Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen
Donald Jay Fagenis an American musician, singer-songwriter, and co-founder of the band Steely Dan...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth10 January 1948
CityPassaic, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
dan few mainly might steely
I've never done it before. I might do a few Steely Dan things that I particularly like, but it'll mainly be my stuff.
broader dan few file last level older personal steely work
That was one of the elements. Just getting older and also I'm a New Yorker, so 9-11 on a broader level had something to do with it. I work as I go so I have a file of things that go back a few years and I think probably the last Steely Dan album, (2003's) Everything Must Go, had some things on this theme, too. But this is on a more personal level.
global major mother personal september thinking
September 11, on a global scale, and my mother dying, on a personal level, were the two major things that got me thinking about all of this.
died few mood mother people
Mortality! It's intimations of mortality. I'm 58, and by that time, more people you know have died. My mother died a few years ago. And being a New Yorker, 9/11 had a lot to do with the mood of the city.
american-musician art
I had trouble distinguishing art from life. I don't now, and I feel much better!
song new-york school
My writing is really intuitive. As a kid, I went to school in New Jersey and hung out in New York, so the way kids used to talk got into our earlier songs.
people mind
People are usually afraid to say what's on their mind.
player style quirky
My style is a little quirky. I can't play as fast as most professional jazz players.
kids years play
I took some lessons as a kid but trained myself by ear. I did it the way jazz musicians used to learn years ago, which is to play records and slow them down to figure out the notes. At first I tried to imitate Red Garland, who was my favorite jazz pianist.
singers rays wilson
Randy Newman seemed like an even worse singer than me. I liked Ray Charles, Levi Stubbs, Jack Jones, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett.
song four way
I like it when songs develop in some way. Four minutes usually isn't enough time for something to develop musically.
looks flaws critical
I have a critical nature, in the sense that when I look at something I often look for the flaws.
singers wanted performers
I've never been comfortable as a lead performer, and I never wanted to be a singer, particularly.
thinking years people
It's great to know that our old stuff still sounds good to our fans, just as it's wonderful to think that we've turned a few people on to jazz over the years.