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Fleetwood Mac May Not Have Succeeded Without This Cult’s Intervention
For many of today’s Fleetwood Mac fans, it is difficult to imagine the band without the iconic Buckingham-Nicks duo. However, the London-based band existed (and thrived) for many years before the Americans joined their ranks. They began as a British blues band (a far cry from their folksy pop/rock sound in the late ‘70s) composed of five English musicians: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Danny Kirwan, Peter Green, and Jeremy Spencer. By the early ‘70s, three of the five original members had left the band.
The musicians left the band in quick succession, each fighting their own demons – all of which, however, stemmed from the same root cause: the crushing weight of fame and success. Had the original members remained, Fleetwood Mac may never have become the international smash hit we know and love today. This is in no way a slight towards any of the talented founding members – they were a very successful band in their early years. But would the group have become one of the most famous bands of all time without Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham? We can never be sure, of course, but it seems highly unlikely.
The Original Band Members Drop Like Flies
Balancing a career as a successful musician with a healthy lifestyle is notoriously difficult – it is no secret that the relentless strain of the industry has caused countless rock stars to fall asunder. The pressure of fame had a deep effect on the original members of Fleetwood Mac, leading to Green and Spencer’s decisions to leave the band and fueling the increasingly erratic, alcohol-fueled behavior that led to Kirwan getting the boot. While all three left under similar circumstances, one band member’s story stands out: Jeremy Spencer ditched the band on a whim while going out to grab something to read – but, oddly enough, he never did make it to the bookshop. In lieu of buying a magazine, Spencer joined a cult. He would never again return to Fleetwood Mac.
Peter Green, founder and guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, was the first to leave the band. He bailed in 1970 after a long and worsening struggle with mental health, exacerbated by frequent acid trips. One final LSD trip at a commune outside of Munich was the straw that broke the camel’s back. While he would later return to the band temporarily, this unfortunate trip marked the end of his initial tenure. He was disillusioned with fame and fortune, and even went so far as to give away the money he had made as a part of Fleetwood Mac.
Jeremy Spencer, guitarist and pianist, was the second musician to leave Fleetwood Mac. The feeling of discontent in the band was seemingly contagious, as he absconded shortly after Green. Spencer had become restless long before his departure from the band in 1971. About a year before he left the band for good, Spencer released a strange self-titled album, completely unrelated to the band of which he was still a part. Clearly, his mind was in other places. He was thinking beyond Fleetwood Mac. Spencer was ready to make a change, even if he didn’t quite know what it would look like.
The Disappearance of Jeremy Spencer
Fleetwood Mac was on a US tour in 1971 after the release of their fourth studio LP, Kiln House, in September of the previous year. It was February and the band was in LA, set to play at Whiskey a Go Go, a popular (and now historically significant) nightclub on the Sunset Strip. It was supposed to be a big stop on their tour, an important performance for the future of the band. However, they were forced to cancel their show when Jeremy Spencer abruptly disappeared.
Spencer left the Hawaiian Hotel, where the band was staying during their stint in LA, and told the other members that he was heading out to grab a book (or a magazine – the specifics vary from source to source.) Whether this was his true intention was never made clear. One thing we know for sure: he never ended up buying that book.
At some point during his walk down Hollywood Boulevard, he was approached by a street preacher who told him of a nearby mission operated by a notorious Christian sect. The sect (which, in reality, was a full-blown cult – completely unaffiliated with the church) was called Children of God. Spencer, in the midst of adjusting to the band’s newfound status, was drawn to the group and never made it to the iconic LA venue for the gig.
When the other members of Fleetwood Mac realized he was missing, they leaped into action. They combed the streets, searching for any trace of Spencer or a hint as to where he may have gone. They were worried something bad had happened to him – was he kidnapped? Murdered? Had some sort of accident occurred? It would be days before they got their answer.
Never Going Back Again
Five days after his disappearance, the band finally located Spencer at the Children of God mission. By the time they got to him, he had already shaved his head and changed his name to Jonathan. It was soon apparent that he had no intention of returning to Fleetwood Mac, and the band had no choice but to leave him in the hands of the Children of God.
The Children of God cult changed its name multiple times throughout the years, adopting inviting monikers such as Teens for Christ and The Family International. The group has been accused of abuse of children and women on multiple occasions. They have been investigated by governmental agencies across multiple countries for psychological and physical endangerment of their members. The California-based cult included some of Hollywood’s elite, including Joaquin and River Phoenix, who were born within its confines and later disentangled themselves from the organization. By the late ‘70s, the cult expanded, adding over a hundred locations worldwide.
If Spencer had never joined this cult (and if Green and Kirwan hadn’t left the band) there would have been no room for the next class of Fleetwood Mac. Most likely, they would not have needed Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, or maybe even Christine McVie to step in. Rumours would have never been made, and it would have never sold over twenty million copies, becoming the 11th most purchased album in US history. Perhaps the Children of God recruiting Jeremy Spencer (who is still affiliated with the cult to this day) was the only good thing they ever did.
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