In a vulnerable, hand-drawn comic posted to Instagram, Aimee Mann revealed that Steely Dan had dropped her as an opener from their upcoming tour.
“I was supposed to open for Steely Dan this summer,” she wrote in a panel depicting Donald Fagan singing “Doctor Wu.” “I just found out that they took me off the bill. No one is entirely sure why,” she continued over a drawing of herself performing, “Save Me,” “but it seems they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter?
“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.” The comic ends with the words “Good luck to all bands,” appearing in a thought bubble above Mann’s head.
Mann is no longer listed as a tour opener on Steely Dan’s website. She subsequently posted on Twitter, “All is forgiven if Donald just tells me what ‘Brooklyn’ is about.” Check out her comic below.
Update: In a statement to Rolling Stone, Fagan denied that Mann’s exit from the tour had anything to do with gender. Instead, he said, “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.”
If you were hoping to see Mann live in support of her 2021 album Queens of the Summer Hotel, you can still catch her on her upcoming April headlining tour. Find the full itinerary after the jump and get your tickets here.
Revisit Mann’s recent interviews on our podcasts Going There with Dr. Mike and Kyle Meredith with… now.
All is forgiven if Donald just tells me what Brooklyn is about. https://t.co/5zUTzIhIjt
— Aimee Mann (@aimeemann) March 17, 2022
Aimee Mann 2022 Tour Dates:
04/15 — New York, NY @ City Winery
04/16 — New York, NY @ City Winery
04/17 — New York, NY @ City Winery
04/18 — New York, NY @ City Winery
04/20 — Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
04/21 — Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
04/22 — Northampton, MA @ Academy of Music Theatre
04/23 — Medford, MA @ Chevalier Theatre
04/25– Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
04/26 — Alexandria, VA @ Birchmere
05/01 — Saint Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theater
