Reply #12: Ah Yes...the Dan...

[Steely_Dan]

Deacon Blues is an absolute classic and Hey Nineteen was the keeper on "Gaucho."

I'm a Steely Dan fan not only because of their music, but I am obsessed with their lyrics and the subject matter(s) of their work. So many people listen to the Dan without realizing what they are hearing. Donald Fagan and Walter Becker's sardonic humor and biting sarcasm are often lost in the soothing music and funky beats of many of their songs.

I remember when my ex-wife walked into my study once while I was playing a particularly funky SD song...She said, Wow, what a great upbeat song. What's it about? I hesitated and said...It's about a young man's first visit to an S&M house, etc. etc. Her expression suddenly changed and she said...How can you listen to that crap? Did I mention that she is my ex-wife?

I tend to see the Dan as a band (non-band) that plays happy music while they comment on the darker side of our society...prostitution, drugs, murder, kinky sex, poverty, etc. etc. All the while, the joke is on us.

They are the thinking man's band...very literary and obscure in their references. Of course, what would you expect from a band that was named after a "dildo" from "The Naked Lunch?"

Sorry, I can talk about SD for hours. Maybe I should get a life.

-Paige