Thats an easy question for any steely dan fan to answer and everyone has. Over 100 session musicians contributed to their songs. Influenced by the beat generation, particularly by burroughs, they took their band name from a. By ken micaleff modern drummer between 1972 and 1980, steely dan produced some of the most searing and bitter pop music ever recorded. So they decided to put together their own band, appropriating the name steely dan from the fictitious brand name of a dildo steely dan iii from yokahama in the william burroughs novel naked lunch. Taking their name from the steampowered dildo in william burroughs novel the naked lunch, steely dan set about recording their debut album, cant buy a thrill, which would spawn two unlikely hits with do it again and reelin in the years. Steely dan in steely dan burroughs s novel naked lunch with other young musicians, notably guitarists jeff skunk baxter and denny dias, emerging in 1972 with cant buy a thrill. The 1993 interview when walter becker opened up about steely.
They added a ninth to virtually every chord they played. The drummers of steely dan the steely dan readerthe. Steely dan live at paramount theatre seattle, jul 1, 1974 at. He wrote three novels, and much like his father, ended up with a crippling drug addiction. Burroughss 1959 novel naked lunch had been required reading for aspiring beatniks, and featured a sex toy that, as every steely dan bore knows, the group named themselves after. Burroughs novel naked lunch, and while yes thats true, many things in life overlap. Burroughs and jack kerouac, two novice writers at the dawn of their careers, sat down to write a novel about the summer of 1944, when one of their friends killed another in a moment of brutal and tragic bloodshed. Ginsberg, ever the keen marketeer, realized burroughs work should be published and enlisted the help of kerouac in order to go to tangier and compile the manuscript. Sep 04, 2017 taking their name from the steampowered dildo in william burroughss novel the naked lunch, steely dan set about recording their debut album, cant buy a thrill, which would spawn two. Steely dan is an american rock duo founded in 1972 by core members walter becker guitars, bass, backing vocals and donald fagen keyboards, lead vocals. Feb 05, 2012 today would have been the 98th birthday of legendary author william s. The book is structured as a series of loosely connected vignettes.
The best performances are provided by jeff porcaro and denny dias. Burroughs novel naked lunch using various studio musicians to perform with them. Ok, maybe you know that the rock band steely dan took its name from a dildo in william burroughs naked lunch. Sep 29, 2017 so they decided to put together their own band, appropriating the name steely dan from the fictitious brand name of a dildo steely dan iii from yokahama in the william burroughs novel naked lunch. The guitarists denny dias and jeff skunk baxter rounded out the. Oct 26, 2016 theyre named after a dildo from the william burroughs novel naked lunch. Jan 30, 2015 iggy pop, the documentarys narrator, begins by listing some of the artists and artistic movements influenced by burroughs. We hear from director john waters on the impact on him of burroughs open homosexuality and frankness about sex. In 1977, the american glossy magazine new times interviewed william burroughs, the beat writer and junkie figurehead who had inspired many of the rock generation. The acts soft machine and steely dan took their names from the writers work and burroughs went on to collaborate with artists of the avantgarde like laurie anderson, sonic youth and genesis. Steely dan all the facts and hidden meanings from a band. Influenced by the beat generation, particularly by burroughs, they took their band name from a steampowered dildo. As fans of beat generation literature of fagen and becker named the band after steely dan iii fromyokohama, astrapon dildoreferred to in the william s.
Burroughs, one of the three seminal writers of the beat generation the other two being his friends jack kerouac and allen ginsberg, was born in st. Jul 19, 2019 thats an easy question for any steely dan fan to answer and everyone has answered correctly. Steely dan produced some of some of the most literate pop records of the 70s. Burroughs stated that the chapters are intended to be read in any order. The music world has been grateful ever since and indeed, burroughs has exerted a powerful influence over popular music. He passed away at the age of 33 due to liver issues brought on by his addiction. Becker was the silent one, but he was also the kind of misanthrope that would roll.
