Q&A Sessions
Gary "Hoppy" Hodges : June 5 - 18, 2000
Page 3

Mr. Hodges, Thanks for your frank and interesting answers !! My question is, did you ever meet any of Lindsey's family and if so what were your impressions, same for Stevie. (Amy, Thousand Oaks, California, USA)

Hi-hey, Gary is fine-- I am not used to being called Mr. Hodges, ok? ha ha ha :):):) Thanx. I never met any of Lindsey's family but I was present one day when he talked to his mother; I remember her being real sweet to him on the phone. I met Chris Nicks one time or two (Stevie's brother) and he was nice, too. I never met any of the families, but could tell from Stevie and Lindsey that they were supreme people and of the finest quality of individuals.

Hi Gary, I have lots of questions. Did you ever meet Lindsey's or Stevie's families at all? Do you know if Lindsey's dad was still alive to see Buckingham Nicks get released, or did he die before the album was released? It must have been awfully difficult for Lindsey to continue to struggle to make it in the music industry while also dealing with the loss of his dad at that time. (Amy) [different Amy from previous question]

Amy, boy, inquiring minds want to know! To the best of my memory, I believe Lindsey's dad was alive and aware of the BN record. I could be wrong on that but I believe he was around when that came out. I never met him but I am sure he was very nice and very interesting, too-- from what I understand he had several business interests… I eat at a place called "Buckinghams," which is the finest bar-b-q you have ever graced your taste buds with-- that was named after a meat packing business he had, for the "bucking ham," which is a picture of a pig bucking and kicking in the air. Man, I love to eat there; if you ever see one, stop in, you won't regret it. They put horse radish in the cole slaw and the beans are just awesome, and the sauce they make is sooooo good, too. I will have to go there now that my mouth is watering over sharing this with you, Amy! I only met Chris Nicks, and he was very nice to me and a very nice young man as I recall. Barbara and Jess Nicks I never met… but my mother's name is Barbara, too, and my middle name is Lynn…not that that has any universal meaning or anything. Ok, next answer coming up, Amy.

These are my perceptions of Lindsey: In interviews Lindsey seems like he's kind of shy, a bit soft-spoken, funny and sweet, but also intensely passionate too, especially about creativity and music and art. He's a very interesting and charismatic person, and a little mysterious. Are my perceptions on target at all? (Amy)

Amy, you are a good judge of character, as you are right on target here. To add to your understanding, you will never meet a more compassionate friend than Lindsey Buckingham. This guy stuck by me through some tough times and helped me out personally and financially, too. I can't seem to get in touch with him to repay his kindness to me, as he is just out there in his own little world somewhere, creating and writing and observing life and taking musical notes at the same time…but you are correct,Amy, in all your perceptions, and then add a little to that-a very wonderful, dynamic individual he is, truly. Why, you can hear it in his playing. You should have been sitting on the floor next to him when he would play Andre Segovia or Django Rheinhart, man, it just would make your hair curl up, and his did, ha ha ha :):):)

You said earlier that you were with Lindsey once when he was taking a quiet moment to sort of pray with his guitar in hand. I was wondering if he seemed like a spiritual person to you? Was he easy to talk to? Others have mentioned that they found Lindsey very energetic and inspiring - did you find that? Sorry for so many questions! (Amy)

Of course he was, and is to this day, very spiritual-- he must have some connection with the upper strats or something, as he would play and heavens doors would fly open. He always would say, "I mean that in the biblical sense, Gary," without saying much. I always felt kinda reverent around him, great friend to me, even thought of me years later when he put my name on the "Tusk" album he produced-- in the history of Fleetwood Mac, as Gary Hodges, drums… this was very thoughtful, as I had not seen him in fifteen years. This is the kind of person you are dealing with here-very, very talented, very Spiritual, and very kind… what a guy! He is A-OK in my book. Hey, we made some great music together, Amy. I miss him more than even he knows; there are, they say, a handful of people that really count in your life, and I count and honor Lindsey Buckingham as one on my hand.

