Tag Archive: Steely Dan


From Steely Dan to grumpy Don

Filed under: Books, Music — Leave a comment
June 7, 2016

EMINENT HIPSTERS by Donald Fagen (Vintage Books, 2014)
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This book is a good antidote to clichéd rock memoirs suggesting life on the road is one extended party. Here there’s no sex, some prescription drugs and a bit of AOR.

The second part takes the form of a 2012 tour diary based on concerts across America performed with Michael ‘Doobie Brother’ McDonald and Boz Scaggs as The Dukes of September Rhythm Review.

It was written mostly to relieve the monotony of playing a series of gigs in mostly sub-par venues to aging punters and staying in soulless hotels.

Fagen coins the term Acute Tour Disorder (ATD) to describe the state of anxiety, paranoia, depression and physical discomfort he experiences. You have to wonder why he keeps going and he asks himself this same question at regular intervals. Continue reading →

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FLUSHED WITH GB SUCCESS

Filed under: Music, Television — Leave a comment
September 11, 2012
GB winners

Andy Murray takes his place with other team GB heroes.

“They’ve got a name for the winners in the world – I want a name when I lose”.

Steely Dan’s sentiment in Deacon Blues is one British sports fans could wholly relate to until what happened this Summer.

The days of being plucky runners-up and gallant losers is, temporarily at least, in the past.

The turnaround all began with the unqualified success of the London Olympics which brought an unprecedented haul of medals for team GB. Continue reading →

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THE FIGHTER IS NO KNOCKOUT

Filed under: Movies, Music — Leave a comment
February 25, 2011

Confession time.

I have never seen any of the Rocky movies!

This fact should immediately tell you that boxing movies are not my bag. The Fighter, directed by David O.Russell doesn’t persuade me that I’m missing anything by shunning this genre.

I rate Raging Bull but that’s as far as it goes.

Scorsese was once in the frame as the director of The Fighter but wisely turned it down. It’s a solid enough movie but far too predictable.

The only reason I watched it was to complete my mission of seeing all the Oscar best picture nominees. I left it till last as I didn’t expect to like it and in this sense  I wasn’t disappointed.

Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams play Micky, Dicky and Charlene respectively.  Micky is a big hitter but also a big softy at heart. Charlene is his girl and hated by his rabid family of foul-mouthed straw-haired sisters ( a family from hell).

Dicky is his half-brother who could have been a contender but ends up as a crackhead.

I quite liked Wahlberg’s understated performance but it only makes Bale’s over the top method acting seem all the more unhinged. Bale has never been a person or actor I admire and I find him very irritating here. The critical praise heaped on the movie centres on his grandstanding performance so if you like Bale you’ll like this movie. I don’t and didn’t.

The story is yet another true life triumph against all odds tale and I’m starting to think I want to see movies about failing with dignity – as Steely Dan sang on Deacon Blues: “they got a name for the winners in the world – I want a name when I lose“.

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