W. Becker & D. Fagen play live from their catalogue
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00:00Music
00:09Give her some fucked up music, she treats you nice
00:17Feed her some hungry reggae, she'll run it through
00:23The girls don't seem to care tonight
00:29As long as the mood is running away
00:34You know we're standing at all
00:39Everything goes static at all
00:53Thanks very much!
01:14Thank you!
01:16And welcome to Storytellers!
01:20There's going to be all sorts of little surprises, special effects and visual aids here
01:25But we thought
01:27It wasn't our idea though
01:29We're not responsible for any of this
01:31But maybe to start us off we're going to look for a couple questions from you all to get us going here
01:39So, right here in the front
01:44Hi, I know that every great band tries on a few names before they arrive
01:49At the name that defines them
01:51I was wondering, how does Steely Dan define your sound?
01:57And how did you arrive at Steely Dan?
02:00Do you know anything about that?
02:05I have no clue as to what she's talking about
02:07Yeah, they just gave us that name
02:08You know, Donald and I had been working, writing songs together
02:15And we were sort of referred to as a commodity by our last names
02:20Which, you know, Fagan and Becker, or Becker and Fagan as the case may be
02:24Sounded like a delicatessen, you know?
02:27No, it was really kind of
02:29Just for anybody who doesn't know
02:31It's in William Burroughs' Naked Lunch
02:33Steely Dan is kind of a character
02:35It's really kind of a cartoonish sexual aid, kind of, I guess you would say
02:39And, uh, it was really like a college prank
02:45I mean, that's why, you know, it was just like, you know, we thought no one would ever know the reference
02:51And, you know, it was really a big yuck, really
02:55So, but we're stuck with it, so, you know, you know
02:57Yes, please
03:06Hi, out of all the songs that you did in the 70s
03:10And all the glorious albums that you put out
03:12Are there any songs that were actually real, front to back, that you remember?
03:16No, we just played a couple of them
03:20We remembered them all the way through
03:22No, I mean the storyline, real, you know
03:26You know, you might have written it about, you know, your mother-in-law
03:28Oh, I see
03:29You mean, relating like, autobiographical?
03:31Content, yeah
03:32Ah, no
03:34I don't think so
03:43This next song, uh, it's an oldie
03:45Uh, it's, uh, I'm not sure exactly
03:48It's about, you know, either a mythical girl or a real girl, I'm not sure
03:52It's hard to tell after a while if the girls are symbolic or real
03:55Uh, as anyone knows who's up to 40 or
03:59Depends on what time of day it is, actually
04:01I don't know
04:02Anyway, it goes like this
04:04One, two, one, one
04:06One, two, one, two, one
08:37Well, you know, like in the beginning of the 70s, you know, there was the sort of drug culture was sort of coming to a nasty closure sort of.
08:49Right.
08:50And Kid Charlemagne was based on a type of acid dealer like, I guess, Owsley was a famous, probably the most famous one.
09:01And the idea was, it was about the end of the 60s, it was about the end of the 60s, but it was also more sort of like a metaphor, it wasn't exactly about, you know, drug dealers or anything, it was, you know, it was like, what is this guy going to do now?
09:14Now that the sort of excitement and the 60s, you know, the guy said, well, the guy said, well, so what, are you in a band? And I said, yeah. And he said, well, what band are you with? And I said, well, the band's called Steely Dan.
09:33I said, Steely Dan, they had the stupidest lyric I ever heard in any song that ever has been written. I said, no kidding. What was that? He said, is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in the car.
09:43So.
09:58While the music played, you were by daylight. Those San Francisco nights, you were the best in town.
10:06Just by chance, you crossed a diamond with the pearl. Turned it on the world. When you turned the world around. Did you feel like Jesus? Did you realize? That you were a champion in their eyes?
10:27On the hill, the stuff was laced with kerosene. But yours was kitchen clean.
10:39Everyone stopped to stare at your technical alone. Your brain had your number on the wall.
10:47You must have had it all. But you were the alien there and you go alone.
10:52Could you live forever? Could you see the day you feel your whole world from behind and fade away?
11:02I've been a long way, I've been a long way, I've been a long way, I've been a long way, I've been a long way, I've been a long way.
11:12And your patrons have all left you in the red, your old rent friends are dead, so life can be very strange.
11:25All those day-glow friends who used to pay for thanks, they'd join the human race, some things we'll never take.
11:35Son, you were mistaken, you are actually looking at all the women on the street.
