Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan) interview on NPR - September 20, 1988

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  • Опубликовано: 22 дек 2024

Комментарии • 142

  • @dougcoleburn1579
    @dougcoleburn1579 4 года назад +91

    Back in 1987 at age 16 not knowing anything about Steely Dan I walked into Sam Goody record store and was going through the bargain bin tapes. There it sat - Steely Dan greatest hits $2.99. I liked the tape cassette cover art. Bought it and popped it in my Kenwood tape deck in my 69 Camaro. That day I feel in love with their music. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

    • @joelglanton6531
      @joelglanton6531 4 года назад +12

      It's sad that kids won't know what it's like anymore to buy an album based solely on the artwork. I've had many hits and many misses selecting albums this way but I don't regret any of them!

    • @PatrickCSheehy
      @PatrickCSheehy 4 года назад +5

      Right Fuckin On!

    • @bryansarracino8623
      @bryansarracino8623 3 года назад +3

      That’s far out and awesome

    • @dougcoleburn1579
      @dougcoleburn1579 3 года назад +3

      @Marc you got that right!! Now if I had just hung on to the 69 Camaro!!

    • @bryansarracino8623
      @bryansarracino8623 3 года назад +2

      Was the the Decade album?

  • @semafog1512
    @semafog1512 3 года назад +29

    Broadcasted from the foot of Mount Belzoni

  • @akjam1
    @akjam1 3 года назад +41

    The Steely Dan songs are so cerebral, painting iconic characters and scenery that is both cinematic and visual in its effect on the listener. There is an unexplainable complexity that is supported by sensibilities steeped in sophisticated musical taste and love of literature. Fagen is articulate about the creative process, in both a personal and historical sense ie; regarding influences. What is amazing is the almost accidental quality of how Steely Dan came to be, that Donald never intended to be the singer in the early stage of band formation. Obviously fate intervened magnificently in our favor, when Walter Becker and Donald Fagen met and formed what would be one of the most amazing bands that ever graced our world. Words come to mind such as, unrivalled, unmatched, irreplaceable and forever loved. 💙

    • @bcs1793
      @bcs1793 6 месяцев назад +3

      Their storytelling is indeed out of this world. Listening to Black Cow, Green Earrings or Hey Nineteen feels like reading a collection of short stories or watching an anthology series like The Twilight Zone. Or the amount of real life events they managed to fit in in Kid Charlemagne without ever mentioning a name.

  • @RJRKM
    @RJRKM 4 года назад +50

    Fagen & Becker two of the most important musicians of our time.

  • @salchaos
    @salchaos 7 лет назад +133

    Fagen is a humble genus, a man who isn't a performer but a brilliant musician/composer/singer, putting forth his and Walter's brilliant ideas in a totally unique and extremely revolutionary fashion.

    • @sergeruffles1380
      @sergeruffles1380 4 года назад +16

      i agree but he's not humble

    • @brucecall1595
      @brucecall1595 4 года назад +4

      Who became quite proficient at live performance later in his illustrious career. S.D. and miles Davis are my only link to jazz.

    • @basehead617
      @basehead617 4 года назад +8

      If there were a list of words I'd use to describe Fagen, humble would be somewhere near the bottom lol

    • @austinlovitt8298
      @austinlovitt8298 4 года назад +7

      @@basehead617 the opposite of humble would be proud or overbearing. I don’t see him as being either of those to a large degree. He’s not loud about it but I see him as being humble to a certain extent.

    • @Guinevere.625
      @Guinevere.625 2 года назад +1

      @ASRDGEEK well said.

  • @kendramiller3677
    @kendramiller3677 7 лет назад +148

    God bless Donald and Walter for what they've done. Their music touched a lot of lives. Salute to the great Walter and great Donald. Not only for their music but for both of them.

  • @peternewman1179
    @peternewman1179 4 года назад +57

    Simply stated, One fall Saturday early evening back in the seventies, I tuned in my FM radio which had the best reception after dark in the boonies of NW Ct. where I lived. I had a very cheap Realistic brand AM/FM receiver with two fairly cheap stereo speakers. I was constantly frustrated with the sound of this system, however as I tuned into WPLR FM out of New Haven Ct. as they showcased the latest Steely Dan offering from the Katy Lied Release, "Your Gold Teeth Two" The recording quality of that material made my cheap shit stereo sound beautiful as that melodic intro filled my head. I loved that stereo that evening. Have never forgot that.

