Though he had been eligible to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1993, it wasn’t until 2015 that Steve Miller was nominated for induction. On Dec. 17 of that year, he received word that he was selected as a member of the Class of 2016 and on April 8, 2016, he was formally inducted by Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
In the induction speech, Auerbach had nothing but praise for Miller: “He’s a visionary and a true musician. We’re here today celebrating Mr. Steve Miller because he is one of the most iconic and lasting songwriters of a generation. If you listen to the radio, you listen to Steve Miller.”
To celebrate his induction, Miller performed “Fly Like An Eagle,” “Rock’N Me” and “The Joker.” And then sparks flew.
In a press conference following his performance, the Space Cowboy went on a rant about the hall. “They need to get the legal work straight. They need to respect the artists who they say they’re honoring. I don’t have any of my paperwork signed. No licensing agreements with these people. They’re trying to steal footage. They’re trying to make me indemnify them.
“When they told me I was inducted they said, ‘You have two tickets — one for your wife and one for yourself. Want another one? It’s $10,000. Sorry, that’s the way it goes,’” he said. “What about my band? What about their wives? They [the Rock Hall] makes this so unpleasant.”
A Rock Hall representative tried to cut him off but Miller would have none of it. “No, we’re not going to wrap this up — I’m going to wrap you up,” he said. “You go sit down over there and learn something.”
Watch Auerbach and Carney’s speech
Miller then gave his acceptance speech to the assembled audience.
Watch Miller perform “The Joker” at the induction ceremony
Watch (on YouTube) Miller’s rant in the press area, following his induction and performance. (You’ll have to click on the embedded link, but it’s worth it.)
The Hall later offered a statement: “Rock ’n’ roll can ignite many opinions. It’s what makes it so great. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was honored to induct Steve Miller tonight and congratulates him.”
As Auerbach told Rolling Stone, Miller said, “‘The whole process was unpleasant.’ And for Pat [Carney] and I, honestly, the most unpleasant part was being around him.”
When notified of his selection, Miller stated: “From the Space Cowboy, the Joker, Maurice and the Gangster of Luv and everybody who has played with us through the years, thank you to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and to all the fans who voted for us.”
On May 4, 2016, Miller talked to the Idaho Mountain Express about his first-hand experience with the Hall: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame needs to become more inclusive, not more exclusive,” he said. “It’s terribly run. I don’t respect the way they operate. I worry about the future of music.
“They were so rude. If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame conducted itself with grace and dignity, they could raise so much money and deal with these issues that are life and death to musicians,” he said. “I want to completely reorganize the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—I want to rebuild the temple. The way they deal with everything—it’s the exact opposite of what rock ’n’ roll is. They did achieve some good things with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the museum, but they’ve lost their way.”
Related: Our 2019 concert review of Miller
The Steve Miller Band have a busy 2024 calendar. Tickets are available here and here.
7 Comments
When was Steppenwolf nominated?
Good question, Mick. Has Steppenwolf been inducted into the Hall? But… They probably don’t rock like Notorious B I G or Whitney Houston! The hall is a fuckin’ joke!
THE GUESS WHO AND/OR BURTON CUMMINGS. Totally wrong that they are not in! Very under-rated great band and even greater songs!
Y’know…he sounds cranky…like they can’t stroke his ego hard enough. The Hall is nonsense anyway and Steve did good basic rock &roll, but he never really impressed me….
Is that an IATSE cameraman?……horrible job. Steve Miller is a legend and said what is true about the Hall. The true musicians and groups are not being inducted whereas a judge has a favorite over a deserved honoree. It’s a joke anymore. Too bad.
As a rock afficionado, I’ve learned from decades of dissapointment how the RRHF blindly ignores true rock legends while sucking-up to hip-hop and pop artists. We know its a joke. Its like going into a candy store once a year and expecting a good milk chocolate bar and they tell you all they have is white chocolate..eventually you feel like an idiot for even going in the door!
Great rant by Steve, absolutely love and agree with it. And they gave him TWO tickets? Anything else was going to cost $10k? What a sorry bunch of MFers.