RICK de YAMPERT
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
Steely Dan, that rock band with the jazz fetish and obtuse yet hip lyrics, resumed touring in 1993 -- 13 years after disbanding and 19 years after last performing concerts.
For the occasion, SD's front men, keyboardist-singer Donald Fagen and guitarist Walter Becker, "bought copies of the 'Steely Dan Songbook' to help them remember their old songs. But they soon learned that the music in these books were full of wrong (notes)."
So claims a passage on the duo's Web site, steelydan.com. They're kidding, right?
Of course. But the passage reveals some of the character of Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker, as displayed in various interviews and media exposure over the years: Don and Walt have a mild disdain for popular success and the trappings of rock stardom, even their own. They have a legendary obsession with perfection. Their sense of humor is, well, a bit quirky.
And there's a touch of elitism (some might say pretentiousness) hiding behind that odd sense of humor -- Steely Dan's lyrics can sound like a conversation between a frat boy, a beat poet and a smirking college archaeology professor who thinks he's smarter than you.
But it's no joke that Steely Dan are touring again. Fagen, Becker and company perform June 15 in Orlando and June 18 in St. Augustine.
You have questions about the band? We've got answers.
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
Steely Dan, that rock band with the jazz fetish and obtuse yet hip lyrics, resumed touring in 1993 -- 13 years after disbanding and 19 years after last performing concerts.
For the occasion, SD's front men, keyboardist-singer Donald Fagen and guitarist Walter Becker, "bought copies of the 'Steely Dan Songbook' to help them remember their old songs. But they soon learned that the music in these books were full of wrong (notes)."
So claims a passage on the duo's Web site, steelydan.com. They're kidding, right?
Of course. But the passage reveals some of the character of Mr. Fagen and Mr. Becker, as displayed in various interviews and media exposure over the years: Don and Walt have a mild disdain for popular success and the trappings of rock stardom, even their own. They have a legendary obsession with perfection. Their sense of humor is, well, a bit quirky.
And there's a touch of elitism (some might say pretentiousness) hiding behind that odd sense of humor -- Steely Dan's lyrics can sound like a conversation between a frat boy, a beat poet and a smirking college archaeology professor who thinks he's smarter than you.
But it's no joke that Steely Dan are touring again. Fagen, Becker and company perform June 15 in Orlando and June 18 in St. Augustine.
You have questions about the band? We've got answers.
A jazz fetish and smirk-filled lyrics? Steely Dan couldn't have been that popular back in the day.
Surprisingly, the band was rather successful with its pazz (pop 'n' jazz) style. From 1972 to '81, they scored 10 top 40 singles, including "Do It Again," "Peg," "Deacon Blues," "Josie," "Hey Nineteen" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."
"Reeling in the Years," their most rocking hit, is required by law to be played every 113 minutes on classic rock radio stations. And most of their albums cracked the top 20 on the charts.
Maybe the band's lyrics aren't as erudite or elitist as you claim.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to Irishman Dan O'Malley, who maintains steelydandictionary.com: "The creative genii behind Steely Dan (Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) have long been fond of peppering their lyrics with arcane literary and cultural references, the meaning of which can be murky at best (given the duo's legendary reticence)."
So O'Malley compiled a list of over 90 such references from S.D. lyrics, while excluding such concocted terms as "Custerdome" and "battle apple."
Among the choice nuggets: "squonk" (a mythical woodland creature that cries a lot because it's so ugly), "Erzulie" (a voodoo spirit/goddess of love and beauty), Altamira (a site in Spain famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings) and bodhisattva (in Buddhism, a compassionate being who forgoes nirvana in order to help others).
So Fagen and Becker use a few $10 words -- I'm still not convinced their ways are so "arcane."
Hmmmm. Here's how the pair describe "Reeling in the Years" on their Web site: "Reclaimed juvenilia. 'Infernal woman.' Escape from relationship."
And here's their take on "Josie": "Mock-sacred intro. Ritualistic. Wasteland. Return of town hipstress sparks healing regression. Fertility. Regeneration. Human sacrifice?"
Of course, these descriptions come from a series of proposed liner notes for Dan's 1995 live album, "Alive in America." Other proposed liner notes include a parody of Allen Ginsberg's epic poem "Howl." So, these song summations (like a lot of sections of their spirited Web site) could be Don and Walt's idea of a joke.
You keep talking about Fagen and Becker. What about the other folks in Steely Dan?
Remember that "legendary obsession with perfection" mentioned earlier?
Consider this passage from Steely Dan's official (and lengthy) Web site bio: In 1974, "Becker and Fagen are expanding on their practice of bringing in other studio musicians as they increasingly find the core band unable to achieve the sound they want on all of their songs."
So, throughout most of the Dan's existence, the band basically has consisted of Fagen, Becker and a revolving core of session players and occasional well-known guests.