11:45Now get along, get along, get along with each other day, get along with each other day.
12:05You were mistaken.
12:28Clean this mess up
12:55We'll all end up in jail
12:57Those test tubes and the scales
13:00Get it all out of here
13:04The gas in the car
13:06Yes, there's gas in the car
13:09I think the people down the hall
13:12Know who you are
13:13They're the ones you carry
13:16Cause the man is one
13:19You are still an outlaw and in blind
13:23Get along
13:25Get along, get shining
13:28Get along, get shining
13:30Get along
13:32Get along
13:34Get along
13:35Get along
13:37Get along
13:38Get along
13:40Get along
13:42Get along
13:43Get along
13:45Get along
13:47Get along
13:48Get along
13:49Get along
13:50Get along
13:52Get along
13:53Get along
13:54Get along
13:55Get along
13:56Get along
13:57Get along
13:58Get along
13:59Get along
14:00Get along
14:01Get along
14:02Get along
14:03Get along
14:35I'm 71 and we got a job as staff writers at this record company, ABC Dunhill, and we were pretty lonely out there for New York. We were both physically New Yorkers, metropolitan area, and, yeah, okay.
14:59And so we wrote this song. It was kind of a nostalgia piece about the city. It's called Bad Sneakers.
16:10Okay.
16:13And let down, please.
16:19There's nothing when the heaven, my radio scene.
16:22Strange sister and a large sum ofdeal stand.
16:35And I'm gone insane
16:38I know I'm laughing at the frozen rain
16:43So alone
16:47The money won't be gonna spend me more
16:52It's like things in the green
16:55Like a lot of my friends
16:57Dropping on the avenue by radio
17:00Drink, sister, and a log
17:04Summer, but it's been
17:34I'm gone insane
17:54I know I'm laughing at the frozen rain
17:59It's so alone
18:04But they're really gonna send me home
18:08I'm back, sick, and a green
18:12Like a lot of my friends
18:14Dropping on the avenue by radio
18:16I drink, sister, and a log
18:20So alone
18:21What it's like
18:22Thank you
18:47Hi there
19:03This has just been really incredible
19:04One of the things that struck me was Bad Sneakers
19:07Bad Sneakers was a song that made me long for New York
19:10Like you folks
19:11And I had never been here to New York
19:13I lived in Chicago
19:13What it made me think of is
19:17What kind of things did you long for in New York
19:19What was your favorite time of living in New York
19:21Sitting together?
19:22Oh, well
19:23I guess
19:25When we moved out to L.A.
19:28It was 1970 or 71
19:30And right before that
19:31Maybe we should bring the sign down
19:33Yeah
19:33You know
19:34That's funny you should mention that
19:36It's funny you should mention that
19:37We have
19:38See we finally got a chance to finally
19:40Like make the perfect like segue
19:42And we completely blew it
19:44You know
19:44So they prepared this little map of New York
19:48And we're gonna
19:49Here it is, see
19:50We're not gonna say anything about it
19:55But we thought we'd bring it down
19:56Great expense to the management
19:59Well, Walter's from Westchester
20:06And then Forest Hills, right?
20:09Where was that place?
20:11It's not here
20:12And I'm actually from
20:16From Passaic, New Jersey
20:17Which is
20:18Over here
20:20So
20:20The map you prepared
20:23Is completely useless to us
20:25It doesn't have the places
20:27Not only that
20:31But it's the wrong way around
20:32Because Donald is standing over
20:34On the Queen's side
20:35And I'm over here
20:35On the Jersey side
20:36You know
20:36Neither one of us
20:38Could be too happy
20:39About a thing like that
20:40You know
20:41I don't feel this is going that well though
20:43I mean
20:43How
20:43Should we keep going with this
20:44Or just
20:45Yeah
20:45I mean
20:45This is
20:46Dump the map
20:47We're dying here with this map
20:48Okay
20:49You know
20:50Some people can work with
20:51Like props
20:52And some people can't
20:53You know
20:53Right now
21:06Here's a song about
21:07Yet another
21:09Symbolic
21:10And or
21:10Real
21:11Real
21:12Female image
21:14Is that good enough?
21:16That's good enough for me
21:17Okay
21:17Thank you
26:19band record in with me, or a CD to check the speakers.