But finally, may I ask how you got the nickname "Hoppy?" Thank you for talking to us. (Amy)

You know, this has haunted me from day one. Back when I was a teen, the band members nicknamed me that-- I guess cause I had a lot of energy, and rode my drum kit like the Lone Ranger-- but when I came to California I played on a lot of albums, and never used that name until the day they asked me what or how do you want your name to appear on this BN record. I thought foolishly to myself, 'this is good, I may lose my privacy if this goes out in a big way, so I will use this little nickname, and then I can use my legal name for private matters relating to my survival' you see. The idea was, I guess, to have this identity as a drummer and then as an individual… just trying to watch the privacy pitfall that I saw some people going through at the time. Ringo Starr 's name is really Richard Starky, I believe…but I wish I would have just put Gary Hodges on it and not been concerned with security so much, Amy…but it is just a childhood nickname, no biggy. Thanx for questions, Amy, and take care… live long and prosper ...Gary

Hi, again, Gary. I notice a few times you mention that Lindsey & Stevie "went with Mick". Which made me wonder, how familiar were YOU with Fleetwood Mac at that point? (Steve Denison, Long Beach, California, USA)

Oh Steve, I knew of them and that they had nine previous albums and all… basically Mick was looking for fresh blood for his band, as Bob Welch was leaving, and he found it at Sound City in Van Nuys, California, one evening, didn't he? We would have probably made it eventually. He had a record company behind him and a track record; I did not. I met them all and got on well with them, but basically our group broke up and they went with them, bottom line. That is why I am the Pete Best of the Fleetwood Mac era,.ha ha ha:):):)Good to share with you, Steve, take care, my friend.

Hi-- Thanks for taking the time. I have a totally off the wall question that no one seems to know the answer to, do you happen to know how Stevie chipped her front tooth? I told you it was odd!! Just something I've noticed in almost every picture of Stevie I've ever seen. Second question, a bit more serious, knowing Stevie & LIndsey at that time and seeing what they could do, do you think, had Mick Fleetwood never come into the studio that day, that they could have eventually made it on thier own? The timing was perfect for both Buckingham Nicks and Fleetwood Mac as it seems they were just what the other needed. I had heard that the head of Polydor told them that they would better suited doing songs like Jim Stafford's "Spiders & Snakes", clearly he had no clue!! Thanks again!! (Allen Chapman, Stafford Springs, Connecticut, USA)

Hi Allen,

I do not know how her tooth was chipped; it could have been a childhood injury, possibly. I never recall noticing the chip you mentioned, but it may be. Yes, I think eventually something might have occurred for the BN thing; we had interest from some promoters--when we went out on the Alabama gigs the William Morris Agency took care of everything for us. Lindsey had a friend there from the past, you see, and I remember Al Schwartz who came down to the rehearsal hall to chat with us, too. Well, things happened the way they did due to certain people talking and hustling, and the time was right for a major survival move on their part. They did it for survival, mainly, and it worked out. Some things don't always work out that way; they were lucky in a sense. I have worked here in Branson with Jim Stafford on two occasions, and this A&R man, whoever he was, was terribly mistaken on these two. Spiders and Snakes is no- where near the material Buckingham and Nicks had; it was serious stuff, and Staffords's is comedy-based…so what a joker this A&R guy was. He lost a lot of money for his label now, didn't he? I think I covered you here; I will look back at your question again and see if I did. Thanks, that is an interesting question on the chipped tooth, I never noticed it.

