I can't put into words how sad the death of Walter Becker, half of the famous Steely Dan, makes me. Their music touched me very deeply, starting with Pretzel Logic when I was 15 and trying to re-establish roots in a new city, to Aja which came out in my senior year of high school, to Kamakiriad and 11 Tracks of Whack that I listed to via headphones as I wrote code tucked deep in my cube at work.
Walter and Don wrote some amazing stuff, and their attention to detail came through loud and clear to me. They expressed many thoughts I could relate to, and did it in such a disarming way that it really puts the listener at ease. Listen to Any Major Dude sometime - it encourages the listener that better times are just around the corner. Something a 15 year old plopped down in a new city, needing to create an entirely new life from scratch, needed to hear.
Now, I'm not saying all Steely Dan music was great. I never did really connect with their post 2000 music (Two Against Nature and Everything Must Go) though I''m willing to give it another go.
But their stuff from mid 1990 and earlier, that I really get. I think this guy nails it right on the head...
Rest In Peace, Walter Becker. Your music will withstand the test of time. Something I can't say about a lot of music today.
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