    • @roundtownKen
      @roundtownKen 4 года назад +5

      Love it. Likewise, I am of a generation... Jeff, a guitar teacher buddy loaned me an 8 track of Royal Scam. Something like an epiphany somewhere around Haitian Divorce. I would not have traded that tape for $100 dollars. Jeff knew what he was doing.

    • @angelasmith8695
      @angelasmith8695 4 года назад +3

      @@roundtownKen My favourite of the 'Dan albums. Royal Scam

    • @TKevinBlanc
      @TKevinBlanc 3 года назад +3

      I think I was 16, getting a ride home - probably 1975 - spurned as usual at a party. The guy giving me a ride had just put a new Craig AM/FM cassette player in his car. As we cleared the neighborhood WPLJ crisped up and Ricki Don't Lose that Number came on. I suddenly understood cynicism and disappointment.
      What music.

    • @williamdillard4291
      @williamdillard4291 3 года назад

      I had a Clarinet 20 cheap system from Radio Shack so I can relate. Great story!

    • @LincolnLogster
      @LincolnLogster 2 года назад

      this is awesome

  • @Vejur9000
    @Vejur9000 4 года назад +63

    Musical genius. One of the greatest pop duos in music history.
    Long live Steely Dan.

  • @BestCollabX
    @BestCollabX 3 года назад +7

    It was around 1980 and I heard "Hey Nineteen" on the radio and then got a few Steely Dan albums because I wanted to hear more. Just brilliant. All of it. Many say these guys were great. I say they were among the very best.

  • @benvye4279
    @benvye4279 3 года назад +13

    Steely Dan's music sounds as great today as it did when most of their catalog was written and recorded-back in the 70's. Quality never gets old, never goes out of style.

  • @jcdova29
    @jcdova29 3 года назад +6

    Donald and Walter have done a remarkable job of keeping us in touch with jazz and blues. They have also added their own style. Lucky are those that discovered them.

  • @reviveramesh
    @reviveramesh 3 года назад +7

    What a fabulous interview.
    A true original donald fagen is of course a very clever wise and humble ....guy... creative genius

  • @russg1801
    @russg1801 7 лет назад +205

    Donald Fagen was thrown out of his college music department? No wonder he's never goin' back to his Old School!

    • @ThePoehladian
      @ThePoehladian 5 лет назад +4

      Lol

    • @PatrickCSheehy
      @PatrickCSheehy 4 года назад +3

      hahahhahahhahahhaah!!!

    • @GarryWootton
      @GarryWootton 8 месяцев назад

      Too many show bis kids who don't give a fuck about angbody else.

    • @cactaceous
      @cactaceous 2 месяца назад

      Well that and the fact he was arrested in a drug bust along with Walter Becker and others and most were kicked out of school and unable to graduate.

  • @simflier8298
    @simflier8298 3 года назад +8

    I remember loving Rikki Don't Lose That Number at the age of four when it first came out over the radio. Something about SD's sound that drew me in then. Then came Peg, Josie and Deacon Blues. As a young kid I couldn't explain why I loved these songs so much. Later I found myself loving the sounds of complex chord compositions. That's what it was from the start. Their sound was off the beaten path. They carved their own roadway. What a ride!

  • @robertjosephkeil
    @robertjosephkeil 4 года назад +35

    Donald Fagen is a genius. Full stop.

  • @stevekatz4372
    @stevekatz4372 4 года назад +25

    One of my all time favorite bands and this is the all time best interview I have ever listened too!

  • @PhilUKNet
    @PhilUKNet 2 года назад +4

    Great interview. So good to hear all these insights from the great man. Paul Shaffer should have had a word with this interviewer about allowing interviewees to speak and not interrupting them constantly.

  • @scubashooter
    @scubashooter 3 года назад +33

    The Nightfly has got to be one of the top 10 albums of all time.

    • @jazzguitarmichael9753
      @jazzguitarmichael9753 3 года назад +5

      Yep! It never gets old. A masterpiece.

