STEVIE NICKS

Et Cetera

From the melodrama attending the recording of the smash 1977 Fleetwood Mac album, Rumours, to whisperings among fans of real-life sorcery behind her ethereal stage presence, offstage drama has defined Stevie Nicks's career as much as a songwriting knack that has won her the admiration of fellow musicians. With the release of Trouble in Shangri-la, Nicks's first solo work in seven years, the singer reflects on her passions, including lighting fixtures, Poe and Wilde, and her beloved Bösendorfer

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

To be calm.

Which living person do you most admire?

My dad and my mom.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Furniture, houses, jewelry, lamps—I'm obsessed with lighting. I'm constantly shopping for different lightbulbs. I love rainbow lightbulbs. And, also, one should not live without dimmers. Life is all about lighting.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

That I'm not five feet eight inches tall, and willowy.

Which living person do you most despise?

I can't think of anybody. If I despised them, they wouldn't be in my life.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

I'm saving that for my book.

When and where were you the happiest?

I'm happiest when I'm onstage and when I'm watching my soaps.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would love to have been a ballerina.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would probably change how obsessive I am about things. I have to remember to pull back.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

I wouldn't change a thing.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

I'd come back as a Yorkshire terrier, owned by me.

What is your most treasured possession?

My Bosendorfer piano. It was one of the first things I bought when I had some money. Right after the Rumours record, I sent my friend to the factory to pick it out for me.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

When you're really in love with someone and they leave you.

Where would you like to live?

Anywhere near the ocean.

What is your favorite occupation?

A rock star is always good.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Compassion.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

I'll tell you what I don't like. I don't like pushy, bossy women.

Who are your favorite writers?

Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe.

How would you like to die?

In the same place I want to live—in a house on the ocean.

What is your motto?

"Hard work always pays off."