Audio By Carbonatix
With 3 days left in our spring campaign, we have a new $10,000 goal!
New Times members have already contributed more than $7,500 - can you help us hit our new goal and keep New Times free and in print every week? If New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today.
It seems that contempt for his radio-friendly ’70s tunes such as “The Joker” and “Fly Like an Eagle” drove Steve Miller off the stage in ’80s. He told Rolling Stone in 2008, “Bands like X were the big thing in L.A., and my work was
being called unmitigated slop. I said to myself, ‘I get it! I’m
outta here! Stop kicking me, I’m leaving.’ ” He retreated from the spotlight for about 5 years, and reemerged when he saw bands like the Beach Boys enjoying a second chance on the road. Sure, the Steve Miller Band haven’t had a Top Ten record in over 25 years. And the aforementioned hits now only seem enjoyable on a boat with three 12-packs of beer a la Jimmy Buffet. But the Steve Miller Band oeuvre consists of a lot of well-crafted tunes that you may have never cared to know about because of such contempt.
Don’t worry, you have a lot of time to get acquainted with the band’s catalog. It isn’t scheduled to play at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood until November.