Stevie Nicks Reveals She And Christine McVie Were Paid The Same Money As The Male Members Of Fleetwood Mac
Gender inequality has been an especially sensitive topic in the entertainment industry this past year, and gender pay gaps have become headline news. According to superstar Stevie Nicks, she supports those who are calling out for equal pay and points out that this is a fight that needs “persistence.”
The singer/songwriter spoke to CNN before the MusiCares gala, where Fleetwood Mac was honored as person of the year. In tune with the #TimesUp message, Nicks made it clear that there was never any sort of pay difference between her and Christine McVie, and the three males in Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, and John McVie.
About 43 years ago, when Stevie and Lindsey joined Fleetwood Mac, McVie and Nicks “made a pact” that the two women would be paid the same or they would walk out the door.
“Fleetwood Mac has two women and we all get paid the same. And if we didn’t, Christine and I would be walking out the door.”
She explained that despite working in a male-dominated world of rock music, neither she nor Christine McVie experienced any sort of sexual harassment in the music business. Both were determined to be on equal grounds with the members of Fleetwood Mac or any other musicians they happened to meet.
“We said we will never ever be treated like a second class citizen amongst our peers as we get more famous and more famous — and if we’re in a room with famous rock n’ roll stars that are men and they treat us that way, we will scream at them and then we’ll walk out.”
Tonight's #MusiCares Person of the Year @fleetwoodmac is in the house. ? pic.twitter.com/Yjp7fNkoMf
— MusiCares (@MusiCares) January 27, 2018
Describing herself and McVie as “a force of nature in our entire career,” she admitted that no one ever “dared step over that line.” Lucky that no one did, as Nicks proclaimed that she is a “raging monster” when she is angry. She is just grateful she never needed to unleash on any offending person.
Her main concern now is that “everybody has to keep really fighting,” as it is so easy to just let it get “swept under the carpet” and quickly forgotten without any real change.
Fleetwood Mac was the first band to ever be honored as person of the year for the MusiCares gala. The band was introduced by former President Bill Clinton, who used their song “Don’t Stop” for his successful 1992 presidential campaign. He handed out each member a statuette and they were able to speak to the audience.
At the podium, Stevie Nicks spoke of how heartbroken she still was over the death of her good friend and music collaborator, Tom Petty. Petty just so happened to win the MusiCares award in 2017 and was quite proud of this honor.
A cornucopia of musicians including Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Imagine Dragons, Jared Leto, and more performed Fleetwood Mac songs. Fleetwood Mac also performed a medley of several of their biggest hits for the adoring audience.
This annual gala event is held in New York as part of the Grammys celebration. The event raised $7 million to help out musicians who are going through financial or musical difficulties.
