Peter Green
Unwanted Fortune
By the end of the 1960s, Peter Green had everything most musicians dreamed about. Fleetwood Mac had become one of Britain's biggest bands. Songs like "Albatross," "Oh Well," and "Man of the World" were major hits. Money was pouring in, and Green was widely regarded as one of the finest guitarists of his generation.
He hated it. Friends noticed a dramatic change in Green's attitude toward fame and wealth. He became increasingly uncomfortable with the amount of money he was earning and began questioning whether anyone should possess so much while others had so little.
It wasn't a publicity stunt. Green genuinely wanted to give much of it away. As Fleetwood Mac's success continued to grow, he repeatedly urged the band's management to donate large portions of the group's income to charity. The idea wasn't popular. His bandmates had worked just as hard to achieve their success and didn't share his desire to part with their earnings. The disagreement became one of several growing tensions within the band.
Green didn't stop there. He quietly gave money to people he felt needed it more than he did. Friends and acquaintances recalled him paying bills, making gifts, and showing little interest in holding onto the wealth that fame had brought him.
Exactly how much he gave away has never been firmly documented, and over the years some stories have undoubtedly grown in the telling. What is well established is that Green became deeply troubled by the idea of personal riches and sincerely wanted much of his fortune to benefit others.
His changing outlook, combined with worsening mental health, ultimately led him to leave Fleetwood Mac in 1970, just as the band stood on the brink of even greater international success.
Many rock stars spend their careers chasing fortune. Peter Green spent part of his trying to escape it.
It's one of the most unusual chapters in rock history: a guitarist at the top of the world who looked at fame, looked at wealth... and decided he wanted less of both.
Comments
Post a Comment