RIP Walter Becker (Steely Dan)

That is some sad news. I guess that Donald Fagen will retire Steely Dan as a touring entity now.
 
this completely crushed me. i wrote this:

woke up early today and saw the news that Walter Becker has passed away. we've lost so many musicians this year and in recent years. but i'm absolutely crushed with Walter's passing.

Steely Dan, and the work of Walter, Donald, and everyone else involved... it really represents something amazing to me. it's more than just "music." it's the will to shove amazing musicality, skill, and unmatched talent in the world of pop-music. the lyrics, chords, arrangements and everything else was something people just could not match and not touch. yet so accessible for almost anyone to listen to and enjoy.

i am always distraught when a major music talent leaves us, and this may have been the biggest reaction i've had. i'm just scared for music and where its headed, as far as pop music goes. some say it doesn't matter, but what's on the radio directly affects all musicians! the dumbing-down of the average song reduces the creativity that the average listener will tolerate - and it's extremely low already. there are songs with just a kick drum sample, a high-pitched noise and mumbling on the radio, and people want more of that. repetitive, over-compressed, f-bomb and n-word every 5th word... AND THEN PEOPLE REQUEST THOSE SONGS AT GIGS. it's crazy to me. i had a 6-year-old ask for one of those songs one day and i was just aghast.

it's the pioneers that affect me most. people who created a genre, or pushed boundaries, or took things to another level - Steely Dan did all these things!

i will never get close to the level of artistry that Walter and Donald posses(ed). lyrical and arrangement geniuses. Aja, Peg, Deacon Blues, Josie, Green Earrings, Cousin Dupree, Pixeleen, Gaslighting Abbie, Slang of Ages, Hey Nineteen, Black Cow, Things I Miss the Most, Babylon Sisters... SO MANY amazing, amazing songs.

if you're my friend and aren't familiar with any of the songs i just named, please, put on some headphones, find one or two of these songs, and just listen. listen to the whole song. listen to the depth of the lyrics, the arrangements. forget the world for a few minutes and just get into the song. they are all gifts to us all, they are so amazing. if you're a really good friend of mine (
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) listen to the whole Aja album if you haven't before. this is amazing music.

this post isn't turning out as poignant as i hoped, but i'm really sad. i've been writing way too many of these lately. i hope i can recover by my next gig so i can sing more Steely Dan songs, because if i tried to today, i wouldn't be able to get it out.

"This is the day
Of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand
It seems like only yesterday
I gazed through the glass
At ramblers
Wild gamblers
That's all in the past

You call me a fool
You say it's a crazy scheme
This one's for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I'll make it this time
I'm ready to cross that fine line

I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues

My back to the wall
A victim of laughing chance
This is for me
The essence of true romance
Sharing the things we know and love
With those of my kind
Libations
Sensations
That stagger the mind

I crawl like a viper
Through these suburban streets
Make love to these women
Languid and bittersweet
I'll rise when the sun goes down
Cover every game in town
A world of my own
I'll make it my home sweet home"
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Aja came out on my 3rd birthday in 1977. Mom loved it. Gaucho came out in '80 and she wore that one out. "Hey Nineteen" was her jam. I was just a little kid and had no idea I was being raised on "the Dan" until high school. I was in all the school bands and it turned out that because of her I had a much more sophisticated musical understanding and palette and SD was a major component. I graduated high school in 1992. Kamakariad came out and they got back together to tour after 12 years apart and because of that lots of radio stations dusted off the old hits and it was like a booster shot, I remembered how great that music was.

As an oh-by-the-way Steely Dan came to be in Denny Dias' basement in my hometown of Hicksville, Long Island, New York. Walter and Donald drove out from the city in response to an ad in the Village Voice that read:

"Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops! Assholes need not apply"
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The showed up and pretty much took over, LOL.

Long story short (too late) Walter Becker and Donald Fagan have been a part of my musical vocabulary ever since. Once I got a real job I pretty much downloaded their entire catalog from iTunes. They are the go-to of all go-to's. I never got a chance to see them, another missed opportunity.

I found out Walter died from an a.m. Steve Lukather tweet. Total bummer, man. 67 is not old enough. I understand he canx'd some dates recently due to illness.
 
Another sad day, amongst many these days. What an amazing American legacy! The 70's would not have been the 70's without Walter.
 
chris said:
this completely crushed me. i wrote this:
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Well said!

I came to Steely Dan later than some only to realize how many of their songs I already knew... And of course, they were FM staples during my early childhood, so I heard them all the time as the soundtrack of my youth.

I'm bummed that I didn't find out this news earlier, as my band played a 2 set gig today and I would have really loved to dedicate a tune to a his memory...
 
I got the news.
This is a sad morning. Steely Dan are a big part of my musical DNA. Played some of their wonderful songs (Any Major Dude Will Tell You, Kid Charlemagne) with my acoustic guitar as a busker on London tube 1979. Or should I say I tried to and at least learnt a lot trying ;-). And didn`t understand shit what the lyrics meant.
Makes me think how utterly irrelevant those discussions on cabs and amps can be. Live is short. Try to write a good song.
Dammit, I really feel bad this morning.
R.I.P Walter
 
This is a loss to the music community, but I am grateful for the body of work Walter leaves us with, and the fact that his music will keep his creative genius alive to future generations. Rest in Peace, Walter, and thank you.
 
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