    • @teresataylor4671
      @teresataylor4671 2 года назад +1

      I absolutely agree.

    • @rc1363
      @rc1363 2 года назад +1

      Top 5 album

    • @scotconnolly1188
      @scotconnolly1188 2 месяца назад

      @@rc1363 Throw in the first 7 SD albums also

    • @Modes9
      @Modes9 6 часов назад

      Great stories, melodies, chord progressions, and of course, insane production and engineering.

  • @lawrencebullock5641
    @lawrencebullock5641 5 лет назад +71

    People say they're happy to have been alive during the reign of The Beatles, Bob Dylan. I would present that I'm happy to have been alive during the years of Steely Dan, and solo careers of Fagen and Becker.

    • @stevekatz4372
      @stevekatz4372 4 года назад +5

      I agree and I also am blessed to have live through this era of music and these guys, IMO have really revolutionized the Jazz/Rock scene!

    • @simonbeard7537
      @simonbeard7537 4 года назад +5

      I agree 100%. They represent a high watermark, musically. The important thing is the PLEASURE they gave to the world.

    • @RJRKM
      @RJRKM 4 года назад +2

      All of the above. Lucky man

    • @danolson5387
      @danolson5387 3 года назад +1

      I've always said that Steely Dan was the 1970's Beatles, and the American Beatles.

    • @vir2ul1
      @vir2ul1 3 года назад

      But without Bob Dylan you wouldn’t have had Steely Dan who they have acknowledged for opening up new ways of writing lyrics.

  • @dalefoote2957
    @dalefoote2957 4 года назад +9

    Enjoyable intelligent interview of a unique artist.

  • @edzielinski
    @edzielinski 4 года назад +22

    Wow - this interviewer does an outstanding job and was able to bring out a very deep and meaningful conversation with Fagen. I wish more interviews were like this with intelligent, thoughtful questions which respect the subject and provoke insight and reflection instead of going for awkward humor and tired tropes. Total class on both sides.

    • @joelglanton6531
      @joelglanton6531 4 года назад +5

      The interviewer is a musician himself. I wish that they would do that more- have musicians interviewing musicians, filmmakers interview other filmmakers, etc.

    • @billhavrilchak463
      @billhavrilchak463 3 года назад +2

      Ed from Olyphant Pa.

    • @billhavrilchak463
      @billhavrilchak463 3 года назад +2

      Ed from Olyphant

    • @florpcorp
      @florpcorp 8 месяцев назад +1

      that's Ben Sidran. A great jazz player

    • @Nite37
      @Nite37 4 дня назад +1

      It was evident from the way they both spoke that there was respect going both ways. Donald always was kind of a A** to interviewers because they came at him like a pop star mentality way and he wanted nothing of that. Great interview.

  • @davidhoxit4274
    @davidhoxit4274 4 года назад +5

    Grateful for your influence sir! Thanks beyond words

  • @johnringoo756
    @johnringoo756 5 лет назад +22

    best interview of don. thanks.

    • @willieanderson3009
      @willieanderson3009 4 года назад

      Marian McPartland's interview of Donald and Walter is pretty great as well, and is perhaps a bit less abstract and a whole lot funnier.

    • @BennyNegroFromQueens
      @BennyNegroFromQueens 3 года назад +1

      Nope check out the 2019 interview. Amazing.

    • @johnringoo756
      @johnringoo756 3 года назад

      @@BennyNegroFromQueens ok. Thank you

  • @terryfrancis1413
    @terryfrancis1413 3 года назад +2

    I've been in love with Donald and his music since I first heard it back in the early 80s ❤️

  • @Joesfosterdogs
    @Joesfosterdogs 5 лет назад +29

    TRUE GENIUS...the music is great enough, but the lyrics are just as amazing and i never listen to lyrics...he paints pictures and stories with words and the music compliments this...two men impacted millions for generation...that's genius!

    • @scottbales7552
      @scottbales7552 4 года назад +3

      Top shelf libations shakin and stirred,to be best consumed in the dimly lit back room dives only accessible from the alley of streets parents are understandably United in their suburban biases and fearful concerns. Charlie freak out for a bit of my hard earned spoil inherited by the meir luck of my entitlements and excess of one's birth choosing self over all others. So I don't know if I rushed to where he could be found but did not have a good night out at the grotto, and you'll find my babs cozy and alone in the greasy chair of thoughtless love and book of numbers to take all the precious ones here and there. I can hold out here all night.