Named after a sex toy in a william burroughs novel, steely dan recorded seven albums of seminal jazzpop from 1972 to 1980. His first album, call me burroughs, was comprised of readings from the naked lunch and nova express. Burroughs novel, i believe, but musically its much different. Steely dan might sound like a dorky jazz band, but their inception isnt so pg. On september 3rd, 2017, the world lost another musical legend walter becker, onehalf of the duo that named themselves after a metallic sex toy from a william s. Thats an easy question for any steely dan fan to answer and everyone has answered correctly. The rock band steely dan took their name from a dildo which features in william burroughs novel naked lunch. Steely dan originates from annandaleonhudson, new york. Listen to what is probably the greatest steely dan show.
Becker was the silent one, but he was also the kind of misanthrope that would roll his eyes at yet another gushing tribute to his genius. Editors notes steely dan produced some of some of the most literate pop records of the 70s. Jan 30, 2020 the acts soft machine and steely dan took their names from the writers work and burroughs went on to collaborate with artists of the avantgarde like laurie anderson, sonic youth and genesis p. Apr 27, 2017 in 1977, the american glossy magazine new times interviewed william burroughs, the beat writer and junkie figurehead who had inspired many of the rock generation. Other than donald fagan and walter becker, the duo that is steely dan, the only musician who played on all seven albums was the late victor feldman. With scathing lyrics delivered by donald fagens pungent vocals, he and partner walter beckers music chronicled the feelings of many who passed through young adulthood during the 1970s. Kurt cobain asked burroughs to appear as jesus in the music video for the nirvana song heartshaped box.
Bob dylan, the beatles, steely dan, kurt cobain, lou reed. In the novel, the steely dan dildo squirts out milk and also gets eaten by a bull dyke at some point. Jun 03, 20 in 1972, after signing with abc records they came up with the name steely dan. Named after a sex toy from the william burroughs junkie novel naked lunch, steely dan had evolved from a bona fide group to, at the time of katy lieds 1975 release, a collection of studio hot shots, with walter becker and don fagen writing, producing, and singing all vocals. If there should be a twentyfirst century, this is one of the few works historians could turn to for a grasp, both imaginative and intelligent, of the strange historical phase of the human condition we are living through. Burroughs even in the beginning, steely dan as a musicallyrical concept turned into something for the initiated. Burroughs is a superb writer, and naked lunch a novel of revolt in the best latemodern sense. Theyre named after a dildo from the william burroughs novel naked lunch. Walter becker, the guitarist for steely dan, died on sept. Sep 03, 2017 the year 1972 brought the name steely dan borrowed from a dildo of the same name in william burroughs novel naked lunch and the debut album cant buy a thrill, with an. So, just for the hell of it, here are a few other interesting facts about steely dan.
We had to come up with a name in a hurry and walter and i were both burroughs. This was followed by a deal for their band, steely dan, named after a dildo in william burroughs 1959 novel naked lunch. To everyones surprise, steely dans debut album spawned. Burroughs 1959 novel naked lunch, a book ill admit to reading but not actually understanding. Walter becker, guitarist, songwriter and cofounder of. Becker was on bass in the original lineup, with jeff skunk baxter and denny dias sharing guitar duties. The bands 1972 debut album included the top 40 hit do it again. The reader follows the narration of junkie william lee, who takes on various aliases. Becker was on bass in the original lineup, with jeff skunk baxter and.
Iggy pop, the documentarys narrator, begins by listing some of the artists and artistic movements influenced by burroughs. The bands name is in reference to the steampowered dildo, steely dan iii from yokohama, in william s. Steely dan produced criticallyacclaimed albums from 1972 to 1980, after which fagen and becker decided to. Before forming steely dan, founding members donald fagen and walter becker had a group named the bad rock group featuring comedian chevy chase on drums and also used the band name the leather canary. Burroughss avantgarde novel naked lunch, he wrote and directed a surreal 1991 film of the same name that was based on the novel as well as on burroughss life. Burroughs subversive classic turns 50 and is still as vile and embarrassing as it always was. Of course others, and rightly so, will tell you that the boys took their name from william burroughs fans of beat generation literature, fagen and becker named the band after steely dan iii from yokohama, a strapon dildo mentioned in the william s. Taking their name from the steampowered dildo in william burroughss novel the naked lunch, steely dan set about recording their debut album, cant buy a thrill, which would spawn two. As fans of beat generation literature of fagen and becker named the band after steely dan iii from yokohama, a strapon dildo referred to in the william s. Having been discovered by abc records executive gary katz, they signed a recording contract under the steely dan name taking the name from the william s.
