t know…”

Behind the Music: Fleetwood Mac (Remastered) - 2010

[johnmcviequotes]

“All the mistakes in my life have been alcohol induced, I’m not a very good person when I drink.”

Behind the Music: Fleetwood Mac (Remastered) - 2010

[johnmcviequotes]

Backstage on the first night of the Say You Will tour...

Mick: “Johnny. Love you.”

John: “You know where I stand.”

Mick: “I know where you stand, that’s why I love you.”

John: “And when I fucking look at you and smile...”

Mick: (mocking) “You fucking look at me back!”

John: “You fucking smile back.”

Mick: “Maybe. Maybe.”

John: “Fucking right!”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

Discussing the Say You Will tour...

“On the road it’s gonna...every night is different, every song, even though it’s the same song it’s different every night and you get that feedback and there’s that link between the band members and the audience and it’s that (snaps fingers) instant spark that’s the whole deal. That’s the real deal. We’re the most together we’ve ever been I think, it’s just...let’s get it on.”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

Mick: “I wanna say something...”

Stevie: “Go ahead Mick.”

John: “You’ve said enough, Jesus Christ, you should be in the senate or something, you just ramble on...”

Mick: “You’ve been more present on this project than any other project.”

John: “Well I was just gonna say that, that was my wind up bit.”

Mick: “Good, good.”

John: “Christ almighty, anyway I was gonna...that was the end of it. Thanks Mick.”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

John: “You know, I’m not privy to the...where the writers want the songs to go. I can do- I do my bass parts as far as I can see the picture and after that it’s really, it’s their, then it’s back in the writers court and after that it’s a repeat, repeat, repeat thing and that’s where I get...

Stevie: “Bored.”

John: “Completely bored. ‘Cause I don’t have, I’m not privy to their concept. So, I’d rather be anywhere else but sitting in the same room, bless their hearts, it’s not personal it’s business.”

Stevie: “With us...” (laughs)

John: “Listening to same bloody thing going over and over two hundred thousand times a day.”

Mick: “John you’re being brutal on yourself.”

John: “No, I can’t see it. It drives me to distraction, unless I’m playing and it’s always been that way. I wish it could be more, I wish I could be more of an input into the product, but I can’t see into people’s heads.”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

Discussing the mixing of Say You Will... 

Lindsey: “Well, we’re just doing the best we can to get an indication and make a decision based on some level of intelligence, you know?”

John: “So how much is this gonna cost me?”

Lindsey: “I dunno. Let’s see, one, two, three, four, five, six...six, umm, nine grand divided by four whatever that is...”

John: “That’s too much.”

Lindsey: “Alright, we just won’t mix your bass parts in.”

John: “Well, he’s done that for years hasn’t he?”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

Cameraman: “Does it go really fast?”

John: (pause) “55.”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

“Back in the studio, love to be there...All those 150 replays of the same track.”

Destiny Rules - 2004

[johnmcviequotes]

Interviewer: “What if Tony Blair wants to hear Go Your Own Way or something, will you have to go to England and perform for him also?”

Christine: “Oooh, we’d have to think carefully about that.”

John: “Doubt it, no not Labour.”

The Dance Interview - 1997

[johnmcviequotes]

Interviewer: “John, was this always your favorite line up of the band or did you um...?”

John: “Looking back, yeah. Yeah. Although there were...a lot of good times way back, but that might have been to do with...”

Mick: “Being 18 years old.”

John: “When I was 18 years old, that was a good time. But uh, this has always been my favourite yeah.”

The Dance Interview - 1997

[johnmcviequotes]

“When I was married to Christine we, uh, lived next the London Zoo and we had a lot of spare time so, I used to go and take pictures of animals and always ended up at the penguin pond. There’s nothing symbolic in it, it’s just that...yeah, just look at this, they’re beautiful.” 

Local News - 1980

[johnmcviequotes]

On his and Christine’s divorce…

“Basically, we weren’t a unit anymore and she’d rather be with our lighting director than me.”

Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop - 2009

[johnmcviequotes]

On Christine joining the band…

“We had to go on the road and we realised that we didn’t have enough strength in the band and Christine, who I was married to at that time, she was there as the dutiful wife…”

Rock Family Trees: Fleetwood Mac - June 1995