MICHAEL McDONALD: No tour invitation yet
Michael McDonald has yet to be invited to this summer's Steely Dan - Doobie Brothers tour.
A member of both bands during the 1970s, he tells New York's Long Island Weekly, "I haven’t been approached about any of those dates... For the Doobies, I think it’s important to put it out there what they are at this point and time, which is one of the all-time great rock and roll bands, and they sound better than ever at this point. In the meantime, they’re knocking it out of the park every night."
A musician and backup singer on three Steely Dan albums, the St. Louis native adds, "I know Donald[Fagen] is always going to have a great band, it’s always going to sound good. I know it’s been difficult for him since Walter [Becker] passed. But musically, Donald is a very capable guy on stage. I wish him the best."
McDonald clearly has left the door open, as he closes, "Any chance I get to play with either one of those [acts], I always jump at it."
MICHAEL McDONALD: The #MeToo movement is long overdue
Lionel Richie knows the secret to his decades-long popularity. He tells Australian TV's A Current Affair, "I found a subject that does not go out of style. It's called love."
Promoting his upcoming tour down under, the father of two daughters turns serious on the subject of the #MeToo movement. Lionel calls it "long overdue" and adds, "Women have been silent for too long, but who were they going to complain to? We had a society that wouldn't listen."
Richie admits being "uncomfortable with the idea that somebody might be 'wiped out' by an accusation... But overall, I think it's best now that we go forward and find some middle ground."