  • @hardtruth
    @hardtruth 3 года назад +6

    Well done. Good questions. Good interviewer.

  • @paulzollo9710
    @paulzollo9710 5 лет назад +27

    this is so great. Ben SIdran is a great musician and interviewer of musicians.

  • @johns.8082
    @johns.8082 7 лет назад +58

    The Don should do a weekly radio show.

    • @bobbywillis1466
      @bobbywillis1466 4 года назад +12

      Late at night. Playing sweet music. WJAZ

    • @MattSmith-iq1ld
      @MattSmith-iq1ld 4 года назад +8

      @@bobbywillis1466 He actually did a one off DJ show in the early 80's from NYC where he spun his favorite jazz, R&B and soul records. It was supposedly fantastic. He explained to listeners why the songs and performers and arrangements were so special from a musical perspective. He is a massive Marvin Gaye and Ray Charles fan.

    • @IronMan-tk8uc
      @IronMan-tk8uc 4 года назад +5

      @@MattSmith-iq1ld Really? I knew that he was a Ray fan but not a Marvin fan as well.

    • @joelglanton6531
      @joelglanton6531 4 года назад +3

      @@MattSmith-iq1ld Wow, I would kill to be able to listen to that somehow. Maybe the audio will surface someday, somehow.

  • @roberttimmins5670
    @roberttimmins5670 3 года назад +2

    Thanks so much for sharing this - a fantastic interview.

  • @stephenbirks6458
    @stephenbirks6458 5 лет назад +6

    Thankyou for sharing this great insight to the Dan !

  • @stevekatz4372
    @stevekatz4372 3 года назад +4

    As far back as I can remember, the first time I heard a SD song was, "Ricky Don't Lose That Number" and at that time I thought it was a OK commercial tune which did not impress me all that much. I was really into Jazz Fusion & Prog Rock at that time but something made me buy one of their albums called "Pretizel Logic which had very good cover design which I was attracted too, so I tried it and since then I was really Hooked on their sound and It changed my Listening Life! WB R.I.P.

  • @promerops
    @promerops 7 лет назад +17

    This interview is really a superb companion to the music. Thank you! I, too, admire Henry Mancini - as a matter of fact, Mancini wrote a classical guitar piece, 'Prelude for Laurindo', for Laurindo Almeida.

    • @ShimOhio
      @ShimOhio 6 лет назад +2

      He also wrote a March, named Timothy!

  • @MattSmith-iq1ld
    @MattSmith-iq1ld 4 года назад +8

    You have to love the LP copy of "Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders'" that is sitting next to the turntable on the "The Nightfly" cover. Great LP. Donald & Walter always said they were enormously happy that their jazz influences caused their non-jazz fans to explore their jazz roots, and I am certain that many jazz records were sold based on interviews that Donald & Walter gave where they referenced their heroes. Sonny is one of Donald's biggest influences, and he reminds me of Sonny in that he is always doubting his work. Sonny would sometimes go years without recording or performing due to insecurity despite his brilliance. Donald is very much the same way. He is always chasing perfection. He is also, like others have said, a very humble musician. I would love to check out Donald's record collection. It must be ENORMOUS. Not only all the jazz albums, but all of the gospel, R&B, good rock and roll, etc. He was influenced by so many things. I also wonder if he listens to vinyl records or CD.

    • @MattSmith-iq1ld
      @MattSmith-iq1ld 4 года назад +2

      It still amazes me that Fagen was able to compose all of those super complex songs despite being basically a self taught musician. Some of those tracks like "Aja," "Deacon Blues," and so on require an advanced understanding of jazz harmony. Of course several jazz players were self taught as well. Some people just have it. I spoke one time to a studio musician who played on some Dan records who shall remain nameless who said that Donald Fagen has perfect pitch. Those sorts of things combined with working your butt off will get you somewhere. He really, really, really worked hard as a pianist in his youth and at college to be the best player and composer he could be. But I remember this one studio musician being amazed that in between takes that Donald could step up to the piano and play a Thelonious Monk piece to absolute perfection despite the fact that he couldn't read music. I mean, the real purpose of reading music is to be able to play other people's songs. Donald could just do it by ear. It makes me wonder what he could've done if he had formal training and could've learned to sight read. Then again, if you're writing tunes like "Tomorrow's Girl's," "Kid Charlemagne," "Doctor Wu," "Night By Night," "Babylon Sisters," "FM," "Negative Girl," "Godwhacker," and "Black Cow," who gives a dang?"

