My Steely Dan second chance

A friend on social media recently wondered how I could despise Steely Dan’s music as much as I do. He said some generous things about my intellect and taste but couldn’t fathom how I stood so opposed to Steely Dan’s music, given my appreciation of other things.

So I thought:

Maybe he’s right.

Perhaps I formed my opinion of Steely Dan too early in my life when I was less informed and open-minded about music. Maybe I was experiencing a bad day when I decided to despise Steely Dan’s songs.

Maybe I should give Steely Dan another chance.

So I did. I spent an afternoon and evening giving Steely Dan an honest shake. Listening to much of their music. Wondering if I might suddenly find myself loving these songs as much as Elysha and so many others.

Nope. Still hate it.

In trying to describe my reasons to Elysha, I explained that I don’t feel like the music goes anywhere. It never climbs to great heights or dips to quiet lows. It just sits there, chugging along, rhythmic, flat, and unsurprising. It sounds, to me, like a fusion between jam band, jazz, and disco, and I don’t like any of those musical genres, either.

It’s funk without the funk. Rock that doesn’t really rock.

I don’t like it one bit.

I lean toward drama in music. I like songs that force me to pay attention. I want to feel like I’ve been taken on a journey of great highs and tragic lows. I like music to tell me a story. It’s why I can love musicians as divergent as Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Queen, Lyle Lovett, Dolly Parton, John Denver, The Violent Femmes, Meatloaf, and many more.

Their music demands attention. Each song is a journey. They tell a story. The lyrics are sensible and discernible. Their songs make you think, visualize, and feel.

Sometimes, all three.

Steely Dan is like a train moving down a track. The lyrics are often nonsensical, and the music can effectively operate in the background without stifling thought or conversation. It is not distracting or demanding.

This is not for me.

I’m not saying it’s bad music. It’s simply bad music for my heart and mind. If I was more of a musician, I might appreciate it more. I might hear some of the greatness that I am missing.

But to me, it’s uninteresting music. Forgettable music. Music without a strong point of view or a serious attitude.

But I gave it another chance. Open-minded, honest, and fair, which I think is important.

There was a time when I thought “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was a stupid television show. I once considered audiobooks literary trash. For a long time, I assumed “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” was just another stupid game show. I took one look at brie and said, “No, thank you.” I thought snow pants were a nonsense clothing item designed for children.

And I had heard a smattering of music from Lyle Lovett and said, “Country? Yuck!”

I changed my mind about all these things and many others, thanks to the insistence of friends to give these things a fair chance. Thank goodness I did.

I tried to do the same with Steely Dan. The outcome was the same, but the process, as always, was important.