26:34You swear in kickin' Vegas
26:37that you're not a gambling man
26:41And you'll find you're back in Vegas
26:45With a handle in your hand
26:49Black cards can make you money
26:53If you hide them when you're able
26:57No land of milk and honey
27:01You mustn't put them on the table
27:04Check, check, do it again
27:09We'll turn it round and round
27:13Check, do it again
27:17We'll turn it round and round
27:20Save, pull it again
27:26If you hide with me
27:27Meet the Syndrome
27:29ethernet
27:31Pack, do it again
27:33Is an external
27:36Flow is nothing
27:37Oh my God
27:38Shut the 좋은
27:40lleva
27:40Ey
27:41Like, hold up
27:42Hang on
27:43Keep
27:44Abgeord
27:44Turn it down
27:46Listen to this
27:46Do it again.
28:09Do you want to try going to this, uh, this, uh, using this, yes, Bill's saying yes?
28:16All right, uh, when we, when we were, um, we just want to make sure that they know it's
28:21your idea, though, okay?
28:23In case it doesn't work out so well.
28:24When we were talking about doing this show, we, uh, uh, talked about all sorts of, um,
28:29things, and, uh, you know, at one point we, we said, well, we can't just, you know, sit
28:34up there and answer questions, you know, and the idea, um, somehow arose that, um, we would
28:39ask you questions, and that, uh, we would try and run the show as a kind of a quiz show,
28:44and we more or less forgot about that, I think, until today when we came in.
28:48And, uh, well, you know.
28:55Now, Bill, uh, you realize that, you know, when you ask somebody what song is this from, like,
29:01I mean, it includes the title, okay?
29:05Well, we're going to have to ask much more difficult questions than that, right?
29:09Oh, they're going to, they're going to get harder.
29:13Does anyone know what song that's from?
29:15No.
29:16Okay, right there.
29:18That's okay.
29:21Big deal.
29:22Yeah, really.
29:27All right.
29:28Is there more?
29:33Oh, I didn't even know what that one was.
29:35Yeah, we don't know that one either.
29:37All right.
29:37Right there.
29:40All right.
29:40What?
29:41No, no, that's not the question, though.
29:42What's the line that comes before that one?
29:45Oh, really?
29:45What's the line come to me?
29:47There you go, see?
29:54It says that on his shirt.
29:56Here, that's the funny thing.
29:59It's magic.
29:59But, uh, it's funny because we used to do this with Bob Dylan songs in college.
30:03Yeah, there used to be what we used to call the Bob Dylan game, which was basically knowing all the lyrics to all the Bob Dylan songs and someone would say, you know, for example, what did the evening's empire return into?
30:16And you'd have to remember, you'd have to remember sand, right, exactly.
30:19So, all right.
30:23We're going to do a song now from our new album, which said album being entitled Two Against Nature.
30:29And this particular tune is sort of a take on a country tune.
30:34It's a rural narrative.
30:36It's a rural narrative that we've been telling people with a little twist.
30:41And it's called Cousin Dupree.
30:43And it's called Cousin Dupree.
31:13Cousin Dupree.
31:43Cousin Dupree.
31:45Cousin Dupree.
32:13Cousin Dupree.
32:15Cousin Dupree.
32:17Cousin Dupree.
32:19Cousin Dupree.
32:21Cousin Dupree.
32:23Cousin Dupree.
32:25Cousin Dupree.
32:27Cousin Dupree.
32:29Cousin Dupree.
32:31Cousin Dupree.
32:33Cousin Dupree.
32:35Cousin Dupree.
32:37Cousin Dupree.
32:38Cousin Dupree.
32:39Cousin Dupree.
32:41Cousin Dupree.
32:43Cousin Dupree.
32:45Cousin Dupree.
32:47Cousin Dupree.
32:49Cousin Dupree.
32:51Cousin Dupree.
32:53Cousin Dupree.
32:55Cousin Dupree.
32:57Cousin Dupree.
32:59Cousin Dupree.
33:01Cousin Dupree.
33:03Cousin Dupree.
35:48This is a follow-up question.
35:58I found myself really getting into it and really enjoying it and then listening to the words and found them rather disturbing.
36:03And so I just was wondering about the inspiration for that?
36:07Well, you know, the lyrics to Cousin Dupree are essentially a jokey take on a, you know, a traditional theme that appears in...
36:24It's a traditional southern theme.
36:26Yeah, it appears in...
36:27But the truth is that's not fair because, you know, there's probably a Cousin Dupree in every family, you know.
36:33Yeah.
36:33Somewhere in...
36:34It's a rural...
36:34It's a rural theme, you know, and it has a lot of genealogical interest and so on in it there.
36:42By the way, you know, it does have a positive ending or depending on which character you are.
