Steve Miller says the late, great Jimi Hendix was monstered by the Mafia. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
Janis Joplin was downing 750ml of gin per day in the last two months of her life, Steve Miller says. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
CLASSIC American rocker Steve Miller says he was scared straight after seeing friends Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin kill themselves with drugs.
The Fly Like An Eagle hitmaker said Joplin's manager, the late Albert Grossman, should have been jailed for letting the troubled singer leave rehab before she got well.
He said: "I did some of the last gigs with Jimi and Janis.
"She had become a heroin addict, did 19 days of rehab, and was drinking a fifth of gin (750ml) a day.
"They booked her to 60 shows and she was dead two months later.''
Miller said Hendrix was similarly messed up.
"The last time I saw Jimi, he was completely stoned on heroin and had Mafia thugs running him,'' Miller said.
"They wouldn't let him get on stage until he had been paid $120,000 in cash.
"Then they'd shoot him up with speed.
He added: "Jimi would play noise for 20 minutes. He was so high, he didn't even know where he was.''
The Steve Miller Band frontman, whose hits include The Joker, Jet Airliner and Abracadabra, always knew his
destination.
His godfather is guitar great Les Paul. Paul was a family friend.
That connection saw Miller get guitar lessons from blues giant T Bone Walker.
He met The Beatles while working with their engineer Glyn Johns. He sat in on recording sessions for Get Back
and Don't Let Me Down. It led to friendship and collaborations with Paul McCartney.
The Beatles inspired Miller to write hits and have a stockpile of follow ups.
The Joker, released in 1973, was the first of many.
"I didn't think it was a hit. But it just did what it did. It went viral,'' he said.
Miller heard his hit on four of five radio stations while driving to a headlining show in San Francisco.
He laughed: "I was kind of annoyed it wasn't on the fifth station. You lose perspective. You're never happy.''
He said the music industry was dirty.
"It was an ugly competitive place where everybody was fighting for the same resources.
"There were kickbacks and secret deals. It was a slimy business.
"Being talented was a hard way to make it,'' Miller said. "But I made it on my talent and songs.''
Yet, after all the hits, Miller was dumped by his record company.
"They were done with me. They even hated Abracadabra. They said: `We don't like this. We don't like you, either.
We like this new kid over there with green pants and tattoos.''
Abracadabra, released in 1982, was a global hit.
Miller, touring Australia this month, will perform at the Deniliquin Blues and Roots Festival this weekend.
He also teaches popular music and music industry programs at US universities.
"My strongest message is: `Never give your songs away. Never sign a contract you can't get out of.'
"You have to know what your value is. I started learning my value when I was 12 years old.''
Miller, now 69, is recording new songs.
"It involves jazz, blues lyrics, the American songbook, and combining them all,'' he says.
He is attempting a mash-up of Miles Davis' All Blues and Ma Rainey's See See Rider.
Asked if he's mindful of messing with Miles, Miller answers: "I played a lot with Miles, so I'm not mindful of
anything.
"I'm here to stretch it out, kick it around, see if I can move it forward and make it my own.
"Miles always said I was a cocky like that.
"He referred to me in his book as `that jazz mother f---er Steve Miller.'
"That's a very big badge of honour.''
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