Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen Defines Yacht Rock: ‘Go F*ck Yourself’

14 comments

1. Fagen has famously never been comfortable in the public eye. It took him ages to get over serious stage fright to perform live, and I always get the sense he’d much prefer to be in a studio noodling around with like minded friends.

2. Best boss I’ve ever had. Period. (Ex Audio engineer of twenty plus years.)

3. What he says. Yep.

4. You owe it to yourself to give his first solo album *The Nightfly* a listen – it’s really good stuff. It is pure, snortable yacht rock and it’s just fun to listen to.

5. i hate that fucking name. it belittles the entire genre.

6. Love this story and love all those guys and their music!

7. Same thing Steve Miller told my friend when my friend asked him what a “pompatus” was.

8. Call it whatever you want, Steely Dan fucks.

9. Bodhisattva, Kid Charlemagne, Home At Last…. none of those are yacht rock.

10. Fun Fact:

    Chevy Chase, Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker were in a college band named “The Leather Canary.” After Chevy left the band, the remaining two band members would go on to form Steely Dan.

11. Black Cow, amazing bass line.

12. The cool curmudgeon defines a term that does not apply to Steely Dan. They wouldn’t be seen on a yacht.

13. Question for those old enough to have lived through the era: was it called ‘yacht rock’ back then, or is that something that was made up after the fact?

14. Their fan base is cult-like in defense. Its not very exciting music but it certainly does something.

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