12 episodes
Steelin' In the Dan Joe McAlhany and Scott Beckett
-
- Music
-
-
4.8 • 5 Ratings
-
Joe McAlhany and Scott Beckett explore the enduring allure of Steely Dan, a band whose music has been described as "...among the most genuinely subversive ouevres in late 20th-century pop." Each week we advance chronologically through the band's discography and discuss one song by the Dan, and two related creative works as chosen by the hosts.
-
Episode 11: Can't Wrap an Album
We bring in some friends to take a look back at Steely Dan's debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill.
We've been sitting on this episode way too long because I've been too lazy to do links and artwork, so I'm posting it more or less as is. Thanks for your patience, and apologies to our delightfull guests Lauren and Josh.
Email us! steelininthedan@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @steelininthedan
Links:
William Gibson review of Two Against Nature
Lauren's Twitter
Josh's Twitter -
Episode 10: Love ‘Em Till They Run for Cover
Get ready for one digression after another (and a little Reddit theater) as Scott and Joe piece together their thoughts on Can’t Buy a Thrill’s final track “Turn That Heartbeat Over Again.” The song’s narrative inspires Scott’s choice, the “try-hard” meth noir The Salton Sea (2002), starring Val Kilmer and a cranked-up Vincent D’Onofrio. Joe is similarly criminal minded, pulling focus to the Safdie brothers’ unrelenting Good Time (2017). Also discussed: heat checks; the destructive power of Disney; Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems; an underrated Paul Schrader gem; the healing power of the drums… I told you it was a digressive one. Just remember: Steely Dan is NOT prog rock.
Email us! steelininthedan@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @steelininthedan
Links:
William Gibson review of Two Against Nature
S. Victor Aaron's take on "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again" (Something Else!)
The Salton Sea trailer
Roger Ebert on The Salton Sea
Good Time trailer
Film Comment Podcast with the filmmakers and Robert Pattinson
Donate to the Byrd Theatre
Matt Zoller Seitz on Disney (Vulture) -
Episode 9: Dinner at Zabriskie Point
On a particularly coastal episode, Joe and Scott survey the "sun-struck L.A. optimism of 'Change of the Guard'" and end up agreeing with (later) Donald Fagen that it "approaches a level of filler," though Skunk delivers another killer guitar solo. The boys swing east to grab a bite at Bob Giraldi's stylish and entertaining Dinner Rush (2000) before going back to Cali for a tour of the counterculture and the desert in Michaelangelo Antonioni's divisive Zabriskie Point (1970). Scott hits the flyover states to recommend rock out of Austin and jazz out of Chicago; while Joe goes global with a film out of Brazil, as well as a post-punk record and a modern Gothic horror novel out of England. We're willing to die too, but not of boredom.
Email us! steelininthedan@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @steelininthedan
Links:
Steely Dan Setlist at Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA September 20, 2013
KUTX - Austin, TX
WDCB - Chicago, IL
Bacurau - 2019
The Dentists - Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now (Full Album, 1985)
The Fifth Child - Doris Lessing -
Episode 8: The Tao of a Brooklyn Landlord
Joe and Scott keep it (relatively) tight this week as they tackle the back-half filler track "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)", a 68 out of 120 on Dakota's smooth rockin' scale. Then they study the philosophy of cool presented in The Tao of Steve (2000), a leftover of the 90s Gen X indie boom starring Donal Logue as a fat guy who (you'll never believe this) f***s. Your white hosts then squirm their way through a discussion of race and class provoked by Hal Ashby's forgotten gentrification dramedy The Landlord (1970). This episode answers the immortal question "How do we live?" so maybe you should tune in.
Email us! steelininthedan@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @steelininthedan
Links:
The Tao of Steve trailer - YouTube
"Secrets of the Seducer" - Los Angeles Times
The Landlord trailer - YouTube
John Allison's Twitter -
Episode 7: Kings On Fire, Queen On the Bound
In this piano-driven installment, Joe and Scott dig into the “Do It Again” B-side “Fire In the Hole”, a sleeper hit hiding on Can’t Buy a Thrill’s back half. The boys follow the piano line into the opening track of Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn…, “On the Bound” from 1999, and a discussion of “a jazz singer for the end of the millenium”, late ‘90s production tropes, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Then it’s off to the Continent for a tour of Arnaud Desplechin’s 2004 French drama Kings and Queen, with tonal dynamics to rival the Dan. Dakota keeps the boys in line, Scott reviews a Flying Lotus show, and Joe delivers a heart-felt send-off to the musician, singer, poet, and cartoonist David Berman.
Email us! steelininthedan@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @steelininthedan
Links:
Fire In the Hole - YouTube
Donald Fagen Interview - Rolling Stone
On the Bound - YouTube
Paper Bag Music Video - YouTube
Fiona Apple pretending to be Magnolia
Kings and Queen (2004) Trailer - YouTube
Flying Lotus - YouTube
The Boys - Official Trailer
Silver Jews - American Water - YouTube
David Berman - The Charm of 5:30 -
Episode 6: Like a Reelin’ Stone
Scott and Joe flip over to side two of Steely Dan’s Can’t Buy a Thrill and revisit the classic rock staple “Reelin’ In the Years.” Their verdict: it never gets old. Next your hosts cower before the intimidating authenticity of Bob Dylan as they discuss his ramshackle masterpiece “Like a Rolling Stone” (1965). Then the boys head back to school to unpack their conflicted feelings on an old favorite, Roger Avary’s The Rules of Attraction (2002). Scott confesses that he’s a Dawson’s Creek fan, and Joe casts Eric Stoltz as Donald Fagen in the Steely Dan biopic in his head. How’s my little girl?
Email us! steelininthedan@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @steelininthedan
Links:
Elliot Randall in Guitar World
Ben Beaumont-Thomas on Steely Dan (The Guardian)
Rolling Stone on “Like a Rolling Stone”
Sleepwalkers on Bandcamp
Customer Reviews
Steely Clams
Its a great podcast. Great breakdown of each track. The subtle comedic tone and in depth review of films etc is really enjoyable. I can tell that Scott and Jon are both hard core fans of Steely Dan. They might be the answer to "Cumtown" joke calling it the Steely Dan Podcast.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to the breakdown of the rest of their catalog and seeing what additional material they want to relate to each track.
More than a music podcast
In addition to deep dives a lot about Steely Dan and jazz rock, the hosts connect the music to poignant real life experiences. Their knowledge is deep and their storytelling abilities on point. Highly recommend.
I’m a big fan of my podcast
I really like this podcast, both making it and listening to it. It’s good, and you can trust me, because I made it.