Gaucho Amigos

Brian Sweet, author of Steely Dan biography Reelin' in the Years , joins the podcast to talk about how he ended up writing the first Steely Dan book ever published.  Brian also shares what it was like to be a Dan fan in the pre-Internet era, and how he eventually came to meet his heroes Donald and Walter.

Keyboardist, arranger, and studio specialist Rob Mounsey joins the podcast to share his experiences working on Steely Dan's 1980 album Gaucho . Rob discusses in detail his contributions to the songs "Babylon Sisters," "Glamour Profession," and "Gaucho," and sheds some light on the creative process behind those three legendary Steely Dan tracks.

Zamauri Jones, aka " Dealing Stan " on Instagram, joins the podcast to talk about the origins of his Steely Dan obsession and how it led to the creation of his popular fan account. We also explore some of the deep cuts, live rarities and other Dan-related obscurities Zamauri has discovered over the years and shared on his account.

Lenise Bent (the first female audio engineer to receive a Platinum Album) joins the podcast to share her experiences working as an Assistant Engineer on Aja , recalling everything from the process of recording Donald's vocals on "Home at Last" to her memories of legendary guest appearances by Wayne Shorter and Michael McDonald. 

Samuel Purdey co-leader/songwriter and Steely Dan aficionado Barney Hurley joins the podcast to tell the origin story behind his incredible collection of Dan-related archival photographs and memorabilia. He also recalls his reaction to Two Against Nature 's Grammy win, and shares what it was like to live in New York as a British Dan fan.

Renowned producer and audio engineer Bill Schnee (author of Chairman at the Board ) joins the podcast to share some of his experiences working on Aja , for which he won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album. He explains how the recording process on that album defied his own expectations for working with Donald and Walter, and talks about his particular fondness for drummers Jeff Porcaro and Steve Gad...

Guitarist and friend Tim Good joins the podcast to discuss the various styles of Steely Dan's many guitarists, from founding members Denny Dias and Skunk Baxter to session specialists Elliott Randall and Larry Carlton. Tim also explains why a one-off Steely Dan collaborator is his single favorite guitarist of all-time.

Screenwriter and author Howard Rodman joins the podcast to share some of his experiences as a lifelong friend of Walter Becker, from seeing Mingus in the Village with him to eating together at Mr. Chow's. He also shares his perspective on seeing a younger generation embrace the music of Steely Dan.

Fievel is Glauque songwriter and co-leader Zach Phillips joins the podcast in-person to discuss his creative process and recording ethos, contrasting his own approach to making music to Becker and Fagen's. We also talk about Walter's solo album 11 Tracks of Whack, and share some thoughts on the new "Second Arrangement." Produced with additional commentary by Winston Cook-Wilson...

Cimcie Nichols joins the podcast to discuss her late father Roger Nichols' life, legacy and work as Steely Dan's recording engineer. She also talks about her experience around discovering lost Gaucho track "The Second Arrangement," and shares some never-before-heard clips of Steely Dan recording stories from her father's vault.

Josh Mound (writer for Audiophile Style's The Best Version Of... series) joins the podcast to discuss Donald Fagen's The Nightfly, explaining why the album was a landmark in digital recording and how it became a popular "audiophile audition" album. We also explore why the themes of lead single "I.G.Y." have surprising relevance more than 40 years on.

Writer Libby Cudmore (contributing author to A Beast Without a Name ) joins the podcast to talk about lost Steely Dan media, and shares what it was like to see the one and only performance of "The Second Arrangement" at the Beacon Theater in 2011. Also, Alex shares his thoughts on last week's long-awaited release of the "Second Arrangement" tape.  

Office Culture frontman, music critic, and friend Winston Cook-Wilson joins for the first in-person episode of Gaucho Amigos. We trace some of the roots of our joint interest in Steely Dan, and Winston shares everything from his particular appreciation for The Royal Scam (for which he wrote the Pitchfork review ) to the connection between Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell's mid-70's period.

The man behind the "I.G.Y. Azalea" twitter account ( @haitiandvorce ) joins the podcast to share his thoughts on the online "Danaissance" phenomenon and his role in the Steely Dan twitter community, and talks about why the pandemic era renewed his love of the band and its rich, "meme-able" lore.

Singer-Songwriter James Jackson Toth (fka Wooden Wand) joins the podcast for a fun rambling Dan chat that touches on everything from "Albinigate" to touring life to the Minutemen cover of "Dr. Wu."

Writer Alex Pappademas and painter Joan LeMay join the podcast to discuss their brilliant new book Quantum Criminals . The authors explain how the idea of structuring a Steely Dan book around the cast of characters sparked their collaboration, as we dive into the Dan-verse to talk about characters both real (Cathy Berberian, Keith Jarrett) and imaginary (The Gaucho, The Squonk).

Book critic Chelsea Leu 's recent New Yorker piece "My Unlikely Connection to Steely Dan" provided a refreshing and unique perspective on Steely fandom. Chelsea and her sister Katie join the podcast to share their story in detail, explaining how they stumbled upon the music of Steely Dan as sheltered teenagers growing up in the suburbs, and found unexpected analogues in the personas...

My conversation with Evan and Ian of the Jokermen podcast reaches its thrilling conclusion in this second half of a two-part episode. We continue discussing a soundboard recording of a September 1994 show, highlighting some of the individual performances of songs ranging from beloved hits to some of the deeper cuts from Donald and Walter's respective solo catalogues.

Evan and Ian of the Jokermen podcast join for a discussion about Steely Dan's 1990's live act. Through the lens of a bootleg soundboard recording of a 1994 show in Dallas, we talk about some of Don and Walt's creative choices in bringing their studio output to a live setting, and discuss how the "reunion tour" shows became the blueprint for the Steely Dan concert experienc...

The man behind @TheNightflyWJAZ joins the podcast for a fun chat between two Dan-themed Twitter accounts. They speculate on everything from how Steely Dan might have been different had they continued alternating lead vocalists as on Can't Buy a Thrill , to what 1980's post- Gaucho "smooth jazz Steely Dan" might have sounded like. 

Author Peter Jones joins the podcast for a discussion of his recently published Donald Fagen biography Nightfly . He talks about how hearing Aja as a journalist and musician in the late 70's "detonated a bomb in his brain" and completely changed how he thought about songwriting. He also shares some of the most interesting discoveries unearthed in his research for the book, and expla...

Film composer Julian Wass shares his "Steely Dan journey" and talks about how getting into them while in music school completely altered his perspective as a student.  He also recounts how seeing an ad for the "Reelin' in the Chips" Las Vegas residency inspired a road trip to finally see them live, as he and Alex compare notes on the Steely Dan concert experience.

Music critic Steven Hyden (author of the best-selling Twilight of the Gods ) joins the podcast for a discussion about Steely Dan's ever-shifting legacy and their place in music history. He explains how their tenure as a studio-only ensemble anticipated how contemporary records are made, and how the reputation of the albums made during that era (such as Gaucho ) has evolved as a result.

After hearing her excellent cover of "Time Out of Mind," it came of no surprise that London-based musician Lou Hayter has a deep knowledge and affection for Steely Dan. She talks to Alex about what it was like to cover them, and shares her love of some other Steely Dan-adjacent artists including David Crosby, Rosie Vela, and China Crisis.

Professional wrestler MVP is, in his own words, "one of the biggest Steely Dan nerds you'll ever meet."  The WWE star tells Alex about becoming obsessed with Steely Dan during the aftermath of a natural disaster, his love of Walter Becker's 2008 solo album "Circus Money," and much more in this fan-to-fan chat.