And hello again! Thank you so much for your answers -- they are wonderful, and it's great to hear of your memories. I was wondering if you have any memories of Stevie's songs "Garbo" and "Kind of Woman"? If I recall correctly, "Garbo" was written as a result of her posing for the Buckingham Nicks cover; she wasn't happy about it, and went home and wrote the song...and "Kind of Woman" was written while Lindsey was away, touring with a group of musicians that included the Everly Brothers, kind-of worrying what Lindsey was up to while she stayed home and worked her waitress job. Do you recall Lindsey's tour, as well? Thanks again for all of your fabulous answers! :) (Claudia, Moab, Utah, USA)

Oh yeah, Claudia, I remember those days as if they were just yesterday. Lindsey went out on the road with them (the Everly Bros.) and I think he sang Don or Phil's part as I recall. I wasn't aware that Stevie wrote this song, but as she says she keeps her visions to herself. She had a lot of songs in the can, so to speak; I recall she had written some five hundred little ditties at one point--talk about prepared…I really don't think she had anything to worry about with Lindsey gone, he loved her so much. I really respected their relationship, too, and that is probably why Linds and I are or would still be good friends, I hope…I never trespassed on him and Stevie, they were like a great brother and sister to me and still are as far as I am concerned. That is common for one mate to worry about the other when one is away, but he was a trustworthy and honorable man in the truest sense, and understood the consequences of such behavior… and she was so sweet he could have never done that to her considering the situation at the time. They were very much in love and held each other dear.

Howdy again Hoppy!!

...I was just wondering..when you guys did your thing in Alabama..did you get to fly or did you drive all the way down there...UGH...and if you did...what was the trip like...ya know did ya do the "One hundred bottles of beer on the wall" kinda thing?...Also you say Stevie was fond of French Toast and Omlets...Any other peculiar things come to mind...what about Linds...what did he like?...I know this is a lame question but I don't know much about music and arrangment and technical stuff like that =) (LauraTN)

We flew down to Alabama all together, and man, were my arms tired, ha ha :):):) Just kiddin, that is a joke, ha ha! Lindsey ate his hamburgers completely plain-- meat and bread only. He never ate junk food that I can remember…they were so fun to travel with, and funny, and saw a lot of humor in life--it was just fun. What can I say, they were special kids all the way around. They were so loving, that is what I remember about them, a couple of Big ole Loves. Love Love Love…that is what we survived on, really, and it was in abundance at the time. Hell, we were hungry, you know, hungry for success, and got a little of it, too. So much so that Mick Fleetwood heard about it now, didn't he!

Hi again, Gary...

OK--I'll try to ask you some serious questions as well as something silly...and I'm only asking because I'm nosy and you might know.

I'll get the silly one out of the way immediately...someone asked Keith Olsen if Lola My Love was written about Stevie and I think he said it was just a title, with no great meaning...was there any indication that Lola was a little term of endearment for Miss Stevie, or is Keith completely right and it just fit the music? Whew! Got that out of my system. (Regina, Bronx, New York, USA)

OK, Regina, I am going to take these one at a time, girl. First, on "Lola My Love," as far as I remember I think that song was about an estranged woman. I don't think that is about Stevie in general, but just a title and fictitious gal of imagining. I could be wrong. What I love about that song is its groove and feel; Jim Keltner did a great job on that one. I believe it was a slice together track, but it is just about a great little gal that was very loving, evidently, and definitely left an impression on her mate, huh? "Lola my love she knows how to treat her man." I think that kinda says it all there, Regina, but I don't think it is about Miss Stevie, no.

You've mentioned Frozen Love several times...and as much as I love the whole album, Frozen Love stands out as a "masterpiece." It's just unlike any song ever written and incredibly powerful and beautiful. So, I think, right off the bat, that anyone who was part of making that song has something to be incredibly proud of forever. And, after this Q&A...I think we'll all pay extra attention to your contribution to this wonderful song. Aside from Frozen Love, which song means the most to you on Buckingham Nicks and why? (Regina)

