Steely Dan: "Steely Dan's name has been popping up as a hip musical crush. Remember, this glossy bop-pop was the indifferent aristocracy to punk rock's stone-throwing in the late 70's. People fought

A few months before the lockdowns I got an email from someone calling themselves “Donald Fagen.” Surely this was one of my friends gaslighting me

Gaslighting officially means everything now

Flame is the game
The game we call gaslighting Tablet

http://sdarchive.com/2vngibson.html

William gibson appreciation essay

Lots of interesting stuff in that Tablet interview.

The vibe of the LA music scene must have been very different compared to New York. Even just the players in LA must have been a different feel entirely.

It was different. LA musicians didn’t play as hard, and there was maybe something secondhand about it, in that they were playing R&B, but it was mostly white guys trying to play like Black guys. In New York you had actual Black guys [laughs].

Lots of interesting stuff in that Tablet interview.

The vibe of the LA music scene must have been very different compared to New York. Even just the players in LA must have been a different feel entirely.

It was different. LA musicians didn’t play as hard, and there was maybe something secondhand about it, in that they were playing R&B, but it was mostly white guys trying to play like Black guys. In New York you had actual Black guys [laughs].

Oops. Phone issue

JBL alerted me to this via Instagram...

Paul Giamatti: What do you think I'm yelling for?
Oscar Isaac (as the Bodacious Cowboy): *stands there in a spangled leather poncho* https://t.co/i7VURxge6A

— Good Steely Dan Takes (@baddantakes) October 8, 2021

lmao

“no fun” police here but im honestly tired of the baconing and memjng of the dan. stop making them wacky.

illegal fun, eh?

They... were wacky.

“no fun” police here but im honestly tired of the baconing and memjng of the dan. stop making them wacky.

― brimstead, Friday, October 8, 2021 11:38 AM (fifty-seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Someone needs some Cuervo Gold and some fine Colombian

definitely doesn't make sense to take them too seriously, so many of their lyrics boil down to things that made Don and Walt laugh

they took composition and performance extremely seriously though

yeah fair enough, i get it now. they are ridiculous. it’s like making fun of croz or michael mcdonald. I just love their sweet sweet harmonies so unironically.

I mean, how can one *not* have a little giggle at the phrase "spangled leather poncho"?

the steely dan meme is p great and the opposite of baconing imho

Steely Dan's meme has been popping up as a wacky musical bacon

The only one that comes to mind is the dog in the car with the windows up - "The AC is on, he has water, and is listening to SD" - which I still like.

i find the meme to be surprisingly true to the subtle things that idiosyncratic greatness of the band. baconing would be like "Steely Dan write harmonies so rich Elon Musk can't afford them". instead it's stuff like this

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/002/199/808/cae

lmao

also the lyrics to Gaucho are one of the funniest things in the world to me. i'd love to be a fly on the wall the day when they brought all those session singers into the studio and see their expressions when they read that they were asked to sing 'bodacious cowboys such as your friend will never be welcome here/high in the custerdome'

Tbf, a good bit of the baconing comes internet shirt publishers flogging clever clever SD fan art tees, like all the 'Dan as Punk' ones (Goo, Bedtime For Democracy, and Never Mind The Bollocks, alongside more generic Black Flag and Big Black designs I have seen) on social media.

FWIW, I used to have a 'Is There Gas In The Car...?' tee, would love one or two of those aforementioned Punk ones, and wish the designer had picked a better lyric for the Goo tee.

i agree they could've picked a better lyric but the drawing of them on the goo t-shirt is hilarious

i really want a t-shirt with the gaucho album art on it

i def got myself a black flag/black cow shirt and i am not ashamed

Have the "Goo" shirt and am slightly ashamed.

definitely doesn't make sense to take them too seriously, so many of their lyrics boil down to things that made Don and Walt laugh

― Mr. Cacciatore (Moodles), Friday, October 8, 2021 2:46 PM (eight hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

But also there's a deep core of melancholy that I sometimes feel like Fagan and Becker always tried and never quite succeeded to keep at a distance by being clever

They cried when they wrote these songs

You have to have a sense of humor about your favorite artists (or at least I do). That's part of the fun is laughing at/with them.

On the subject of Steely Dan themed clothing, Cara Delevingne's overalls in the picture up above are actually her subtle tribute to Denny Dias.

i'd love to be a fly on the wall the day when they brought all those session singers into the studio and see their expressions when they read that they were asked to sing 'bodacious cowboys such as your friend will never be welcome here/high in the custerdome'

Then come back 15 hours later to see their expressions when they're recording take 237 of those same words.

Japanese issue of Steely Dan's 1978 'Greatest Hits' album pic.twitter.com/ubXhZ0YFfy

— Barney Hurley (@barneyhurley1) October 9, 2021

Have the "Goo" shirt and am slightly ashamed.

I’ve posted that before. God I’m such a dick I just feel like these Twitter losers only stopped thinking the Dan is lame like a year ago lol

i think ilx over the years allowed people to sort of race to the forefront on a lot of music opinions. not like that is good or bad in any way. just makes it feel weird when some wave spotted by people here 15 years ago crests now.

Remember, that glossy poptimist controp was the indifferent challops to the rockist establishment in the early Oughts. People fought

The pinned tweet on that Steely Dan takes page is great

no one:

me: pic.twitter.com/F82HewCBxL

— Good Steely Dan Takes (@baddantakes) September 15, 2020

I’ve posted that before. God I’m such a dick I just feel like these Twitter losers only stopped thinking the Dan is lame like a year ago lol

― brimstead, Sunday, October 10, 2021 5:01 PM (three days ago)

Don't feel bad, they are liking Steely Dan incorrectly.

Spotted this on the gram :

https://i.imgur.com/J907t24.jpg

Catch me dead wearing anything with that Tide logo.

saw someone with that exact shirt on the subway today!

Hmm , must be trending on Etsy or some shit

Catch me dead wearing anything with that Tide logo.

Love this shirt, but yeah, could've left that out. Aja skull is a sick touch though.

I’d take the Aja skull by itself on a shirt.

I just want to say I love this thread title ending "People fought."

People fought with the Fez on

Author Rikki Ducornet attended Bard College with Donald Fagen where they met at a party and he gave her his number. She was intrigued by Fagen and tempted to call him but didn't - Steely Dan's song 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' is referencing Fagen's brief soiree with Ducornet pic.twitter.com/3YxHwwNebz

— Barney Hurley (@barneyhurley1) November 26, 2021

Was she a student there or a faculty member or wife?

Was she 19?

Oh, student I guess, but she was married and her father was a professor there as well.