Fleetwood Mac could rival any band in the world for party fervor when they were at their craziest. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and those closest to them were the only ones to experience the effects of their common addiction to class-A substances.
The band members were drawn together by their common love of cocaine and their brief use of it recreationally. However, it slowly became a part of their routine to the point that they needed the white powder to perform even the most fundamental chores. Fleetwood Mac became synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll excess and planted their flag firmly in the fast lane.
The band would always have a dependable source of supplements handy, no matter where on the planet they were. Whether they were in the studio or preparing for an arena performance, Fleetwood Mac was driven by cocaine. To their credit, the band was able to produce Rumours and Tusk during this difficult period of mental turmoil, and it is often regarded as some of their best work.
Fleetwood Mac had a brief sabbatical after their tour in support of Tusk in 1980 before getting back together to record Mirage before a protracted five-year absence. The major offender in the group was Stevie Nicks, who didn’t eventually seek treatment for her addiction until 1986.
Nicks talked openly about her journey to sobriety with Tim McGraw in 2021 on his Apple Music program.
“I managed to save myself. I got through some pretty scary moments, but I saved me, nobody else saved me,” with pride, she stated. “I survived me. I survived my cocaine. I survived by myself. I checked myself into rehab. Nobody did that for me. I did it and that’s like with my whole life.”
Nicks didn’t quickly change her behaviors once the band broke up in 1982; if anything, they worsened. The singer was going through a difficult time at the time. She was witnessing multiple relationships fall apart, and to make matters worse, her best friend passed suddenly.
Nicks allegedly experienced frequent blackouts while working on Tango in the Night with Fleetwood Mac, which served as the wake-up call she required to start a sober lifestyle.
“All of us were drug addicts, but there was a point where I was the worst drug addict,” she revealed to Louder Sound. “I was a girl, I was fragile, and I was doing a lot of coke. And I had that hole in my nose. So it was dangerous.”
Fleetwood Mac managed to ingest an unknown amount of cocaine during their wild phase, although Mick Fleetwood did produce a calculated estimate.
“I guess we figured we did X amount a day, and then some goofball got out a calculator and came up with that seven miles figure and said, ‘Isn’t that funny?’ And it sort of is. But not in the context of where I want to end up,” Fleetwood said to The Sun. “There was never a conscious decision on my part to stop that lifestyle. I think it naturally just drifted away,” he added.
Fleetwood Mac are rock ‘n’ roll survivors who, somehow, are still here to share their extraordinary, scandalous story.