2008 was the first election I was old enough to vote in, and I was so excited. I sent in an absentee ballot so that I could vote against California’s Prop 8 (an anti LGBTQ+ bill) and watched the results come in live from my dorm room in NYC. When it was called for Obama, everyone in our hall threw coats on over our pajamas and ran out to celebrate at Union Square Park, where someone had brought a HUGE American flag that we all danced under. It was a simpler time. Looking back on that hippie dippie scene, I guess I was channeling my inner Stevie Nicks, which is somehow cosmically fitting since Stevie recently revealed that she never voted in her youth. In fact, she didn’t vote at all until she was 70! But, how, Stevie?! She’s disclosing this now, what she calls “a big regret,” as part of her appeal to women to vote in this election. It’s one of many topics covered in a sprawling, really great interview from Rolling Stone. A few highlights:
Still so much left to do! I haven’t been able to do a lot of the creative things that I love in many, many years. I draw, I write songs, and I write poetry. I’d like to make a perfume because I actually have a smell that I love. I like to design blankets. Cashmere blankets are my favorite thing. That is what I buy for my friends if there’s a special occasion. I bought Travis Kelce a blanket.
She regrets not voting until she was 70: I’m going to reach out to women and say, ‘You have to vote.” You have to. I never voted until I was 70 years old because I wasn’t at all political. I was incredibly busy, I was having a fitting, and I didn’t want to do jury duty. It’s a big regret.
The meaning behind “The Lighthouse,” the song she wrote in reaction to Roe v. Wade being overturned: So I am the lighthouse, because I am the wisdom and I have the stories.” We are the women that can tell all these young women from 15 up to 45. We are the light that goes out, and we bring the ships in so they don’t crash. We save lives every day. The way I feel about this upcoming election is that Kamala Harris is the lighthouse, too.
That time she told Katy Perry to get off the internet: About 10 years ago, Katy Perry was talking to me about the internet armies of all the girl singers, and how cruel and rancid they were. I said, “Well, I wouldn’t know because I’m not on the internet.” She said, “So, who are your rivals?” I just looked at her. It was my steely look. I said, “Katy, I don’t have rivals. I have friends. All the other women singers that I know are friends. Nobody’s competing. Get off the internet and you won’t have rivals either.”
Her secret talent: It’s a silly thing to say, but I do my own nails. This is the first time they’ve been white in 20 years — I didn’t have time to put the gold on them before the last show. People say, “Who did your nails?” And I go, “Me, because I’m the best manicurist in the world.” Nobody does them as good as me, so why would I let anybody else do them?
Reader, please do some math with me. “Cashmere blankets are my favorite thing. That is what I buy for my friends if there is a special occasion.” + “I bought Travis Kelce a blanket.” = A special occasion Stevie bought Travis a blanket for, right? Why’d you buy Travis the blanket, Stevie?! Taylor Swift and the Kelces actually make a few appearances in this article. Aside from Stevie totally shipping the couple and wanting them to have a happily ever after, Stevie also just recorded a Christmas song with Jason Kelce. I wonder how Taylor feels about her possible future brother-in-law horning in on her turf? It’d be pretty smooth if she posted a pic of herself sleeping while listening to the song. And speaking of smooth, that Katy Perry interaction was flawless, as is being noted on the internet, ironically.
Anyway, there is so much more in this interview, I highly recommend giving the whole piece a read. She says she’s gonna call producers so she can record another version of “Crystal” for the Practical Magic sequel, and of course she wants to jump off the roof like a groovy witch. And if you thought the excitement of getting the Barbie treatment had waned in a year, well, she has two displayed in her bedroom: the Rhiannon prototype and the final Gold Dust Woman doll. This Barbie says, VOTE!
Photos credit: MediaPunch/Backgrid/InStar Images
Love Stevie, not voting until age 70 is not a a flex and certainly not something I’d admit to out loud. Being “not political” is the kind of statement that makes me want to shake women and yell at them to wake the F up. It is our duty as a citizen and to our daughters to VOTE –
She literally says its a big regret. She’s not saying it as a flex, she’s saying it was a mistake.