You know, Regina, I like all the songs, each one has a unique feel and message to me. "Without a Leg To Stand On" has an interesting feel; that is Ronnie Tutt, Elvis Presley's drummer, on that one. I remember Ron used calf skin heads on his drums for the sessions he played on, and they have a unique fall and dip when he hits them; I just love it. Lindsey's finger picking stands out to me, too--did you know he does not use a pick, that is all one guitar and fingers only-- this just always impressed me, the way he could keep that thumb going and play a melody, too. I like all the tracks, Regina, each one has a unique quality, don't you think? Thank you for your kind comments on the Frozen Love track, that is very sweet of you, as I labored on that track very hard to try and get an emotional effect, you know, give it some impact to the listener. Time, Tempo, and Taste has always been the golden rule in drumming, for me anyway…you hear that a lot when in that profession anyway. You know the record is a "Classic," we will all just have to face that fact… an overlooked classic, at first release, but if we all go out and buy it on CD (when and if it comes out) maybe it would spark a reunion of sorts, and we would all get to play together again. What a team that was, Regina. It kinda immortalized the people that played on it, I guess a little, anyway. It is there forever, it seems. Thanks for the compliments and enjoy the emotion in it-- I put my heart and soul into the tracks I performed on, Regina!

Stevie has said the instrumental, "Stephanie" was unnamed and she asked Lindsey to name it Stephanie because she liked it so much, and she recently said that was her favorite Lindsey composition ever. Did you get a sense, during BuckinghamNicks, which song was Stevie's favorite Lindsey composition and which was Lindsey's favorite Stevie composition? (Regina)

Oh, I think she liked all his composing. They wrote together, too. I love that song; he probably named it that in her honor anyway, I think he was kinda fond of her. What a talent he is. They write songs to each other all the time, kinda like people write letters to each other, it seems. As far as her favorite Lindsey song, that is a tuff one as they are all good…you would have to ask her on that one, but as far as I recall she liked a lot of his stuff and she collaborated on some with him, too. See, they were a song writing team back then, very close. I like all the things they wrote a lot. Would have liked to play on more of them.

And, lastly (for now...I still might have something to say before the week is up!)....did you think Lindsey had a good sense of humor? I think we see it now, in bits and pieces in interviews, but he has always seemed very serious and dedicated. And, while that's good, I just wondered if his friends knew a very light, playful side of him. Thanks again! (Regina)

Lindsey was fun to be around, and did have a great sense of humor, I thought… but I really like him anyway, kinda like a brother. Yeah, we had some laughs together. He would do some character… and he could draw, man, he could make a piece of art-- a face or something, speak to you off the paper…he would draw and doodle on paper some interesting things, as I recall. Great guy really-fun, humorous, very intelligent life. Lots of energy, man he could play--on the live dates we did in Alabama he was handling the lead and rhythm at the same time. WHEEE!

Hi. Thanks so much for taking time out to answer these questions. I've really enjoyed reading your answers. It is so wonderful to hear Lindsey and Stevie being talked about with such love and affection :-). I want to ask you a question about Stevie and Lindsey's writing processes (if that's the right term!). In interviews Stevie has often expressed her unhappiness at her songs being 'changed' - usually by Lindsey. Was this something you were aware of while you were working with them? Similarly was Lindsey the 'senior partner' in the relationship, in terms of making decisions about their music? Thanks once again for answering our questions - I've really enjoyed this q & a session! (Angela, Oxford, England, USA)

Angela, Hi, wow England! I have a son there in your country. I visited England in the 70's, toured there with a lady named Judy Pulver-- she had a song called "Dancing on the Moon." We played at all the big halls there opening for "Mott the Hoople", Ian Anderson's group, and the hit at the time was "All The Young Dudes," David Bowie's song-I am sure you recall that. In answer to your question ,I remember Lindsey and her carrying on about their songs; they would sit on the floor and work on this stuff seriously-- scribble on paper ideas and sing them out, work on harmonies and argue about verse and chorus, and how her idea was this and he thought it should go this way, and that sounds better in this key…yes, it was a process for them. I only heard the finished product sometimes, but I did see them going through the motions at times to get a song formulated properly. Lindsey would experiment with guitar sounds in the studio a lot, trying to get something unique, I think, and on his four track at home he would ping pong tracks and add things and take some out. They shared the load on the songwriting and ideas exchanged a lot .She had a certain idea she wanted to convey, and her lyrics set; he mainly helped her with arrangement or layout of the whole structure, I think, giving the song a form and formula. They both had great ideas and what they did worked, too, very tasty songs. But he would write his and she would write hers, and then they collaborated on things, as far as I remember, Angela. You might venture to say he was the dominating force, as he did all the chord structuring and melodic thing with his guitar in hand when they would work, I believe, but I sure wouldn't want to make her upset on that one-- so let's just say they wrote together and keep the peace, how about that? I love your country by the way, lots of shoe stores, I recall. Let's see, Hyde Park…I played at Ronnie Scott's Club there once, and I think Buddy Rich had just done a gig there the prior week. I think we stayed at the Royal Coach Inn there, across the street from Hyde Park. I have son over in England; I believe he runs a flavored coffee house there and takes pictures of the European Landscapes. Good talking to you, Angel of England.

