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“The Joker” singer was definitely not joking this time.
After playing at his induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday night, legendary rocker Steve Miller used his acceptance speech to jab at the institution for not being more inclusive of women.
He went further with his criticisms in an interview backstage with the Associated Press.
“They make it so difficult for the artists,” said the 72-year-old. “I think it’s time for the people running this to turn it over to new people.”
The organization has been criticized over the years for several reasons, including the fact that those who choose the inductees — including founder Jann Wenner, who is also the editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone — are not musicians themselves.
The nominating committee was once also criticized by a former member as “too old, too male, too white, too rich,” Billboard reported. And there’s the issue of the lack of transparency around the nomination process, with some artists making it in while others do not.
“I don’t know why I was nominated for this because … I don’t get along with the people who run it,” Miller said Friday.
The New York Times reports that Miller also took issue with how the event was managed.
“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?”
In a statement given to the paper, the Hall said, “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.”
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