What Neil Finn Learned From His Stint in Fleetwood Mac

Neil Finn has opened up about his tenure in Fleetwood Mac, revealing what he learned during his time in the band.

It was 2018 when Lindsey Buckingham was dismissed from Fleetwood Mac, reportedly due to an ultimatum issued by Stevie Nicks. In the wake of the guitarist’s departure, Finn – the leader of Crowded House – and former Heartbreaker Mike Campbell were brought into the lineup. Though the circumstances weren’t ideal, Finn loved his time with the legendary group.

“It was an amazing experience, like stepping into another life for a while,” Finn explained during a recent appearance on the Broken Record podcast, adding that his involvement with the band was “unexpected.”

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“And learning somebody else’s songs and the way they put songs together is really fascinating,” he continued, “getting deep inside it because you think you know the way that songs work, but then when you actually learn them, you find that there’s more going on than you realized.”

Asked what he learned from his time in Fleetwood Mac, Finn was forthright.

“What I did learn was that classic bands are a result of – and music is a result of – five, in that case, individuals having quite distinctive personalities musically,” the rocker explained. “And something about that being undeniable and un-replaceable. Although, having said that, I did replace Lindsey.”

Neil Finn Has Never Spoken With Lindsey Buckingham

Finn admitted he has never met Buckingham, though he hopes there is no ill regarding how things played out.

“I have a feeling we’d probably get on just fine,” Finn noted. “He was not happy about the situation, I understand that, but I don’t think he would have blamed me for it, particularly. And I think he probably had some awareness of my songs and probably, I would hope at some point he might have thought, ‘Well, at least somebody that can write a good song is taking my part.”

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Finn’s experience in Fleetwood Mac also inspired him to resurrect Crowded House with his sons Elroy and Liam, as well as founding bassist Nick Seymour and keyboardist Mitchell Froom.

“Fleetwood Mac have redefined themselves so many times, they have been so many different kinds of bands,” the singer explained. “I related to that, and I thought, oh, maybe I can do that. And at the same time as I thought that, and I was appreciating that about Fleetwood Mac, I thought, I’ve been playing music with Elroy and Liam for the last few years and it’s been feeling great, so why not just one ring to bind them all?”