Hi Gary. Thanks a lot for sharing your time with us. First of all I must say I think you are a very talented drummer. Besides the BN gem I also have enjoyed your work on the albums by Jorge Calderon (Friends again/Dawning Song and the title track are awesome), Lambert & Nuttycombe (the entire album is delightful) and Eric Mercury, so this is a great oportunity to ask you some questions (if something has been asked before, just skip it). Did Waddy Wachtel played any lead guitar on the BN album or just played rhythm? (Daniel Galera, Madrid, Spain)

Hi Daniel,

It is great to hear from you, Daniel-- you are the only person I have ever talked to that knows about these other records! How in the world did you get those…thank you for the compliments, too; I had thought no one had ever heard those besides me! ha ha :):):)I would love to see Spain, would you take me on a tour sometime of your country? I am going to take extra time here to answer your questions very thoroughly, as you really are a fan of mine, with that record collection you have… man those are classics. Daniel, you actually have the "City Music" album ? Geez! Hey, that's Waddy on "Lola my love" playing lead with Lindsey, too-- he is doing the slide work you hear. Lindsey played rhythm and lead on Lambert Nuttycomb, I think, as he has that articulate style down so well. Let me look here and I'll answer some more… have to look back at the questions, getting old ha ha ha :):)

On that sessions there were also many interesting musicians. What can you tell us about Monty Stark, Peggy Sandvic and Mark Tulin? Do you know what has become of them? (Daniel Galera)

I have not had any contact with Monty, Peggy or Mark Tulin either. I did some work with Monty back in 70's, but have not seen him. I think the last project I did with him was the Daryl Inman 'Electric Skyway' album for Dave Crawford Productions, and some work on a Buddy Miles album, but that was years ago, Daniel. I remember Peggy; she was just great and fun to work with, too. She was so healthy, I recall, and played beautiful piano. Gee, I haven't heard these names in so long. Madrid sounds so romantic, Spain, wow, what an e-mail! Mark Tulin played bass, I think, on BN. I never met him and don't really know what became of him. But these were all very talented people and you have sparked my curiosity of what became of them, really. I hope they are all still playing and performing or recording somewhere. I don't even have copies of these records you mentioned, and would love to hear them again; they got away from me through the years, I guess. Where in the world did you find these? You must be a collector of recorded music-Fine recorded music! I wonder if it is possible to download or e-mail me some of those memories there, Daniel? You have just floored me with this one.

Do you remember which tracks Lindsey played on the Lambert & Nuttycombe album? Are you familiar with a band named Kathryn & Duffy & The Enemies List who recorded a single featuring Lindsey (and probably Waddy) on Takoma records in 1974? How you got the nickname "Hoppy"? That´s all for now. Thank you very much for the music! Now you know you have a fan in Spain!! (Daniel Galera)

