Mike Campbell reflects on the blessings of Fleetwood Mac, his guitar obsession, and what he learned as a Heartbreaker

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    A portrait of Mike Campbell wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, the former Heartbreaker holding a guitar.     A portrait of Mike Campbell wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, the former Heartbreaker holding a guitar.

Credit: Chris Phelps

Mike Campbell was Tom Petty’s right-hand man throughout his career. They began playing together in Mudcrutch as teenagers, moved to Los Angeles together, and developed their music together with Petty’s other band member, keyboardist Benmont Tench, who had been there since its inception.

Campbell wasn’t just the lead guitarist for the Heartbreakers; He was the only band member with whom Petty regularly wrote, including such landmark songs as: Refugee, Here Comes My Daughter And Running in a dream. Campbell also co-produced many of the band’s albums and produced some notable work with others.

Wrote and performed on Don Henley’s song Summer Boys and Stevie Nicks Stop Dragging My Heart He has worked with a number of other artists, from Bob Dylan to Aretha Franklin.

When Petty died in 2017, Campbell replaced Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac and remained there for a two-year world tour before returning in 2000 to Dirty Knobs, a band Petty founded as a live outlet during touring breaks.

The Dirty Knobs was released, featuring Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone along with guitarist Chris Holt and bassist Lance Morrison, who had worked with Henley. Tramps, Virgins and Misfits On June 14. This is their third album since 2000.

“I was very interested in producing my own songs and learning how to manage a band,” says Campbell. “When Tom and I were in a band, out of respect for our relationship and our songwriting agreement, I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that.”

Are you enjoying this?

“Yes. I have learned a lot from watching Tom front the Heartbreakers all these years, and I am learning how to stand at the microphone, how to engage the audience, how to try to sing in harmony, how to remember all the lyrics, and how to lead the band.

“It’s so much more than I thought it would be and I respect it so much more now that I’ve tried to do it all. But I’m enjoying it and getting better every time and the band is really great. “I love playing music and I can’t live the rest of my life without doing it.”

Remembering lyrics is like flexing a different part of your brain; It’s not like the muscle memory of having a million guitar parts between your fingers.

“Absolutely. A corner of my brain was dormant. What’s the next verse? What’s the chorus? What’s the bridge? How do I tell the band where to move or break down? That part of my brain was woken up out of necessity. I love playing lead guitar, but I also love putting chords together and writing songs.” and this is, I try to do both.

You mentioned Tom putting lyrics into your music. Is that how you wrote together?

“I would usually write music and leave him a blank palette – basically a finished record with no vocals – and if he liked it, he would bring it in the next day and start singing along with what he had written. He would get in there, find the melody, come up with a few words, and then show me what he had.

“He would give me back my music as a better song. He’d often bring in songs he’d written on his own, completely finished, and then I’d just listen and play along, and at the end of the song, I’d have an alternative guitar part that would hopefully make the song better. A lot of our writing was pretty organic.”

Do you approach the solo differently in a song for which you are the main writer?

“No, I always went through the same process in the studio. I usually stay busy with the rhythm track and let the vocals do their thing. If there’s room for a guitar lick, I’ll put it on the live track, but I rarely get it done.

“If there’s a solo I need to get back to, like the end Running in a dreamI approach it the same way; I don’t compose solos beforehand. I love running the trail and seeing where my fingers go and what my mind is capturing in the moment.

“Most of the time it’s a bunch of sloppy nonsense, then two little bits that show me how I should play the solo. So I can take it back again and use this as a template to make a better solo. I like to wing it; That’s where the soul is.”

Playing with the same guys for years leads to easy, nonverbal communication. Did you have to work on rebuilding this with Dirty Knobs?

“The Heartbreakers had a history of mental telepathy, where we instinctively knew how to complement each other; It was a blessing that could also be a curse. Sometimes we fall into repeating ourselves, but it’s comforting to know that this guy won’t let you down and that you can get feedback and inspire each other.

The Heartbreakers had a history of mental telepathy, where we instinctively knew how to complement each other, and that was a blessing that could also be a curse.

