Dan Auerbach Regrets Inducting "Unpleasant" Steve Miller Into Hall Of Fame
By Ed Biggs in Music / Festivals on 14 April 2016
Miller unexpectedly blasted the entire music industry when accepting his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week.
The Black Keys’ singer Dan Auerbach has blasted rocker STEVE MILLER after the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week, following Miller’s own negative comments about the ceremony.
The 36 year old rocker has told Rolling Stone magazine this week that he’s had many “sleepless nights” since Friday evening’s ceremony (April 8th), saying that the “whole process was unpleasant” leading up to Miller’s induction and that they wished they hadn’t introduced him to the stage.
During his acceptance speech, the 72 year old rock star became the unlikely talking point of the entire ceremony when he used the opportunity to denounce not only the Hall of Fame itself but also the entire music industry, calling them “f***in’ gangsters and crooks”.
Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys performing in 2014
Auerbach and his bandmate, drummer Pat Carney, said they were so disillusioned with having met one of their heroes only to discover how rude he was that they left the Barclays Center in the middle of his performance, adding: “For Pat and I, honestly, the most unpleasant part was being around him.”
Many people on social media thought Miller’s outburst was hilarious, representing the first time that a Hall of Fame inductee had effectively rejected their prize. But for Auerbach, it was a complete waste of time.
Steve Miller at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
“We got a really uncomfortable feeling when we first met Steve. He had no idea who we were. The first thing he told us was, ‘I can't wait to get out of here’. He knew that we signed up to do this speech for him, and he made no effort to even… …figure out who we were. I don't live in New York City. This is like three days out of my life flying from Nashville and leaving my kids at home.”
“Pat and I both regret it,” he continued. “Of course there are problems in the music industry… but we were there, unpaid, on our own free will, to come celebrate his achievements and spread the joy of rock 'n' roll. To inspire kids to pick up guitars. To play music. And it felt like we were doing the opposite.”
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