Steely dan named after a dildo in the william burroughs novel naked lunch dissolved after its 1980 album, gaucho, though mr. Steely dan was named after a sexual device in the william burroughs novel the naked lunch. Burroughs, over the years, said that the order of chapters in the book did not. Named after a home appliance in a william burroughs novel, steely dan began as a touring rock n roll band that eventually disbanded after two albums. But have you ever read the passage that inspired them.
Feb 05, 2015 he inspired the name of the band steely dan, which is named after a dildo in naked lunch, while the term heavy metal first appeared in print in burroughss 1962 novel the soft machine. How steely dan made their classic album pretzel logic louder. Popular culture references to william and mary special. Listen to what is probably the greatest steely dan show ever. A spoiled rich girl from roald dahls book charlie and the chocolate factory. Working with abc producer gary katz, they secretly assembled steely dan named after a prosthetic phallus in william s. Steely dan cofounder walter becker has died at the age of. But in the steely dan passage its het sex, of the pegging variety. Ii was, up to this point, the most sophisticated song steely dan had attempted, and a harbinger of the style they perfected later on with aja. Donald fagen has just released his fourth solo album, sunken condos.
Though steely dan recorded prolifically for much of the seventies, they toured for only a brief spell early in that decade, deciding they much preferred the studio to the road. Burroughs has 128 books on goodreads with 466838 ratings. Today would have been the 98th birthday of legendary author william s. He inspired the name of the band steely dan, which is named after a dildo in naked lunch, while the term heavy metal first appeared in print in burroughss 1962 novel the soft machine. Steely dan band name inspired from a strapon dildo in williams s. Louis, missouri, and became one of the founding figures of the beat movement. In the naked lunch 1959 and other novels, william s. Along with walter becker, fagen was one of the masterminds of steely dan. Steely dan iii from yokohama is the name of an oversized steampowered strapon dildo mentioned in william s. These people are too fancy, theyre too sophisticated, william s. But then again, they left that as yet another puzzle for listeners to resolve. Most of the sex in naked lunch is between men, though its often surreal, violent, and mucky. With the father he had, perhaps he was doomed from the start.
To everyones surprise, steely dan s debut album spawned the hits do it again and reelin in the years. Burroughss 1959 novel naked lunch had been required reading for aspiring beatniks, and featured a sex toy that, as every steely dan bore knows, the group named themselves after burroughs had never heard steely dans music. The reader follows the narration of junkie william lee, who takes on various aliases, from the u. Steely dan released seven studio non compilation albums from 19721980. The bands very name is a scatological reference from a novel by beat generation antihero william burroughs. Sep 03, 2017 steely dan named after a dildo in the william burroughs novel naked lunch dissolved after its 1980 album, gaucho, though mr. Heres the excerpt from the book that mentions steely dan. Til steely dan was named after a dildo in a william s. Naked lunch sometimes the naked lunch is a 1959 novel by american writer william s. The acts soft machine and steely dan took their names from the writers work and burroughs went on to collaborate with artists of the avantgarde like laurie anderson. Steely dan band name inspired from a strapon dildo in. Fortified by two top10 hits, do it again and reelin in the years, and the sale of millions or albums, becker bass and guitar and fagen keyboards abandoned the road but.
The dildo used in the scene is called a steely dan iii, and is the source from which the. Thompson, george carlin and a hoarse whisper of jim morrison, and the good doctor thompson no doubt kept a volume of burroughs on his desk between the dictionary and the thesaurus. The 1993 interview when walter becker opened up about. Butterfly 1993, starring irons and set primarily in 1960s beijing, cronenberg brought to read more. Steely dan steely dan might sound like a dorky jazz band, but their inception isnt so pg. Louis, missouri, on february 5, 1914, to the son of the founder of the burroughs adding machine co. Sep 04, 2017 this was followed by a deal for their band, steely dan, named after a dildo in william burroughs 1959 novel naked lunch.
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