Wayne, I loved this. But as befitting a question as important as the one you ask and answer, I had to take some time to contemplate. I'm a Pretzel Logic partisan, although I came to all of them decades after their initial release so I haven't lived with them in quite the same way you have. I also don't have the context of the era and your incredible life stories. You write so well about the Dan; it's always seemed so daunting to me and I'm impressed at how deftly you handle it.
Well thank you so much, Matt. The next Steely Dan album I write about will be Pretzel Logic, and the headline I think will remain exactly the same: Pretzel Logic: Steely Dan's Best. Or Just My Favorite? Very meta. There's an advantage to have lived with these albums for 50 years (can it be?), and to have had them be part of my inner life at the time, so with powerful memories to draw on. And of course, I got to interview them for every album and solo album, and went to the same college they did for a year. I drew on that excessively in my earlier writings about them, had to straighten out what were shared Bard experiences or just projections. But that's what I like about Substack: I can write what I please, integrate the personal with the critical with the imagined, and hope the writing is entertaining enough to keep the reader interested. I'll alert you when I go with one of my Elvis C. interviews. Very soon. Keep the EC science dropping on That Fatal Mailing List.
Wayne, I loved this. But as befitting a question as important as the one you ask and answer, I had to take some time to contemplate. I'm a Pretzel Logic partisan, although I came to all of them decades after their initial release so I haven't lived with them in quite the same way you have. I also don't have the context of the era and your incredible life stories. You write so well about the Dan; it's always seemed so daunting to me and I'm impressed at how deftly you handle it.
Well thank you so much, Matt. The next Steely Dan album I write about will be Pretzel Logic, and the headline I think will remain exactly the same: Pretzel Logic: Steely Dan's Best. Or Just My Favorite? Very meta. There's an advantage to have lived with these albums for 50 years (can it be?), and to have had them be part of my inner life at the time, so with powerful memories to draw on. And of course, I got to interview them for every album and solo album, and went to the same college they did for a year. I drew on that excessively in my earlier writings about them, had to straighten out what were shared Bard experiences or just projections. But that's what I like about Substack: I can write what I please, integrate the personal with the critical with the imagined, and hope the writing is entertaining enough to keep the reader interested. I'll alert you when I go with one of my Elvis C. interviews. Very soon. Keep the EC science dropping on That Fatal Mailing List.
I love this approach. Can’t wait for more!
Thanks again, Matt. The best reactions I get are from the personal stories, so I appreciate your encouragement for this evolving strategy!
Good one, Wayne,especially the personal stuff. More please.