    • @joelglanton6531
      @joelglanton6531 4 года назад

      @@MattSmith-iq1ld I'd accept that DF may have (or have had) near-perfect pitch, but I believe any fan of his who's delved into the Steely Dan live bootlegs will agree that he most definitely does not have perfect pitch. Of course, this doesnt take anything away from him as a musician, composer, or performer; the man is clearly a genius.

  • @renakmans3521
    @renakmans3521 4 года назад +18

    The Nightfly is still in my top ten of all time. Others include: Crescent (Coltrane), My Song (Keith Jarrett), Moving Pictures (Rush), you get the idea...

    • @sipesthebest128
      @sipesthebest128 3 года назад +3

      The Nightfly came out when I was in HS and was one of the 1st albums I bought...it is still an underrated masterpiece.

  • @joelglanton6531
    @joelglanton6531 4 года назад +7

    Great interview. Too bad it wasn't a little bit longer!

  • @mary71257
    @mary71257 7 лет назад +9

    Thank you !

  • @vir2ul1
    @vir2ul1 3 года назад +3

    “If you want something to sound human it takes a lot of very sophisticated programming”.
    Think about that. And this was observed in 1988.

  • @slpyhd66
    @slpyhd66 3 года назад +3

    Nice to hear the back stories.

  • @rustycz21
    @rustycz21 10 месяцев назад

    Would of loved to see them making videos of their early albums would be very interesting

  • @ceefaxballard4961
    @ceefaxballard4961 7 лет назад +17

    Thank you. This is amazing. Do you have anymore please?

  • @zippy3711
    @zippy3711 7 лет назад +14

    Ahh ! The Great Donald Fagen.....Cool organ...shred rock guitar... 30s-40s Horn back up and funky bass Who'd have thunk?

  • @bryansarracino8623
    @bryansarracino8623 3 года назад +3

    Fagen is criminally underrated

  • @bryansarracino8623
    @bryansarracino8623 3 года назад +1

    Man I love Donald

  • @willmcgregor7184
    @willmcgregor7184 3 года назад +5

    OMG
    Founder of iconic Steely Dan
    kicked out of school.
    Well done ivory tower
    🤪😳

  • @charleswinokoor6023
    @charleswinokoor6023 4 года назад +2

    Funny that he mentions fallout shelters and stories he once heard about teenagers using them to throw parties.
    In 1967 (I believe) when I was 13, I visited an old friend of my mother’s who lived on a lake in Florida.
    He had a bomb shelter.
    His son and daughter, who were also teenagers, brought me and my sister into it.
    They had a record player and stereo system set up so that it was like a party room.
    I remember they were playing a Blue Cheer record.
    Now, unlike the Nightfly that’s not even close to jazz, but I still remember it.
    “Glamour Profession” was a fantastic song, but I find it odd that Sidran refers to it as having been s popular radio song.
    I was playing in a band back then, and I was never aware that it had been released as a single.

  • @spindriftdrinker
    @spindriftdrinker 2 года назад

    Absurdly, I was familiar with Steely Dan from "Naked Lunch" before I had heard of the band. Maybe a year or two later I started hearing their music on the radio and liking it.

  • @CGBootcamp
    @CGBootcamp 10 месяцев назад

    Been listneing to Steely Dan since age 11, "King of the World" was my introduction.

  • @mattnorman8897
    @mattnorman8897 3 года назад

    Fagen mentions Eric Dolphy in “Blues and the Abstract Truth” this is where I wanna be hanging out!!

  • @reaganburrell9541
    @reaganburrell9541 5 месяцев назад

    1988 the sweet spot of modernity

  • @DavidCKendall
    @DavidCKendall 4 года назад +5

    Henry Mancini......YESSSSSS!!!

