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Talk about your comebacks. In February of last year, Steely Dan released their first album since 1980, Two Against Nature, a collection of songs about middle-age regret, ruin and perversion. A world tour followed, the album went platinum, and, this February, the duo snagged four Grammys, including Album of the Year, thus shocking an audience primed to let go of some "So there!" cheers or "What's the world coming to?" boos at the much-anticipated apotheosis of Eminem.
All in all, you'd think the old pros might be feeling pretty good. "Oh, gee," says singer Donald Fagen, "I think I actually forgot about it already." A few weeks later, to cap it all off, Steely Dan were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, an institution of which other half Walter Becker has made vicious sport on the band's official Web site. "We're in the belly of the beast," says Fagen. "Now that we're in there, we can start eating our way out."
When Bette Midler announced that you'd won the Grammy for best album, you didn't look so much shocked as irritated, like it was a hassle to get back up on the stage.
Fagen: Well, I guess I was worried that my tie would flip so you'd see the label. I hate when that happens. Aside from that, it was really kind of fun. On this record, it's pretty easy to figure out what the songs are about - which is a departure for Steely Dan.
Did you consciously decide to write in a more straightforward manner?
Becker: To some extent it was a conscious decision, and to some extent we're a little more capable of getting across what we're thinking now than we were then.
Fagen: Because we knew what the stories were about, we'd always think that people would figure it out. But we got so many mysterious looks and so many weird questions about what the songs were about that we decided to be a bit more lucid this time. Then again, maybe we're just not as spaced out as we used to be.
Becker: We're a little older and squarer now.
Fagen: Yeah, that's probably why we got the Grammy.
How did you feel about Moby introducing you at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies?
Fagen: I had to ask if that was the same as Moby Grape from the Sixties. Or is this a new Moby?
So you don't follow popular music?
Becker: Obviously not.
When you look at your careers, do you feel like rock stars, or do you model yourselves more like jazz musicians?
Fagen: You know, we were trying to be rock stars for years, and so far it hasn't really clicked for us. I noticed, in case anyone wants to know, that the Grammy glow of celebrity lasts exactly twenty-four hours. The day after we got the Grammy, everyone was my friend. Everyone on the street knew who I was. Then the next day, they still recognized us but they didn't care to approach us anymore. It was old news.
They were like, "They're those assholes who robbed Eminem."
Fagen: Precisely.
Every piece about you guys mentions that the band name comes from "Naked Lunch." Does that mean you actually read the whole book?
Fagen: Of course not. No one ever read the whole book.
Becker: But it's on my list.
Fagen: I think the only person who says he read the whole book was David Cronenberg, who made it into a movie. But it turns out he didn't read it either.
Becker: He read it - he just decided not to use it.
I've heard there are a couple of finished songs from Two Against Nature that have never been released.
Becker: Maybe. Could be. There might be some, depending on what you mean by unreleased songs. We wrote many more songs than we recorded. Some of which we'll use next time, depending how they fit.
So you're planning another record?
Fagen: We've been writing.
Becker: What else are we gonna do?
Well, now that you're in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, you can do whatever you want.
Fagen: We can rest on our laurels.
Becker: They won't even let us do that.
Don't they have a theater in Branson, Missouri, that you can play at?
Becker: Yeah, we're thinking about opening a place down there. What do you think of this for a title? We're going to call it Sweet Little Steely D's.
That sounds good. Right next to the Osmond Family Theater?
Becker: Or wherever we can find suitable property for lease.
When will this record be finished?
Becker: I'm not sure what the precise . . .
Fagen: ASAP!
Becker: Straightaway!
You love being asked these questions, don't you?
Becker: We are on it.
Is there going to be another tour this summer?
Becker: We played at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
It's too bad you didn't get to play a song with Aerosmith.
Fagen: We could have. We were also very excited about backing up Michael Jackson. We always wanted to be in his band. It's been a long time since we've had a strong frontman.
[From Issue 867 — April 26, 2001]