Black Keys regret inducting Steve Miller into Rock Hall

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By ( Classic Rock ) published

Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney say they were so disappointed at Miller's Rock Hall rant that they left during his set

Dan Auerbach and Pat Karner
(Image credit: Getty)

Black Keys duo Dan Auerbach and Pat Carney say they regret inducting Steve Miller into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Miller sparked controversy following his induction after he launched a tirade against the ceremony and slammed the music business.

He said of a boss at his record label (via Rolling Stone), “I wanted to pull him by his necktie and kick him in the nuts. He’s made a billion dollars off my work over the last 50 years and the motherfucker just came over and introduced himself tonight.

Miller then said: “Everybody is kind of a dick and an asshole. This whole industry fucking sucks and this little get-together you guys have here is like a private boys’ club and it’s a bunch of jackasses and jerks and fucking gangsters and crooks who’ve fucking stolen everything from a fucking artist.”

Now Auerbach, who was a longtime fan of Miller, says the iconic songwriter “made no effort to figure out who they were” despite knowing they volunteered without pay to honour him at the ceremony.

He tells Rolling Stone: “We read a lot of things and we got a really uncomfortable feeling when we first met Steve. 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 figure out who we were – he had no idea who we were.

“Pat and I were so disappointed that as soon as we got offstage, we left while he was playing. We left immediately. We walked right outside and left the fucking building.

“We weren’t wanted by him there, so we sure as fuck weren’t going to hang around.”

Auerbach says he thinks many “superstars” like Miller, who have sold millions of records and played stadium tours, do not have respect for younger generations who have made a career in an uncertain music industry.

Auerbach adds: “When he made his first record, he did it at Olympic Studios with Glyn Johns. Pat and I made our first record in a basement with broken gear.

“I just had a couple sleepless nights. I hated being a part of that. I hated the feeling in my gut of being connected to that negativity.

“When you get wealthy, when you get famous, it doesn’t change you. It only amplifies who you are deep down inside. If you’re just a grumpy guy, then you’re just an extra grumpy guy.

“I hope that when I’m in my twilight years, I can look back and be grateful to the people who have appreciated me and to be able to give back.”

Steve Miller was enrolled alongside Deep Purple and Cheap Trick in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in New York on April 8.

Christina O'Neill

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.