Lindsey Buckingham Insists He Isn’T a Virtuoso
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Guitar BY RUSSELL HALL TOO LS O Lindsey F T HE T RAD E n G U Buckingham I TAR n LIN DS E Y B U CKIN G H AM When it comes to playing guitar, Lindsey Buckingham insists he isn’t a virtuoso. Many would disagree with that assess- alone in his bedroom fguring out how ment, but in Buckingham’s view, to duplicate the sounds made by guitarist LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM Gift of Screws virtuosity isn’t necessarily a good thing. Scotty Moore. [ Reprise ] “Tere are times when cleverness or “It wasn’t about facility,” Buckingham technical profciency can overwhelm the says. “It was more about being so interested Great Day Time Precious Time simplicity or the openness of what needs in music and wanting to learn to play those Did You Miss Me to be there,” he explains. “It can be hard, songs. When you’re 7 or 8, your learning Wait for You Love Runs Deeper sometimes, to not do too much. Knowing curve is way quicker. I was so taken with Bel Air Rain where to play and where to be silent are this form of music, I had to be a part of it.” The Right Place to Fade important.” Fast-forward 50 years, and the rich- Gift of Screws Underground Buckingham has been putting that philoso- ness of Buckingham’s contributions to Treason phy into practice for more than fve decades. contemporary music is beyond dispute. Beginning at age 6, when his parents gave Afer making a superb folk-pop album him a Mickey Mouse ukulele, the future with childhood friend Stevie Nicks, the Fleetwood Mac member set about perfect- northern California native was invited by ing a fnger-picking technique that’s as Mick Fleetwood to join Fleetwood Mac. unique as it is captivating. Stacking an Nicks came along, as well; together, the elly Swift/Retna older brother’s Elvis Presley 45s on the two helped transform the group into a K phonograph, Buckingham spent hours brilliantly sophisticated pop band. Photo by 64 PERFORMING S ONGWRITER D ECEMBE R 2008 GUITAR LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM CONTINUED Following the success of Rumours —the lot more acoustic-based. When I started that music, of course, you’re talking about landmark 1977 album that vaulted Fleetwood working on new material for this album, basic Travis-picking [named afer famed Mac to the top of the rock world—Buckingham I wasn’t necessarily expecting it to go country-music guitarist Merle Travis], which tried to take the group in a more adventurous in such a full-on rock direction. It just everybody was learning. musical direction. Te changes met with seemed to want to go there. And when it resistance from both the band and their did, those stragglers seemed to want to Is it true your frst guitar was a cheap record company, however, setting the stage include themselves. Harmony acoustic? for the dual-career track Buckingham has Tat’s right, although I frst learned some pursued since. Beginning with 1981’s chords on a plastic ukulele. Ten, when Law and Order, the singer- I was about 8 years old, I got a Harmony songwriter-guitarist carved out six-string, three-quarter-size guitar for a successful solo career while Christmas. It cost 35 or 40 bucks. reuniting, on occasion, with his bandmates. Did you feel an immediate facility for the Buckingham’s latest CD, instrument? Gif of Screws, ofers a bevy of It’s hard to say. What I did feel was an imme- treasures from both songwriter diate motivation, triggered by my brother’s and guitarist perspectives. More Elvis Presley 45s. I had been exceptionally aggressive than 2006’s Under the interested in music before then. I was tuned Skin, the disc veers from bluesy in to my parents’ record collection which rif-rockers (“Wait for You”) to ranged from the South Pacifc soundtrack to propulsive, “Go Your Own Way”- Patti Page to my dad’s collection of Dixieland style anthems (“Te Right Place to jazz 78s. I was always interested in what Fade”) to incendiary bashers that was making those sounds, and trying to sound like the Stooges meet Les understand what I was listening to. Claypool (the title track). Along the way, Buckingham tosses in When did you frst try to write? several changes of pace including I didn’t write until 1972, near the very end the ethereal, plucked-guitar epic of the frst band that Stevie and I were “Time Precious Time” and the ballad in. Stevie had been writing tunes since “Treason” that’s as elegant as any- she was in high school. She thought of thing he’s ever written. Stevie Nicks with herself as a writer-poet, very early on. Clearly, at age 59, Buckingham Buckingham in 1979 Actually, I still don’t think of myself as a is at the top of his form. At home writer but as more of a stylist. Obviously in L.A., he spoke with us about his I’ve gotten better at it, but it still comes guitar style, songwriting and the in bits and pieces—the process of putting relationship between his solo career and “I still don’t think of myself a song together. It’s hard for me to get the his work in Fleetwood Mac. whole thing down on paper and say, “OK, as a writer but as more of here’s the song. Now what are we going to Several of the songs on the new album were a stylist. I’ve gotten better, do with it?” written years ago. Why are they only now seeing the light of day? but it still comes in bits and Does the process always originate with a Back in 2002 I was poised to put out a solo guitar part? album. As has been the case on several occa- pieces.” Occasionally something has come from sions, however, Fleetwood Mac intervened sitting at the piano. Lately I’ve been thinking and said they would like to make a studio Even though it’s a rock album, your fnger- that might be a good thing to try again. I album. Because I had all that material, and picking style is very much at the center haven’t done it in a long time. In a band because Mick [Fleetwood], especially, had of the things. How did you get into that situation, you’re forced to have more of played on a lot of it, it seemed a natural technique at such an early age? a complete song. You can’t go in and say, thing to fold it over into what became the Part of that stemmed from not taking lessons. “Here, I have this part” and expect anyone 2003 Fleetwood Mac album Say You Will. As a child, I found my own way in a manner to respond to that, unless you formally put that made sense to me. Tere’s always been yourself in a co-writing situation. On the So some of these songs are ones you had an element of that that’s worked for me. I other hand, when you work alone and play that weren’t used on Say You Will? wasn’t motivated to use a pick. I wasn’t fn- a lot of instruments, you can work more Tat’s right. Between Stevie’s songs and my ger-picking right away, but I strummed with on nuance. You can start with something songs, there wasn’t enough room for every- my hand, because I didn’t know any better. that’s much less feshed out, and then slop thing unless we put out a double album, But even Scotty Moore had an element of the colors on. It’s like painting. which we had endless discussions about. fnger-picking and orchestral playing going So there were a few stragglers that went on. He used a pick, but he also used a couple Beyond technique, does playing without a on the shelf. Those songs weren’t really of other fngers to fll out what he was doing. pick make you feel more of direct connection appropriate for Under the Skin, which I did Te other thing was, before the British Inva- to the guitar? a couple of years ago. Tat album was a sion, a lot of folk music became popular. In I think so. It has its good and bad points. It Photo by Arthur D’Amario/Retna PERFORMING S ONGWRITER D ECEMBE R 2008 65 GUITAR LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM can be a little sloppy. Sometimes on stage, and some of the Taylor acoustics I use on redefning that song. When Fleetwood Mac when I’m playing lead, I’ll look down and stage, work well in the studio. Sometimes went out in 1997 to do what became the see that I’m just thrashing around. I don’t I go straight into the board with a Roland live CD—Te Dance—that song would go know what I’m doing with my fngers, and synth. You can get some good lead sounds down like a storm every night. I realized it looks sort of odd. When I frst joined that way, along with, of course, other weird something was connecting strongly with the Fleetwood Mac, Mick tried to get me to use things that sit well behind the lead guitar to audience. Plus, it was more challenging than a pick. He felt there was a lack of “pointed- give it a mysterious sound. “Never Going Back Again” and more rock ’n’ ness” in my sound.