How Steely Dan REALLY feel about Wes Anderson

Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen has a book out, a collection of essays and one diary entitled Eminent Hipsters. It's real good. The topics of the essays range from the singing group The Boswell Sisters to the influence of pulp sci-fi and semantic theory on the "work" of L. Ron Hubbard. The showcase piece, comprising over a third of the book, is the tour diary "With The Dukes of September." By turns snide, poignant, antically hilarious, and genuinely heartbreaking, it's a remarkable piece of writing: the "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" of musicians-on-the-road chronicles, I'd reckon. (I don't want to get into any kind of pissing contests with other critics who've praised the book, but I will insist that the "Donald Fagen hates his audience" reading that a number of enthusiastic critics have given this section is lamentably superficial, and a genuine mischaracterization.) On July 4, dyspeptic Donald finds himself in Ashland, Oregon, with a night off.

"In the evening, having zero interest in the town fireworks display, Vince [the tour's accountant and Fagen's de facto assistant] and I saw a film at the cute little movie theater, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, which was intelligent and carefully made, as his films always are. Walter [Becker, Fagen's partner in Steely Dan] and I once had a bizarre interaction with Anderson's fans over the Internet, which started when we posted a couple of humorous letters (we thought) on the Steely Dan website.

"I think one of the reasons we're intrigued by Anderson is that he seems to be fixated on the sort of geekish, early-sixties adolscent experience that he's too young to have had but that Walter and I actually lived through. And yet he nails the mood precisely, using comic exaggration and fantasy to do the job. Although it was no picnic, it's too bad everyone's coming-of-age can't take place in the early sixties. Seeing the scouts in Moonrise Kingdom, I was reminded of my own experience at Boy Scout camp. I remember spending a lot of time in my tent worrying over a huge pot of boiling water in which I was trying to brew just the right blend of herbal tea, mostly wintergreen picked in the forest, following some recipe in the Scout handbook."

So there you have it. I recall the "bizarre interaction," so dispiriting that I am not even going to bother finding relevant links; basically it was a lot of dumb snotty humorless kids sniffing that these progenitors oa "dad rock" didn't "get" Wes. Fagen's observations here strike me as entirely apt. (As a Scout camp kid in the late sixties, I found my own solace in making Sassafras tea.) Anyway, get the book. It's fantastic. 

Comments

[Petey]

"On July 4, dyspeptic Donald finds himself in Ashland, Oregon, with a night off."

It pisses me off to no end that Disney simply won't release their old Dyspeptic Donald cartoons in any form.

Sure, they may not be in toon with the times, but still, just for the historical record, you ought to be able to watch them in some form.

(And now, I guess I have to buy the book.)

[Grant L]

Completely agree, and as I've been boring other people with since hearing it, I think the audiobook version, read by him, is even better. It came in first from the library, and his reading style comes off much more amiable and, believe it or not, sweet than anything else. By my lights he rips on himself just as much as he does anyone else,too. Was glad to hear the Anderson mention. And would recommend to all that if his Boswells article intrigues you at all, don't hesitate to dive into their work.

[Petey]

Comments on Syd Field Biopic Script:

Having Field die on page 77 seems a fatal blunder. This means that Field is dead ahead of the plot point inciting the third act, thus rendering the plot point devoid of meaning. Further, with Field dead for the ENTIRE third act, the film would play with no dramatic tension during what should be its section of highest dramatic tension.

Conclusion:

It seems a waste of resources to even put this into turnaround, as it seems unsalvageable. Recommend dropping the project.

[mark s.]

I thought 'Moonrise Kingdom' was (rather gratuitously) set in the 60's so that Anderson could rupture the whimsy with a reference to electroshock therapy, but then I don't "get" Anderson's work. Won't deploy the overworked 'twee,' but his films are awfully precious. Great cast, though, esp. Willis.

[evelyn garver]

It's great to know a musician you admire is also smart and funny. I will get this book for my husband, a lifelong Steely Dan devotee. In recent years, our favorite line has been "oh no, William and Mary won't do.." as our beloved only daughter is a junior at that wonderful school.

I loved MOONRISE KINGDOM and spent my pre-teen years at Fort Dix with a foul mouthed, chain smoking scout leader. [more Alexander Payne than Wes Anderson.]

[Toscana]

It sounds really good, so thanks for the recomandation.

[Tom Block]

Speaking of finding relevant links, I've wondered a few times why no SCR doesn't have a search engine. Would that be a major fix?

[Petey]

"Speaking of finding relevant links, I've wondered a few times why no SCR doesn't have a search engine. Would that be a major fix?"

Google is your friend. Preface your search terms with:

site:somecamerunning.typepad.com

[Tom Block]

Hm--okay. Thanks, Petey...

[Petey]

17 Amazing Steely Dan GIF's That Will Remind You Of Wes Anderson Movies