I don't have a Lambert Nuttycomb record to reference, but I believe Lindsey and Waddy share the duties on that record pretty much-- some nice playing, huh? I am sorry, but I do not know of this group you mentioned that they worked with in '74. As far as this nickname business, man, that has just haunted me--I got stuck with that back in Dallas in the 60's, when I played in a bunch of local bands in the Dallas area. I don't really know why I stuck with it, really-- kinda silly. You know Waddy's name is Robert. Back then you had Ginger Baker, Ringo Starr, or Bonzo… everybody had some kind of nickname or stage name or whatever, and I got stuck with Hoppy. My real name is Gary Lynn Hodges and really at my age, 47, I am a little too old for nicknames anyway. This name appears on the David Werner album for RCA ,with Ron Nevison producing. I guess you have that one, too, you should. No, this nickname business has gone too far, ha ha ha :):) Gary, please world, just call me GARY. Thanks, I really enjoyed your e-mail, Daniel. I have always heard that Spain has the most beautiful women and handsome men; so much honor there, you know. I love Zoro, he's my hero! I used to dress up like him when I was a small boy, him and Superman. Great hearing from Spain, wow! I love Spanish food!

I love having a fan in Spain, Daniel. Wow, to think that something I did in LA in the70's is in Spain being enjoyed and listened to is just awesome to me. Thanks for the memories there, Daniel, I hope to get over in this lifetime.

Hi Gary I was wondering in the studio during the whole process of recording who seemed to have the upperhand in the decession making process Stevie or Lindsey or were they both so much in love they both agreed and disagreed on the same things?How much did the rest of the band contribute to the decision making? (Alexandra Campbell, Winona, Washington, USA)

Hi Alexandra--I will have to answer these separately here so bear with me, ok? I have to think back here a minute--I never did see Stevie in the studio when I was there; Lindsey and Keith Olsen were running the show and contracting the players, but I believe the decisions were shared and guidance was given from the producing stand point. Lindsey would appear to have been in charge of the music, I think, as he conducted me through the tracks I did, and he and Keith did most of the production work, I believe. I could be wrong, but I think Lindsey and Stevie were the artists and Keith was in the role of producer and overseeing the recording process. It was fun to play with them, in and out of the studio; the recording was very special to me, as I was trying to make a small mark in it at the time. Very creative time-- you were encouraged to open up and let go, be creative, and do a good job. It was an honor to record with them. Yes, they were a love of the century there, but I felt Lindsey was the leading factor-- the spearhead of their dream. I saw him more than Stevie; she would come in and sing on what they had done. I wasn't there for that but it was a team effort, I presume. Let me look here and see if I missed something on your question--be right back.

What was your fondest moment working with them??And was Lindsey controlling enough to think that other band members were hitting on Stevie?? Thanks so much for answering these questions! (Alexandra Campbell)

My fondest moment would have to be the elation of getting the record done and out, and having felt we had really done something in the horribly competitive market there… and then, of course, the Alabama concerts (or the farewell tour as it turned out), those dates were just awesome for me, really. I never saw any 'coming on to Stevie' stuff; everyone had their special one and this was not the way in which we conducted ourselves, in truth. I think our friendships ran deeper than to let this type of behavior get in the way. We loved each other onstage and off, in the studio and out. There was a respect for each other and each other's lives and relationships; we just wanted to make great music together, and did. Love hearing from you-- thank you-- Gary

Hello again, I didn't get a chance to thank you for answering these questions. You seem like a nice person and a good friend. My question is you say Lindsey was spiritual does/did he follow any certain path or did he just sort of worship on his own. (Bridgette)

He just kinda is a God fearing person like the rest of us. I never saw him follow a certain path; I never went to church with him or anything-- he just was good to the core, I think, and wrote about life and what he saw and experienced, I would imagine. I don't really know his religious preference, but he sure was a good person to me, anyway, like a brother. I miss him a lot! Thanks, I try to be a good person and would hope everyone would be; it makes a saner world to live in. I would love to talk to him. Thanks for your question and I hope this covered it for you. You seem nice, too.