36:49But the Cousin Dupree is finally rejected.
36:52You know, if you listen to the words carefully, it's, you know, it's kind of a tragedy, really.
37:00Is this going...
37:02How would you say this is going so far, Bill?
37:04I mean...
37:06Because, you know, we have nothing to compare it to, you know.
37:08On a scale of one to ten.
37:09You know, you sent us, like, the videotapes of some of the other storytellers and, you know, I, like...
37:14I'm sorry I didn't watch them, you know.
37:16I watched, uh...
37:18I watched a little bit of, uh, the, uh...
37:21Of the, you know, the...
37:22Ah, it seems like this.
37:24Tom Waits won, you know.
37:26That was pretty good.
37:27He was pretty...
37:28He was funny.
37:29Should we be talking more like this, or...?
37:34Welcome back.
37:34It's been a long time.
37:36It's been a long, long time.
37:37And my only question to you is very general.
37:41What took you so long?
37:43Where have you been?
37:45Where the hell were we?
37:47What happened to us?
37:50Jeez.
37:51Well, you know, uh, we were, uh, working on other things.
37:54Um, uh, I was living in Hawaii, uh, for, uh, many years.
37:59Donald and I, uh, wrote some songs together in the 80s.
38:02Uh, we produced some albums.
38:03Donald did a film soundtrack.
38:06Uh, we did...
38:07Donald did two solo albums.
38:08I did one.
38:10Um, and we did, uh, three tours, uh, and a couple of rock and soul tours.
38:14Uh, rock and soul review tours.
38:20And, uh, Walter Walter produced a lot of jazz records.
38:24And, uh, and, uh, Ricky Lee Jones and stuff like that.
38:28And, uh, I produced some stuff and, you know, just, uh, like that.
38:35And didn't we, didn't we, uh, produce and direct a blockbuster feature film?
38:38I can't remember what it was now, but, uh...
38:40I don't want to sound greedy.
38:42It's great to have a Steely Dan album pending.
38:44Are you guys thinking of, uh, regular, semi-regular output now and into the future?
38:49Um, I don't even know what that means.
38:54Semi-regular?
38:55Well, sure, I guess we are.
38:57Semi-regular.
38:58Excellent news.
39:00All right, we're going to continue with another song from...
39:03Two Against Nature.
39:05Right, another song from our, uh...
39:07New album, Two Against Nature.
39:11This particular song is called,
39:13Aptly Enough, What a Shame About Me.
39:41I wasn't grinding through my naked
39:59Sticking cutouts at the strand
40:03When we walk us running from our NYU
40:08We were blind and item back then
40:12Talked about a film with shows and CDs
40:17I don't know what else
40:20She said, yeah, Hollywood's been good to me
40:25But tell me, how about yourself?
40:29I'm still working on the novel
40:31But I'm just about to quit
40:33Learn about the future now
40:36Or maybe this was it
40:37It's not all that I thought it would be
40:41What a shame about me
40:45She said, talk to me
40:52Do you ever see
40:54Anybody else from our old crew?
40:59Bobby DeConnor won the Bunsen Prize
41:03Coming up with something new
41:06If Allen owns a chain of steam
41:11Oh heavens
41:11There is a software king
41:14Somebody told me in the early 80s
41:20You were gonna be the next big thing
41:23Well now that was just a move of
41:26But I guess I'm doing fine
41:28Three weeks out of the rehab
41:31Let me run there to do
41:32Speaking of all the nurses to me
41:36What a shame about me
41:39What a shame about me
41:46When thinking of a major
41:51To change streets
41:52Someone who lives
41:53Got us on the fire
41:57We're scared
41:58Both men are the small talk
42:22Connections here to go dead
42:26She's about to say
42:29Hey, have a nice life
42:31She touched my hand
42:34She said
42:34I just had this great idea
42:40Could be very cool
42:43Why don't they grab a cab
42:46To my hotel
42:48Make believe we're back
42:50At our old school
42:51I said
42:53Babe, you look delicious
42:55And you're standing very close
42:57This is Lower Broadway
42:59And you're talking to a host
43:01Take a good look
43:02It's easy to see
43:04What a shame about me
43:08What a shame about me
43:12A shame
43:14A shame about me
43:23A shame about me
43:36A shame about me
43:40Shame, shame, shame
43:44The shame, shame
43:50Shame, shame
43:59Shake my feet
44:29Thank you. Thank you very much.
44:48You're ashamed of our name.