  • @davidayer2168
    @davidayer2168 4 года назад +4

    CORRECT: They are a small rock and roll orchestra.

  • @mjsmcd
    @mjsmcd 11 месяцев назад

    Like to know was one don or walter the music guy the other lyrics and were any songs written exclusively by becker or fagen but under becker fagen name like lennon mccartny did.

  • @coryrad9575
    @coryrad9575 4 года назад +10

    Thrown out of the music program !!!! ROTFLMAO ! Another perfect example of the value of an opinion .

    • @racegts
      @racegts 4 года назад +2

      The “music teacher” sounds more like a music critic; complete loser!!!

  • @37Dionysos
    @37Dionysos 4 года назад +3

    Surprised ol' crafty Don hasn't taken up comedian Allan Sherman's idea for a musical he meant to call (wonderfully), "South Passaic."

  • @USALeonHeart
    @USALeonHeart 3 года назад +1

    He sounds exactly the same these days!

  • @jcbsplace
    @jcbsplace 7 лет назад +3

    cool

  • @vampyros1
    @vampyros1 5 лет назад +12

    So while his school mates were out tossing the ball around, Fagen was Jew-nerding on jazz.
    I love him.

  • @Jams-ev2uq
    @Jams-ev2uq 2 года назад

    19:09 who could imagine that

  • @plena007
    @plena007 10 месяцев назад

    For comparison, check out the interviewer’s son Leo Sidran conducting an updated interview with Donald Fagen: ruclips.net/video/cwl4TYIm-M8/видео.htmlsi=jFVyy7Qwh0PT9emQ

  • @monicakrasniak1039
    @monicakrasniak1039 3 года назад

    Using common-sense can gets you where we want to go... Happy 2022!

  • @ritamarie4453
    @ritamarie4453 Месяц назад

    Oliver Nelson and Henry Mancini..What great composers to b influenced by

  • @stephenrn1804
    @stephenrn1804 3 года назад

    … Okay I’m a little pissed I never got the call and I’ll admit it

  • @guitarman8686
    @guitarman8686 4 года назад +3

    I don't go to school

  • @tonywilmers1039
    @tonywilmers1039 7 лет назад +3

    Was the interviewer Ben Sidran ? Why didn't the Dan ever play in Sydney, Australia. My 330 y.o. carer and I regularly exchange Steely Dan quotes, as his step Dad played The Dan as a background to his upbringing. Almost overwhelmed when I heard of Walters' passing away !

    • @MrSteelyd1
      @MrSteelyd1 7 лет назад +2

      They played Sydney in 2011. You blew it!

    • @peterdoyle243
      @peterdoyle243 5 лет назад +1

      Sounds like Ben Sidran to me - did you ever find out?

    • @joeferguson2606
      @joeferguson2606 5 лет назад +6

      damm, your carer is old

    • @scotconnolly1188
      @scotconnolly1188 2 месяца назад

      @@peterdoyle243 Yes it is. Bill Evans named his finest piece Nardis in his honour

  • @michaelmattice4986
    @michaelmattice4986 7 лет назад +2

    :)

  • @maynardbecker4613
    @maynardbecker4613 Месяц назад

    This is the same interview over and over again the same questions..where did you grow up? Where did you meet? I mean all Steely Dan fans have heard this stuff numerous times ..can you please ask some new questions so we can learn different things about them … like pick a couple lyrics and ask him who did this one you or Walter is there a difference in the lyrics you and Walter come up with which of the two of you does more cryptic lyrics, etc. anything but the same old standard questions. Hell I’d be interested to hear about if they’re able to maintain romantic relationships while they’re in the studio all the time or what did they think of the existence of UFOs or the deep state?

  • @RainmanCT
    @RainmanCT 10 месяцев назад

    Band name origin discussed and yet somehow the word "dildo" was not mentioned.

    • @florpcorp
      @florpcorp 8 месяцев назад

      and?

    • @rayc7192
      @rayc7192 8 месяцев назад

      and it's a large steel pleasure device that goes up your pussy...or ass in your case. A bit of an omission when asked how the band was named, innit?

  • @unknownkingdom
    @unknownkingdom 3 года назад

    He sounds bored out of his mind

  • @ianhendrytube
    @ianhendrytube 5 лет назад

    Thank you!