Hi Gary, You know, the words to Life in the Fast Lane are extremely unflattering of Lindsey Buckingham, an understatement. They make him sound like something other than a gentle man. What do you make of that? And, thanks, this has been an interesting read. (Desiree, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA)

Hi Desiree,

Well, in every story you have got to have the rough abusive male counterpart, I guess. The song reminds me of them so much--their story of the climb to the top, and all the stuff that goes on, and it came out about the time they were heading that way, it seems. I lived in California at the time and kinda followed along with what was happening to them, and I believe Stevie was writing and recording a song called "Leather and Lace," which Don Henley sang with her on. They were friends, and then "Life in the Fast Lane" came out… you know, it is not hard to put two and two together there. Lindsey is a gentleman, and I guess they play him up as a rough ole boy there, but he really is nice and was always a gentleman. Hey, it is just a song anyway. You know, Desiree is one of my favorite singers; she had that hit "You gotta be Tough," Do you remember that one? 'oh you gotta be tough you gotta be strong you gotta be …', remember that ? Well, thanx for the Q&A, Desiree! :):)

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences Gary! You seem like a very kind and compassionate man and we are lucky to have you answer these questions for us! My question is...when you learned of Stevie's serious drug problems a few years down the line, did this come as a big surprise to you? (Melissa, Cape Coral, Florida, USA)

Hi Melissa,

Your question has many parts so I will answer in the same manner here-- first of all, Stevie did not have a drug problem when I knew her, and she was and still is very sweet, I hope. She helped me out several times, due to the hurt she knew I felt from losing them to Mick and all I am sure. Sweet gal and friend. This all went down later in her life; I had a little problem myself. I don't know too many who haven't…I was lucky, I don't even smoke now, feels good. The pressures they must have been under were probably horrendous. I know this no excuse for poor behavior, but everyone is so squeaky clean now that we could manufacture our own soap, you know.

It seems in the early days as though she was seen as a very sweet girl who had strong values but her lifestyle changed a lot after the fame arrived. It's sad to think about it as her fan, but I'm sure the people that knew her well must have been even more disappointed and worried about her. Also, did you ever get the chance to see Fleetwood Mac live on their reunion tour? What do you think of the chemistry that Lindsey and Stevie still have on stage? Maybe one day when they tour again (either as FM or solo), you can meet up with them and reestablish that wonderful friendship that you all seemed to share! Thanks for the answers! (Melissa)

Yes, in the early days I wish I would have "listened" more, especially to what she was saying as she did have strong values, and was just plain smart about things. That is why she is where she is, you see; she gave me some good sisterly advice at times, like "it doesn't do any good to worry about things, Gary," as I did, you see. She was a love of my life in the friendship sense only, and I do miss her in my life everyday, too. This music business has pitfalls in it and you are your own worst enemy. I had to learn this almost the hard way in some instances; I am better, but trying to recover and heal, too, like Stevie and Lindsey and millions of other people of Earth. People do things to people they sometimes regret later, you know, and it is hard to get over it. I am still not over losing to the English on this one myself; hell, I am English and French anyway-- Hodges/Lewis. Melissa, I have seen them in a lot of different formats--live, TV, Video, even on my computer here. I think the chemistry and magic they create is wonderful. It still excites me to see them; it makes my heart pound, girl, to think I played with them and all, of course. I would love to play with them again sometime in the right environment and all; that would be a dream come true for this little drummer boy from Texas. Wouldn't it be great to see us all back together for a brief moment in time-- the original BN thing, Fritz and all. That would be so much fun, I don't know if I could stand it, Melissa, could you

Well, I think I covered everything I can with out getting sued, ha ha ha :):)In closing with you, if the reunion thing happened I would welcome it. We are all in geographical locations, spread out all over this planet. I am in BRANSON, Missouri and Lindsey in California, Stevie in Pheonix, and Bob Aguirre… hell I don't know where he is, probably San Fransisco…Tom Montcrieff (?)…Someone out there has the power to get us together and probably would if they liked to see creative people survive a minute together. You would want to film it for sure this time; a lot was missed back when history was being made and no one cared to turn on a tape recorder or camera then, but I always felt we should have, especially the Live dates we did…awesome work, I felt. Thank you for your comments and heartfelt guidance on these subjects; you sound like a caring individual, too. Enjoy the music we made, that is why we made it, Melissa, dear, for sweet folks like you...Gary