Hours ago, Aimee Mann revealed she had been dropped from a Steely Dan tour, writing on Instagram, “No one is entirely sure why, but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter?” Now, the band’s Donald Fagen has responded, and as far as Mann’s status as a “female singer-songwriter” being the reason she was cut, it appears she was only right about the “singer-songwriter” part.
Fagen told Rolling Stone:
“Well, first of all, the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me. […] There was a communication problem on our end. I was misinformed as to how firm the commitment was to any particular opening act. And, although I have the greatest respect for Aimee as a writer and performer, I thought it might not be the best match-up in terms of musical style. […] But I can’t pass the buck. I’ll take the blame for the screw-up. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans.”
In her post, Mann also wrote, “As it happens, Steely Dan is the one band that I 100% love, with no reservations, so it really sucks. But you know what? People are allowed to not like you, for whatever reason.”