A resurfaced anecdote about Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks reveals a rare rift between the two lifelong friends, sparked when Petty dismissed Fleetwood Mac as "soft rock" rather than genuine rock 'n' roll during a heated exchange in 1986. The comment, recounted in Stephen Davis's biography "Gold Dust Woman", briefly angered Nicks but reflects the blunt honesty that underpinned their close, decades-long bond, which lasted until Petty's death in 2017.

The exchange took place while Nicks was touring Australia with Petty and Bob Dylan on the 1986 "True Confessions Tour", during a period when she had branched out as a solo artist while Fleetwood Mac were on hiatus. Petty told Nicks he respected Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood but did not see their band as authentic rock 'n' roll like his own group, The Heartbreakers, prompting Nicks to retort, "How dare you say that to me?" Despite the disagreement, Petty's candour was something Nicks came to treasure, later crediting him with the best songwriting advice she ever received.