10 Times Steely Dan Completely Ran Out Of F**ks To Give
10. When They Confronted The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Steely Dan has never had much use for the establishment. When they came up for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, it left a bad taste in their mouth, particularly when they learned that when the Hall inducted Frank Zappas Mothers of Invention in 1998, they neglected to include Jimmy Carl Black, the legendary founding drummer and Indian of the group. The group also wrote a hilariously demanding letter to the Hall, requesting $1.4 million for some equipment they were donating and compensation for performing at the induction. Becker found out about Blacks omission from the Hall of Fame from a letter written to him by a fan. In response, Becker said, I would like to thank you for bringing to my attention the fact that Jimmy Carl Black has been f*cked over by the Hall of Fame people he is a true sixties icon and as charter member of The Mothers he belongs in there, dammit. When it came time to actually accept the award, Becker and Fagen were professional. But Becker left the stage with a subtle chide at the Hall of Fame establishment. Before going off the stage, Becker left with a question, which one audience member got right: Who was the original drummer for the Mothers of Invention?
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