I read that clearly – She can say it’s a mistake, but one she willfully made for 50+ years, she chose not to do the absolute minimum as a citizen – I see that statement as something better left unsaid. It makes me sad for the future because of declarations just like that. My opinion
Well, you said its “not a flex” but she wasn’t saying it like it was, that’s her whole point. She’s saying she regrets not voting and is voting now.
I don’t think its better left unsaid because as we all know, voting rates in this country are appallingly low. She’s late to the party but I’m still happy she’s here. I hope more people who typically don’t vote hear this from her and others and think “you know what, I need to vote this year.” Maybe her message of regret will sink in for a few people, especially given the supreme court decisions of recent years.
I’m pretty sure that the point of her saying this was so that other people who may not have voted in the past realize that it’s never too late to start doing so, and that if they don’t, they may regret it. I’m sure she wasn’t super excited to admit to this either, but she’s allowing herself to look less than perfect in order to hopefully course correct other people. It’s a good thing.
I’ve taken the hard line in my comment because it is a matter of our liberty. Her privilege speaks louder that her “regret” .
I would love it if Stevie did a perfume!!
Yes. I’d love to find out what her favorite smell is.
The not voting thing is disappointing but I am glad she is being so openly political now. She’s been everywhere with this message!! Some fans are angry at her (there’s a “shut up and sing” vibe in some of the Stevie Nicks fandoms online) but if you have followed Stevie at all you know she’s been a gay icon for decades (not quite Cher level but still there) and I think in general it was always clear she was probably pretty liberal. And rumors about her abortions have been around for decades, and so I can see where if she even had one (and not even the 4-6 rumored), the Dobbs decision might have hit home for her. She’s been very open about how not having children was important for her career and how it would have derailed Fleetwood Mac significantly in the 70s and early 80s.
She and taylor have been friends for years so I’m not surprised at the bit about giving Travis a blanket. I think she’s the kind of person who probably just gives people gifts. Like she probably talked to Taylor and Taylor said how happy she was and Stevie thought “well he should get a nice blanket for that.”
The lighthouse bit makes total sense to me because that’s something she has also said for years – that part of the reason she is so open about her drug use and addictions is because she views those as her mistakes, so she’s going to talk about them so that the girls in her life don’t make those same mistakes. I view this talk similarly – she’s telling younger generations to look to the older generations and rely on their wisdom. She’s telling us we’re going to be okay because Kamala Harris is going to guide us to safety.
Fingers crossed Stevie!!!
I’m pretty sure I read an interview of her talking about at least one abortion when she was with Don Henley. I think it was around the time Roe v Wade was overturned that I read it. I think that hit hard for her, and is the reason she is now voting and talking about it.
I just don’t understand people who don’t vote. And I hate it when people, but esp women, say they’re “not political”! Our entire lives, bodies, and right to do anything is “political.” Argh.
Yes I know a number of women who do this and it doesn’t sit well with me. It comes from privilege, fear of offending, disengagement, ignorance. I know people are overwhelmed sometimes, but it really doesn’t take that much to vote. This is especially true these days, when you can check a candidate’s policies on the internet and often vote early or by mail.
I know not everyone has parents who vote and that makes a difference. My mother had her first child in the 1950s, and she always voted. I remember going with her. My father too. I know I was lucky to have good role models in that way. But sometimes people really are just willfully burying their heads in the sand.
I know two types of people who don’t vote. The first are people who have been so marginalized and disempowered politically and socially that they see little value or utility in being used by a process that doesn’t recognize or represent their needs. The second are those privileged people who have been protected by the system as it is.
I’m actually not surprised that she didn’t vote through the mid 70s and 80s, when Fleetwood Mac and her solo career were at their heights. There was excessive drinking, drug use – I’m sure some days she didn’t know what month it was let alone if there was an election. I sort of think that’s why she coded it as being “incredibly busy” because she didn’t want to say “high as a kite.”
but she was born in 48 so her first presidential election would have been in 68, then 72 – I just can’t imagine being 20 in 1968 and not voting. That would have been well before her Fleetwood Mac years.
