Following Aimee Mann‘s Instagram post revealing that she would no longer be opening for Steely Dan during a run of tour dates this summer, as “they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter,” the band’s Donald Fagen has refuted the claim on Thursday (Mar. 17).
“Well, first of all, the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous,” Fagen said in a statement obtained by Billboard. “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 matchup in terms of musical style.
“But I can’t pass the buck,” the statement continued. “I’ll take the blame for the screwup. I apologize for any distress this has caused Aimee and her fans. In the past, Steely Dan has shared the stage with a number of female performers including Rickie Lee Jones and the late Phoebe Snow.”
In Mann’s original post, she shared a comic strip she drew, in which she reveals that she “just found out” she was removed from the tour. “No one is entirely sure why, but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter?” she 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.”
Mann has yet to reply to Fagen’s statement. See her hand-drawn announcement below.