Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Number 4 Witch of All-Time: Stevie Nicks


Top 10 Witches of All-Time (real or imagined)
#4 Stevie Nicks

Without a doubt, my favorite witch on this list is Stevie Nicks. Whether she is or isn’t a witch is a matter of debate. She definitely has a mystical image and has lived an enchanted life. Her music has haunting themes that could be viewed as ‘Wicca’ oriented, Rhiannon comes to mind. But her religious beliefs aren’t really any of my, or anyone else’s business. Stevie Nicks’ music and image clocks into the Top Ten Witches of All-Time at number 3.
The truth of the matter is Stevie Nicks is a very spiritual person. She is also very private. And who can blame her? When one reaches to level of popularity which Stevie has attained, why set yourself up for criticism and attacks from other religious groups? For that reason, I will focus the rest of this post on her life and music.
Stevie met Lindsey Buckingham in the late 1960’s and quickly starting performing together. Star-crossed lovers that they were, the duo ended up becoming famous for their songs, many of which were about their relationship gone awry. And you thought Taylor Swift invented that idea!


Anyway, across the pond over in merry old England, Fleetwood Mac’s frontman/guitarist Peter Green feel by the wayside because of mental illness brought on by psychedelic drug abuse. Green, a blues guitar player on par with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Leslie West, left the band in 1970. The group floundered on without a powerful frontman until 1975. Enter Nicks and Buckingham.
The duo brought an entirely new pop feel to the band, gaining them mega-star type popularity. With that type of success and a ‘gypsy’ lifestyle of a touring rock band brought lots of pressures. Add drugs to the picture and everything else starts becomes a smorgasbord of excessive behavior. The pressures eventually took their toll and Stevie and Lindsey broke up. The next series of events was truly shocking. As the band carried on despite the relationship drama, Nicks and the band’s founder/drummer Mick Fleetwood started an affair, which would lead to more broken relationships and the band’s demise.


After the band crashed, Stevie Nicks began her solo career, which was also stellar. Her first solo album made it to #1 on the Billboard charts and her fame continued to grow, as she mesmerized audiences with her beautiful voice, perfect sense of melody, and elegant mystical imagery.


Some of my favorite songs of Stevie are from her Fleetwood Mac days. Tunes like Landslide, The Chain, Rhiannon, Silver Springs and Gypsy are simply unforgettable. I get cold chills every time I listen to her sing. Stevie still tours with her solo band and Fleetwood Mac.

Even today, Stevie has become somewhat of a cultural icon. Her and her music is featured prominently in the hit television series American Horror Story on AHS. Misty Day, a lone witch named with the power of ressurection, is infatuated by Stevie. Every scene she is in plays Stevie's music in the background. The character is played by Tony nominated actress Lily Rabe, and one cannot deny the resemblance. She kind of dresses like Stevie and even has her pirouetting dance moves down. Great actress! One of the best scenes on AHS Coven was when Stevie Nicks made a surprise appearance, playing herself of course, serenading Misty Day and Fiona.

Misty Day as portrayed by Lily Rabe
I really wanted to make Stevie Nicks the number one witch on the list, but the three witches that are ranked higher were just impossible to knock down. Before I reveal the top two though, my next post will be about the wonderful witches that didn’t make the list, an honorable mention, so to speak. 

Then I will give you a teaser bio of a new witch I would like to introduce you to. Her name is Lori Windstorm and she is the female protagonist in my dark fantasy novel, Rise of the Raven Knights, book I, Suffer the Witch Chronicles. She is a headstrong woman who battles an evil coven with the power of shapeshifting, as well as her intellect. I believe you will find her fascinating as I find Stevie Nicks, and very magickal as well. Please give her a look!

Thanks for reading my blog. Please follow me, share and tell an enemy and a friend. I look forward to seeing you next time. I also encourage you to visit my author website to check out my novels and short stories. My psycho-sexual/dark fantasy novel about dragons, undead knights, and you guessed it, witches is called Rise of the Raven Knights, Suffer the Witch Volume I and it can be found at http://sufferthewitch.com.

My apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, The Devil’s Prophet is also available at http://thedevilsprophet.com.

4 comments:

  1. Great post Paul. Some of these things I didn't know about the group. Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks were a big part of my music genre growing up. My favorite Nick's song is Song Bird. So haunting and beautiful. Thanks for the enlightenment!

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    1. Correction: Christine Mcvie sang Songbird. But still - Stevie Nicks was a part of it all.

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    2. Great catch! Christine was amazing as well. Wish she were still in the band. :(

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  2. Thank you, Pam! I'm glad you found it entertaining and enlightening! I'm a big-time heavy metal rocker, but when I mellow out, nothing is better than Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac!

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