The Fleetwood Mac song Don’t Stop (thinking about tomorrow) was the theme song to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. I know she personally didn’t write it but cmon now, voting has always been consequential. Oops, didn’t see the poster below mentioning it.
I will go with better late than never and especially NOW!
I’ve voted in every election since Bill Clinton’s 2nd term, except Obama’s first run. I was too lazy to register in my new county after a move and, even though my vote wouldn’t have made a difference in my deep red state (Utah), I still regret not being part of history to get our first black president (and the best pres in my lifetime) elected. If you’re still undecided, I recommend you listen to this great podcast with Brene Brown & Kamala Harris. The first half you get to know Kamala on a more personal level. Second half is a great conversation about leadership. It’s not partisan in tone.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unlocking-us-with-bren%C3%A9-brown/id1494350511?i=1000674680076
I voted in every election since 1984, except Clinton’s second term (1996 election). I was living in Texas (still am) which I knew would go Red. I had a job, a toddler, a very busy spouse, and a lot of housework. I also felt confident Clinton was going to win handily, which he did. So I didn’t vote. I regret it, but I’m glad to see I’m in good company. We all fall sometimes, lol.
She should regret it. Voting is a privilege and a duty that should be respected.
I love Stevie, but I never would have guessed she never voted. I don’t get it! Especially as a woman, especially one of her age, who was only a generation or two removed from women not having the right to vote.
I’m glad she’s doing it now, but wow. And she’s far from alone, I see a lot of people saying they’ve never voted (but are now, so I’m hoping turnout is huge).
I’m surprised that she considers herself “not political” given that she has been so upfront in her views. And I guess I assumed that because Bill Clinton famously used Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)” in his campaign and inauguration, that she and the band supported him. I suppose you can let someone use your music but not vote for them?
I just don’t understand not voting until 70.
I have voted in every election since I came of age.
I’m not really surprised by this. People always think that it’s only young people that don’t vote, but a lot of those young people just grow into older people that don’t vote. When I worked the primary this year there was a man that came in mid fifties, asked if he could register and said that he had never voted before. I had to literally explain to him how voting worked. It was absolutely shocking to me, but I guess it’s really not that odd if you think about it. Even the highest participation elections still get less than 60% of the potential voting public.
The Katy Perry drag was epic. Stevie saw right through her.
She is such an icon, so this is disappointing to hear.
So disappointed to hear this. But not suprised. Artistic types getting so wrapped up in being “artists” whose sole purpose is to “create”….such vanity. Well get out and vote because you can’t sing, paint or poem alone to have a say in society (and yet complain). And Stevie, really? Your music (and with Fleetwood Mac) has been lent to so many campaigns? While on tour you can fill out absentee ballots, proxy vote at a US embassy and while home in the US can’t you limo, Uber or private jet to place your vote? Cemeteries filled with veterans fought for people to vote, let alone “create”. For G-ds sake for those of us stuck here who can’t just leave if things go bad…
I can’t imagine being too busy to vote – it’s so easy – but I’m glad she’s showing up now. Always residing in a solidly blue state may have figured in that calculus.
“How does Taylor feel about Jason horning in on her turf?” By all accounts she over-the-top loves Jason & his family. He does a yearly Christmas album for charity. Last year Swifties made sure it hit the charts and they made sure his duet with his brother went #1 when it dropped. Yeah, he’s over-exposed but it’s for charity.
Some days I wonder how we got to this point.
I’m 63. I was a teenager when Womens Lib, bra burning, equal pay for equal work marches were a big issue.
In my lifetime, the US has had so many issues that we are still trying to find solutions too.
You all know the lists.
I wish Joe Biden would use the Executive Orders powers he has and swoop on everything he can get done as fast as he can push things thru.
Maybe he’s waiting until Nov. 6 to surprise us.
He and KH hopefully have a plan, Biden even as a lame duck could still force things, provided the Blue wave happens.
Stevie could have been openly supporting her choices and most assuredly should have been voting all these years.
Everyone should research the candidates and issues and vote every election.