Classic rocker Steve Miller is praising Eminem after the rapper interpolated Miller's 1982 No. 1 hit "Abracadabra" in his new single "Houdini."
As part of a recent Instagram post, featuring the "Houdini" cover art, Miller wrote, "There aren't many artists who take the time or make the effort to stand up for themselves and credit and respect their influencers at the same time. Marshall Mathers you are an exception and on my short list of people who respect the art. To be included in your process feels good while I'm still singing and playing the music I love. I'm Honored."
As Miller sees it, Eminem's use of his song is part of a continuing tradition in music history. "There is a long chain of stories, poetry, lyrics, and musical roots that have crossed cultures and generations inspiring the whole world for hundreds of years and in all those lines of thought, music, and rhythm there are special artists who take it all in and create new original ideas from their own feelings and experiences. You are one of those timeless originators building something new on a long musical legacy of original artists," he wrote.
"For me it's Les Paul, T-Bone Walker, Bill Doggett, Johnny Guitar Watson, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Willy Dixon, Leiber & Stoller, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane & Miles Davis," he continued. "I have always tried to credit, honor, and respect the major influencers in my life and to always credit, honor royalties and share knowledge of their work through my own work. I didn't know it would be this way when I was a kid trying to make a living playing music and making records, I only knew I had to respect the art that came before me and fight for it too among all the crooks, thieves, and imposters."
While Miller seems to be at peace with Eminem, at least one other contemporary act did not have a good experience when they crossed paths with "The Joker" singer-songwriter.
When the Black Keys inducted Miller into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, the band's Dan Auerbach said Miller's behavior left a bad taste in his mouth.
During his speech, Miller went off on the music industry in general calling it "f---in' gangsters and crooks," his own record label rep ("I wanted to pull him by his necktie and kick him in the nuts") and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, saying "everybody is kind of a dick and an asshole."
Auerbach later told Rolling Stone that Miller said, "The whole process was unpleasant." He then added, "And for [Black Keys drummer] Pat [Carney] and I, honestly, the most unpleasant part was being around him." In fact, Auerbach was a huge fan of Miller's growing up, but he and Carney left Barclays Center in the middle of Miller's performance.