“We’ve been in this group long enough now that we’re starting to improve. They can tell where I’m going, or I can give them a look or a shoulder movement and they’ll follow me.

“And thank God we have Steve Ferrone on drums now. He’s a really great guy and we have a history, so he knows me very well, which makes it easier to play with the dynamics. He can understand if I want the song to quiet down or develop in an unscripted moment.

“The whole thing is just to kind of come alive and be a great band. I’ll love the Heartbreakers forever, but this is like starting over and we’re having so much fun. “I’m so happy to have these guys.”

What was the Fleetwood Mac experience like? It was an interruption in your career, but you did some major shows with Stevie Nicks in what seemed like a difficult situation, even though you had a long history with them.

“It’s interesting that you use the word blip because we toured the world for two years and played many shows. It was actually a beautiful and long journey, but now that I look back, it felt exactly like you described. It has passed and it has become a thing, but it is hard to believe. For example, I went to high school once and toured the world with Fleetwood Mac. (Laughs)

“It was an interesting experience. Mick Fleetwood asked me to join the band but I don’t think Stevie voted against me. This was a difficult task because I don’t usually play other people’s guitar parts. I had to do something I’d never done before and try to emulate some of Lindsey’s melodies that the songs needed. I don’t play like Lindsey, but I was able to do justice to the song. This was a good workout and good for me.

A portrait of Mike Campbell wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, the former Heartbreaker holding a guitar.A portrait of Mike Campbell wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, the former Heartbreaker holding a guitar.

A portrait of Mike Campbell wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, the former Heartbreaker holding a guitar.

“The shows were incredible and me and my wife were treated like royalty: private planes, big hotels, lots of days off all over the world. It was almost like a nice paid vacation and the music was always good. I’d look around, see Mick and John McVie, and say, ‘Damn.’ How did I get here?’ This was another blessing in my life.

“I learned a lot about guitar when I had to learn Lindsey’s parts. No two people are alike, but I did my best and put my own spin on it.

“We also used to do it every night Free Fall It was a gift to Tom and it was very emotional. Stevie was great and had a vocal coach to warm up her voice and I came in every day and she worked with me to learn how to get more character, power and tone into my voice. She taught me this vocal routine that helped me a lot and without her I’m not sure I could do what I do now.

Mike Campbell performs onstage with his red Gibson acoustic during Fleetwood Mac's set at Pinkpop 2019.Mike Campbell performs onstage with his red Gibson acoustic during Fleetwood Mac's set at Pinkpop 2019.

Mike Campbell performs onstage with his red Gibson acoustic during Fleetwood Mac’s set at Pinkpop 2019.

At what point in your relationship with Tom were your roles defined; that he will be the lead singer and you will be the guitarist?

“Right away. I wasn’t singing and had started writing some music, but he was already writing songs and had that charisma.

“was playing head He borrowed mine when I met him at Mudcrutch. Strat and we switched it to guitar and hired a bass player so he could deliver his songs the way he wrote them. We had a natural respect for each other. “I was happy to be the guitar player and I think he was happy to have me there too.”

One of the joys of watching the Heartbreakers was having your mouth watering at the instruments you and Tom played. Are you traveling with fewer instruments now that you have a smaller production?

I have a guitar obsession… I stopped buying them because I have every guitar I’ve ever dreamed of. It’s a bit pathetic to buy them at this point

“Yes. I’m obsessed with guitars. I sold about 120 of them a few years ago because I didn’t have room for them anymore. I stopped buying them because I’ve had every guitar I’ve ever dreamed of. It’s kind of pathetic to buy them at this point.”

“I play it all in the studio, but I only take a few key pieces with me on the road because you’re right; This is a smaller production. This includes a Rickenbacker 12 stringsa ’56 tele Founded by Gene Parsons B-bender and a white Firebird I bought at a pawnshop for $500 while on tour with Fleetwood Mac.

“Now that I’m the leader of the band and I have all these things to focus on, the last thing I want to do is try a different guitar just for fun. I just want it to be compatible because now I have to think about other things. This is a different concert!”