Question and Answer

You might have noticed that a lot of us Metheniacs are also hard-core Steely Dan fans. I read here that you played with Fagen and/or Becker at a club in New York, that you've talked to them about a recording project, etc. What's the real scoop? Inquiring minds want to know!

hi mark,

that was really fun - i did a few unannounced gigs with donald fagan around new york a few years ago - this was before the steely dan reunion. one day, i was listening to the radio, and the dj said that they were going to reunite to do a tour, they listed all the musicians and that i was the guitar player! i hadn't talked to anyone about it! well, i was shocked, a little bit pissed, but mostly flattered, but i was touring with joshua redman and my own band around that time. then walter becker called me a few times about doing it, tracking me down on the road in europe and they called my office to talk about a fee for the tour, etc. it was all kind of weird, but after all of this hoopla i thought that maybe i might like to do it because it had been so much fun playing those dan songs (which i love) with donald. but when i talked to walter, i realized that if i did it, there would be three guitar players in the band. i am sort of of the "one guitar is usually one too many anyway" school, let alone three. so, it just kind of got dropped and i didn't have to change things or cancel gigs or anything which would have been a drag for me anyway - actually i don't think i could have done that. i did go to see them one night on the tour; drew zing was playing so great - he, along with the songs themselves, was the best part of the whole show. i realized that i would not really have been that comfortable doing it for more than a few nights anyway, it really was like a greatest hits of the 70's kind of thing - it seemed like they wanted it to sound as much as possible like the record versions which would have been difficult for me to feel good about doing, so it worked out best that i didn't do it. i still love listening to those records though - the "nightfly" is probably my favorite. esp igy.