"Obsession with perfection" seems like a strong term.
Consider this tidbit from their Web site: "Despite the success of 'Katy Lied' (their 1975 album), Fagen and Becker are anguished by the sound fidelity of the album due to the faulty tape machine that they had used during recording. They refuse to listen to the album in its final form."
What have Steely Dan done for me lately?
After releasing "Pretzel Logic," their third album, in 1974, the lads toured and then decided to ditch live performances until the earth blew up or Satan sold ice cream cones in Hell, whichever occurred last.
Alas, Don and Walt amicably parted ways in 1980. They reconvened Steely Dan in 1993, not to record but, surprisingly, to tour -- their first live shows in 19 years. Fagen and Becker have toured as Steely Dan intermittently ever since.
In 2000, the duo recorded "Two Against Nature," their first album of new material in 20 years. The work won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
If You Go
WHO: Steely Dan
WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. June 15, Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, Orlando. 8 p.m. June 18, St. Augustine Amphitheatre.
TICKETS: Carr -- $55-$110. St. Augustine -- $50-$113. Both available at Ticketmaster.
INFORMATION: Carr -- 407-849-2020. St. Augustine -- 904-471-1965.
Surprisingly, the band was rather successful with its pazz (pop 'n' jazz) style. From 1972 to '81, they scored 10 top 40 singles, including "Do It Again," "Peg," "Deacon Blues," "Josie," "Hey Nineteen" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."
"Reeling in the Years," their most rocking hit, is required by law to be played every 113 minutes on classic rock radio stations. And most of their albums cracked the top 20 on the charts.
Maybe the band's lyrics aren't as erudite or elitist as you claim.
Don't take my word for it. Listen to Irishman Dan O'Malley, who maintains steelydandictionary.com: "The creative genii behind Steely Dan (Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) have long been fond of peppering their lyrics with arcane literary and cultural references, the meaning of which can be murky at best (given the duo's legendary reticence)."
So O'Malley compiled a list of over 90 such references from S.D. lyrics, while excluding such concocted terms as "Custerdome" and "battle apple."
Among the choice nuggets: "squonk" (a mythical woodland creature that cries a lot because it's so ugly), "Erzulie" (a voodoo spirit/goddess of love and beauty), Altamira (a site in Spain famous for its Paleolithic cave paintings) and bodhisattva (in Buddhism, a compassionate being who forgoes nirvana in order to help others).
So Fagen and Becker use a few $10 words -- I'm still not convinced their ways are so "arcane."
Hmmmm. Here's how the pair describe "Reeling in the Years" on their Web site: "Reclaimed juvenilia. 'Infernal woman.' Escape from relationship."
And here's their take on "Josie": "Mock-sacred intro. Ritualistic. Wasteland. Return of town hipstress sparks healing regression. Fertility. Regeneration. Human sacrifice?"
Of course, these descriptions come from a series of proposed liner notes for Dan's 1995 live album, "Alive in America." Other proposed liner notes include a parody of Allen Ginsberg's epic poem "Howl." So, these song summations (like a lot of sections of their spirited Web site) could be Don and Walt's idea of a joke.
You keep talking about Fagen and Becker. What about the other folks in Steely Dan?
Remember that "legendary obsession with perfection" mentioned earlier?
Consider this passage from Steely Dan's official (and lengthy) Web site bio: In 1974, "Becker and Fagen are expanding on their practice of bringing in other studio musicians as they increasingly find the core band unable to achieve the sound they want on all of their songs."
So, throughout most of the Dan's existence, the band basically has consisted of Fagen, Becker and a revolving core of session players and occasional well-known guests.
"Obsession with perfection" seems like a strong term.
Consider this tidbit from their Web site: "Despite the success of 'Katy Lied' (their 1975 album), Fagen and Becker are anguished by the sound fidelity of the album due to the faulty tape machine that they had used during recording. They refuse to listen to the album in its final form."
What have Steely Dan done for me lately?
After releasing "Pretzel Logic," their third album, in 1974, the lads toured and then decided to ditch live performances until the earth blew up or Satan sold ice cream cones in Hell, whichever occurred last.
Alas, Don and Walt amicably parted ways in 1980. They reconvened Steely Dan in 1993, not to record but, surprisingly, to tour -- their first live shows in 19 years. Fagen and Becker have toured as Steely Dan intermittently ever since.
In 2000, the duo recorded "Two Against Nature," their first album of new material in 20 years. The work won three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
If You Go
WHO: Steely Dan
WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. June 15, Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre, Orlando. 8 p.m. June 18, St. Augustine Amphitheatre.
TICKETS: Carr -- $55-$110. St. Augustine -- $50-$113. Both available at Ticketmaster.
INFORMATION: Carr -- 407-849-2020. St. Augustine -- 904-471-1965.
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