LONDON, June 1970 – A bizarre and pungent mystery has unfolded within the ranks of Fleetwood Mac as guitarist Peter Green continues to sport a piece of cheese in his hair—three days after its initial discovery.
Reports first surfaced Sunday morning when bandmate John McVie noticed an unusual odor during rehearsals. “At first, I thought maybe something was wrong with my bass case,” McVie told reporters, “but then I saw it—just sitting there, tangled in Peter’s hair, like it belonged.”
Attempts to Remove the Cheese Have Failed
Multiple sources close to the band confirm that efforts to dislodge the dairy product have proven futile. Drummer Mick Fleetwood, acting as the band’s de facto problem solver, suggested a thorough washing, but Green declined. “Pete just shrugged and said, ‘If it wants to stay, who am I to fight it?’” Fleetwood recalled, visibly disturbed.
Guitarist Danny Kirwan, however, took a more hands-on approach. “I tried flicking it out when he wasn’t looking, but it’s really in there,” he reported. “Like, properly embedded. I don’t even know how that happens. I think it’s… melding with him.”
Bob Welch Weighs In
Future Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch, though not yet a member of the band at the time, was later made aware of the situation. “I wasn’t there for the cheese incident, but I heard about it. Many times,” Welch told journalists years later. “I thought it was a joke at first, but then Mick got this really haunted look in his eyes and said, ‘It was real, Bob. It was real.’”
Theories Abound
Fleetwood Mac’s road crew has floated several theories regarding the cheese’s origin. Some suspect it was the result of a late-night snack gone wrong, while others believe it may have been placed there by supernatural forces. Green himself remains cryptic on the matter, responding only with, “Some things aren’t meant to be understood.”
Renowned music journalist Lester Bangs has described the incident as “a defining moment in rock history.” “It’s not about the cheese,” Bangs wrote in a 1971 Rolling Stone retrospective. “It’s about what the cheese represents—the chaos of the ‘60s, the dissolution of ego, the fine line between blues mastery and dairy-based entrapment.”
The Cheese’s Fate Remains Unknown
To this day, no one can confirm what ultimately became of the cheese. Some say it was finally washed out, while others insist it simply vanished, taking on a life of its own.
As Fleetwood Mac’s history continued down a path of turbulence, triumph, and personnel changes, the Legend of Peter Green’s Cheese remained one of rock and roll’s strangest, most enduring myths.
Was the cheese real? Or was it something more? The world may never know.
(Reporting by Richard B. Dairyson, The Rock Times)
