WORDS FOR WALTER

WALTER BECKER

FEBRUARY 20, 1950-SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

Another one gone...

It was very early this morning, Sunday, September 3rd, when I first read the news on-line, deeply hoping that it was yet another internet hoax. But yes indeed, as reported on his personal website and eventually further confirmed through musical outlets, Walter Becker, co-founder, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer of Steely Dan, had passed away from as yet undisclosed circumstances. He was 67 years old. 

I have to admit that I had not intended to write a piece about Walter Becker but the musical spirits have dictated to me that this man just needed to have one more soul ready to honor him at this time. And why not, for this man's timeless and iconic contributions to music have indeed existed as a crucial piece of my musical being for much of the entirety of my life. To not pay homage would be insensitive, to say the least and dishonorable at most for Walter Becker truly deserves any and all good words that now arrive in tribute.

Truth be told, Steely Dan and the two core members of that band, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, remain wholly inscrutable and almost unknowable to this day for me. In many ways, Steely Dan proved itself to being the ultimate "faceless" band, musical units that really were not identifiable by the visages of its members and solely through the music and visual presentation as devised throughout their albums, bands like Pink Floyd, Supertramp, and certainly, a collective like The Alan Parsons Project. You never really knew what these figures looked like and their physical appearances never contributed to the impressions of the music. 

Steely Dan felt to be so uniquely anonymous, from the name of the band that suggested an actual person to its revolving cast of musicians from album to album. Who really knew that ALL of the music, concepts and the full presentation of Steely Dan honestly came down to the partnership between Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. Certainly Fagen's presence was more acknowledged as he was indeed the "face" of the band as he was the primary lead singer and frontman. Becker, by contrast, remained in the shadows, presumably where he rather have wished to exist, allowing the music to be in the spotlight rather than himself. But really, at this time, it feels more than fitting to shine that light for the quiet man, whose voluminous material has transcended musical genres, as well as demographics and generations upon generations. It cannot be overstated that Walter Becker was, and shall forever be, a musical giant who pushed the boundaries of what rock and roll music could actually be.  

Walter Becker & Donald Fagen

To my ears, Steely Dan especially felt to be a musical universe created unto itself, so much so, that it is still surprising to me hat they have found an eternal home within classic rock radio stations as their sound so often was based in pristinely slick jazz puzzles rather than raucous rock and roll fury. But maybe it was all in the delivery, the contradictions and juxtapositions of the material Becker and Fagen created together: cerebral music that was populated with stories, themes and characters that described life on the fringes with all manner of low-lifes, miscreants, troubled people and copious alcohol references at the core. Sentimentality and anything approaching the neighborhood of maudlin were strictly off limits as a dark cynicism and wicked sense of humor were at the forefront creating a perfect tension when combined with arcane chord progressions and superior musicianship. Don;t quite believe me? Just listen to the very nasty "Everyone's Gone To The Movies" and tell me that's not rock and roll! 

And yet, there existed a powerful warmth in all of the Steely Dan material, that inexplicable je ne sais quoi that just keep bringing you back to explore all over again and again and again. Just think about the quality and quantity of the songs Walter Becker co-created. "Here At The Western World,""Do It Again," "Bodhisattva," "Any Major Dude Will Tell You," "Deacon Blues," "Josie," "Kid Charlemagne," "My Old School," "Your Gold Teeth," "Hey Nineteen," the epic masterpiece that is "Aja" and so much, much more. Their catalog between 1972-1980 is as jaw dropping and staggering as it is undeniably brilliant and Walter Becker was at the center of every note of it.

I first became aware of Steely Dan during my childhood as songs like "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Reelin' In The Years" (a song I happen to be listening to as I write and also, it is one of those rare songs that I can listen to ten times in a row and it always feels like the first time) populated Chicago's WLS-AM radio. To this day, I have no idea of what or whom those songs are necessarily about and to think, that element has become a Steely Dan key element: songs that are simultaneously crystal clear and maddeningly obtuse, a conundrum that ensures their overall mystery and interpretive quality.

By the time I had discovered FM radio (no static at all), I did become quite versed in the Steely Dan universe while not really knowing who they were at all. I loved every single song and I loved the overall sound, which became so startling unique and instantly identifiable. I remember vividly purchasing the soundtrack for the R rated science-fiction/soft-core animated film "Heavy Metal" (released July 1981), on which Donald Fagen contributed the track "True Companion." Now, at that time, I had no idea of who Fagen even was but the second I heard the song, I remember thinking to myself, "This sounds exactly like Steely Dan!" Now that is a testament to what Fagen created and cultivated with Walter Becker. 

Remember....WITH Walter Becker!!! Just because he remained further from the spotlight than Fagen, that cannot even begin to diminish his essential and irreplaceable contributions to the legacy of Steely Dan and to music itself. It is easy to not take notice or to disregard altogether due to his reticence. But please, as you and I listen and re-listen to Steely Dan, I wish for all of us to really honor the life and artistry of a man who had the ability to envision and execute an amalgamation of jazz, rock, R&B, pop, blues, as well as a supreme gift for language and satire into so seemingly effortlessly as well as defiantly and so lovingly, as we can hear in each and every superbly composed, performed and crafted song and album.

 

While there is not even one bad album in the entirety of the Steely Dan discography, I will never, ever tire of the early '70s haze of their debut "Can't Buy A Thrill" (released November 1972), the brilliant mid period releases "Katy Lied" (released March 1975) and "The Royal Scam" (released May 1976) and most certainly their masterpiece "Aja" (released September 23, 1977). Even so, Steely Dan is one of the rare musical outfits that created a legacy so timeless that one could potentially put on any song or album at any time whatsoever and it will feel absolutely perfect. 

And I am compelled to say it again, Walter Becker, despite his enigmatic nature, was at the forefront of it all and to honor him best is to not just listen but to acknowledge his superior gifts in creating and sharing this priceless catalog that has already withstood the test of time. 

To Walter Becker, I salute you for contributing so heavily to the musical soundtrack of my life for so much of my life. I could never thank you enough.

WALTER BECKER-REST IN POWER