I have lots of musical heroes, artists and bands whose music I've loved and listened to most of my life. In some cases, all of my life. I have no desire to rate them above one another - because the only time any one particular artist is better than another to me, is when I'm in the mood for it. My moods for music change a lot, hence a lot of musical heroes.
I can't say that Steely Dan is my favorite band - but they're one of my favorites. In the days since Walter Becker's passing, I feel considerably more aware of why I've enjoyed the music of Steely Dan so much, and for so many years. Some years back a discussion feed on naming influential bands caught my attention. Someone on the thread suggested Steely Dan was one of the most influential bands of the time period. Remarks were posted by several people and in a rather unkind manner, just how wrong they thought such a notion was. Opinions, you know the cliche about those.
Influential, perhaps not. Influenced, yes. Influenced by jazz music. Influenced by literature. Influenced by art. There may also be at least some likelihood that Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's music was influenced by recreational drugs at times as well. So yes, the song writing duo of Becker and Fagen (one could argue that it wasn't really accurate to call Steely Dan a band) were definitely influenced. Say whatever you like about them spawning an entire genre of soft rock crap, soft porn/yacht rock crap - I'd take issue with such views anyway, but I liked their influences or at least the fact that they had them and that they were coming from sources that weren't typical. Hell, I fucking loved 'em - and how many years later, I still love 'em. As for the wimpier sounding, non-moving music that may have come at any influence of Steely Dan music itself, well you can have that. No names, because I'd much rather talk about what I like than bash what I don't like.
I've had at least one friend argue that Steely Dan wasn't/isn't even a band - "They're just a bunch of studio musicians playing songs." - My view on statements like that is a very simple equation: several musicians gathered in one place to collectively contribute to playing a song together = a band - even if the duration of the members of said band being together only lasts for the length of the song. Who gives a flying fuck if but for two members, that band changes completely with every tune on the record? Somehow all the negative Steely Dan bashing I've heard over the years (mind you that none of it resonated w/me at all) always forgot the fact that Becker and Fagen were using great musicians to play on their songs.
When I started playing in rock bands myself, some of the bands I played in were considered more new wave or punk - neither were terms I cared much for, because to me it was just rock and roll - but a lot of people in those circles used to talk smack about "studio musicians" - and I just couldn't understand that logic. Here were people I was playing music with, all of us wanting said music to be noticed, enjoyed and ultimately paid for, putting down musicians who played music so well that they made a living playing music for loads of different artists - how the hell is that a bad thing or something to knock? (Hint: it fucking isn't)
I can admit that Steely Dan wasn't a band in the same sense that The Beatles were a band, or The Rolling Stones were a band. Fine, they were artists. Artists who had the luxury of picking and choosing the exact musicians they wanted on their songs. I'll take that. It's a beautiful thing to my ears, and my feeling that way doesn't lessen my enjoyment of any other artist or band that I enjoy listening to.
Personally, I don't believe that any band - or artist's, best work is behind them as long as they're still here among us. I believe that these artists could churn out a piece of work that has the impact that earlier efforts have had on me - and on others. It may well not happen - but it sure as hell could. As we all know, there is a finite time we have here on this earth. Sadly, Walter Becker left us a couple of days ago. Now there is no chance of newly crafted material, but there is a legacy of some wonderful music that for my ears will never die, and never sound dated. While I saw them twice, I'm sad that I won't have that chance again - and to those who say that seeing The Dan live was completely boring, all I can say is that I've never thought it was boring to watch & listen to great musicians playing songs I love. Steely Dan were a different kind of musical energy - so going in and expecting the same kind of energy or vibe of...hell, I don't know - pick someone you'd like to see, have seen and that you were blown away by - it's just a different kind of excitement and energy - and it's those very differences that appeal to me. Comparisons seldom serve the art world well.
None of this is being written because I can say Steely Dan is my favorite artist or band. I can say without hesitation that Steely Dan was some of the first recorded music I spent my own money on - and that reflecting back on buying that kind of music, all the way up to learning of Walter Becker's passing, some of the reasons I liked Steely Dan so much then, and so much to this day, is because it had elements from the music that I heard in my household when I was a kid.
Influential? Maybe not. Influenced? Absolutely - and I'll take it. Rest in peace, Walter Becker - and thank you for every well-crafted solo, song and album that I could never go very long without hearing. While I wish there could be more, there will always be days when I can't possibly get enough of the body of work that you left us with.
Peace, good people.
CRO
