Steely Dan Wednesday
Passive-aggressive strategies to impose your musical will on your children.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I am a Steely Dan fan. I read a fan comment once which suggested that listening regularly to Steely Dan made you eleven-percent more hip; those are “hip points” that I desperately need to add to my scorecard.
I won’t detail the ephemera surrounding Steely Dan (particularly in the early years of the band), which essentially comprised, Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker (the two gentlemen pictured above), and whichever studio musicians happened to be in town when they were recording an album in the studio, acknowledging that music appreciation is in the ears of the beholder. If you haven’t yet discovered the awesomeness that is Steely Dan, you’ll simply have to discover it on your own. Also, are you getting the same, “Austin Powers” vibe I’m getting from Walter’s chest-hair above? Gadzooks!
But, as a caring father, who is absolutely committed to ensuring that his children are equipped with the life-skills necessary for them to make their way in the world, a few years ago, I declared each Wednesday to be, “Steely Dan Wednesday,” and emailed a YouTube link to my three children, containing a performance by Steely Dan of one of their many great songs. I implemented this grand tradition due to an offhand comment made by my youngest, who admitted that she didn’t really know much about Steely Dan’s music; I perpetrated this continuing education strategy for ninety-six straight weeks. I admit that I sometimes got sidetracked, and didn’t get around to sharing this email until Thursday, but it was there each and every week, without fail. Whether you wanted it or not. Which, to be honest, was likely unwanted (there should be a “Not Wanted” poster available for just such occasions, right?).
Thank you, internet - you always know just the right thing to say. Yes, I know the “Unwanted” poster pictured above is actually an advertisement for tattoo removal, but you should have seen the other options available - mostly politicians, embezzlers, and polluters - believe me, this was the least offensive choice.
I consider my taste in music to be eclectic - some of my favorites, over time, have included:
Chicago - thanks to my big brother, Dave, who fronted a band in high school named, “Dobbro,” which, with its horn section, played a lot of Chicago tunes, among other 1970’s rock stuff.
Miles Davis - I wore out the “Kind of Blue” album, which is a foundational element of jazz forever, and always tried to tap into other Miles Davis efforts, but struggled to understand much of it.
Dave Brubeck - Brubeck’s classic, “Time Out” album, featuring the monster hit, “Take Five” still resonates - I think listening to Brubeck definitely earned you “hip points” back in his time (1950’s and 1960’s), and I think it still does.
Rickie Lee Jones - remember, “Chuck E’s in Love?” Good stuff, man!
Anton Bruckner - no, I never saw Bruckner, who died in 1896, in Austria, live in concert, but as a subscriber to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) years ago, I very much enjoyed when the orchestra played one of Bruckner’s expansive, brassy symphonies, led by lead trumpet player, Bud Herseth, who performed with the CSO from 1948 to 2001, under the baton of Sir Georg Solti, at that time.
Frank Sinatra - if there isn’t a popular parlor-game centered on sharing your favorite Frank Sinatra tune, there certainly should be (Kevin Bacon, eat your heart out!). Alright, I’ll share mine: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Now it’s your turn - talk amongst yourselves.
So, why “Steely Dan Wednesday?” Why not, “Brubeck Thursday?” or “Rickie Lee Tuesday?” I can flash back to the tail-end of a very late night, in which I was ensconced in a room in the fraternity house in Lawrence, Kansas, in the early 1980’s, with a couple of fraternity brothers, playing Steely Dan, and loudly proclaiming, at the beginning of each song played, “This is the greatest Steely Dan tune ever!” Alcohol may or may not have played a role, but the fact remains that every song Steely Dan produced was the greatest Steely Dan tune ever! (Alright, I know that’s not statistically possible, but, I’m just sayin’. . .)
Now, you may consider “Steely Dan Wednesday” to be too aggressive an approach to “spreading the gospel.” Certainly, there are other tools available, including:
Proclaiming the absolute power to control the music to be played in the car, while driving - this strategy proved somewhat effective for me, in that one of my sons is able to actually recognize John Coltrane’s style when it surfaces, and appreciated (or, at least pretended to appreciate) Simon & Garfunkel. To me, this strategy seems a bit more heavy-handed even than “Steely Dan Wednesday,” and one which is perhaps better suited to Kim Jong Un’s efforts to educate his children than for others; I wonder where Kim’s (or, is it Un’s) musical sensibilities lie - is he also a Steely Dan acolyte? Or, do his tastes run more toward North Korean martial music? I don’t think we can assign many “hip points” to the latter. And, if there’s anyone more in need of “hip points” than me, it’s gotta’ be Kim Jung Un.
“Revising” the playlists used by your children - this is an approach I have not attempted, because it requires a bit of technological knowledge, and access to their devices. But, consider the possibilities: Imagine your daughter setting off on a five-mile training run, and firing-up her earpods, only to discover that you have replaced her “Billie Eilish,” or “The Weeknd” tracks with, “Eric Clapton,” or “Jimi Hendrix” tunes - she’d probably run faster, just to outrun the unfamiliar sounds pounding her ears. By the way, I know that referring to these two artists, whom I clearly discovered simply by Googling, “Current top musical artists,” makes me appear to be, you know, “hip,” I likely would be unable to pick them out of a police lineup, or recognize one of their songs if I heard it; my frame of reference ended roughly with Huey Lewis & the News, which actually goes back a few years. And, furthermore, Mr. Weekend, where’s your third, “e?”
Dragging your kids to a live concert featuring one of your favorite performers - this approach may seem fruitful on the surface, but there are a couple of hurdles you face in executing this strategy: concert tickets are wildly expensive, and, do you really want to invest your hard-earned money in an experience that they may, or may not appreciate? I’m not even sure I want to invest in that experience for myself; the performers in question have likely been around for a really long time, and the experience may not reflect what you remember, when they were in their prime; and, finally, you’re going to go to a live concert? If you’re like me, you don’t really even want to leave the house.
In judging the effectiveness of “Steely Dan Wednesday,” I think you have to look no further than the song my daughter and I danced to, at her wedding a few years ago. Sure, we began dancing to, Erroll Garner’s, “Misty,” which was also the first song my wife and I danced to many years ago, at our own wedding, but that song quickly segued to, Steely Dan’s, “Reelin’ in the Years.” (YouTube link helpfully attached). Her idea - I swear.