Gaucho Amigos
The rising tide of Steely Dan memes, merchandise, and general nostalgia among millennials are just stray bits of proof: an unexpected 21st-century Dan-aissance is in full swing. Why is this slick, cynical, and extremely expensive-sounding music—deemed uncool by self-consciously hip music fans for decades—having this kind of resurgence? Hosted by Alex Preiss (creator of the popular @baddantakes Twitter account) with sincere love and embarrassingly deep knowledge, Gaucho Amigos explores how a couple of funny-looking, misanthropic beatniks became the two most unlikely rock stars of the ‘70s. Through 1-on-1 interviews with notable Dan fans from across the pop culture spectrum, Gaucho Amigos ponders the nature of the band’s greatness, exploring the band’s growing cultural cache and trawling the outer reaches of Steely Dan’s sleazy cinematic universe.
Episodes
50 episodes
"The Hitmaker" ft. Bernard Purdie
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, the legendary drummer who played on several songs on The Royal Scam and Aja, and whose influential "Purdie Shuffle" is featured on "Ba...
"The Long Goodbye" ft. Jake Morris
Jake Morris, the longtime drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, joins the podcast for a rambling chat about his love of Steel...
"Funked Up Muzak" ft. Steve Huey
"Hollywood" Steve Huey, co-creator of the original "Yacht Rock" web series and featured inter...
"Make Mine a Double, Sam" ft. Scott Hull / Robyn Flans
Mastering engineer Scott Hull, who worked on Two Against Nature and Kamakiriad, joins the podcast to reflect on his experiences collaborating in the studio with Donald and Wa...
"This All Too Mobile Home" ft. Dinky Dawson
Sound engineer Dinky Dawson joins the podcast to discuss his experiences live mixing, recording and spending time with Steely Dan on their 1974 tour, which would end up bei...
"Respect the Seven Second Delay" ft. Don Breithaupt
Don Breithaupt, who wrote the 33 1/3 series book on Aja, joins the podcast to talk about his lifelong relatio...
"Angular Banjos Sound Good to Me" ft. Elliot Scheiner
Engineer, mixer, and producer Elliot Scheiner, who won Grammys for his work on Aja, Gaucho, and Two Against Nature, joins the podcast to talk all about his e...
"We Work Well Together" ft. Thomas Dolby
Producer and singer-songwriter Thomas Dolby joins the podcast to primarily discuss his collaborations with another band whose songs contain obtuse lyrics and complex chord sequences, Prefab Sprout. Tho...
"The Trip We Made to Hollywood" ft. Elliott Randall
Guitarist Elliott Randall joins the podcast to talk all about his experiences with Steely Dan, from playing shows and recording with Donald and Walter in 1960's New York, to later joining them in L.A. ...
"They Never Knew it Went Down" ft. Andy Cush
Writer and bassist Andy Cush (Pitchfork, Garcia Peoples) joins the podcast to discuss the challenges of t...
"The Corner Office" ft. Max Zuckerman
Max Zuckerman's debut solo album The Corner Office, with its perfectly arranged jazz-pop epics a...
"Gotta See a Joker" ft. Allison Rapp
Classic rock journalist Allison Rapp (Ultimate Classic Rock) joins the podcast to discuss some of her favorite songs from the Dan-verse, including "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City" and Tori...
"Heartbreak Souvenir" ft. Steve Khan
Guitarist Steve Khan, who played on 5 of the 7 tracks on Gaucho including the solo on "Glamour Profess...
"Die Behind the Wheel" ft. Cory Hanson
Wand frontman, guitarist, and singer-songwriter Cory Hanson joins the podcast to discuss how Steely Dan influences his creative process. He also shar...
"It Will Come Back to You" ft. Jazmine Hughes / Helen Newby
Writer Jazmine Hughes joins the podcast to share her "Steely Dan testimony," explaining how she discovered their work through hip-hop samples, and later developed an appreciation of their witty, off-...
"Don't Take Me Alive" ft. Rick Marotta
Drummer Rick Marotta, the session specialist who played on classic Steely Dan songs like "Peg," "Hey Nineteen," "Time Out of Mind," and others, joins the podcast to share his experiences ...
"In a Faded Yellow-Green" ft. Anna Martinez
Graphic designer/artist Anna Martinez (better known as "Jive Miguel" on Twitter) joins the podcast to talk about how connecting with other Steely Dan fans was like "finding her people." Anna also...
"Stalking the Dread Moray Eel" ft. Paul Grimstad
Writer and film composer Paul Grimstad (The Sweet East) joins the podcast to discuss the particulars of Steely Dan's studio recording process and their mastery of arr...
"For the Little Guy" ft. Luke Rowell
New Zealand-based computer musician Luke Rowell joins the podcast to discuss how a surging interest in Steely Dan has influenced his vaporwave music project
"Lovers All Beware" ft. Bill Ware
Vibraphonist Bill Ware (Groove Collective, Home at Last) joins the podcast to talk about his experiences as a band member of Steel...
"The Other Side of No Tomorrow" ft. F.J. McMahon
Singer-songwriter F.J. McMahon joins the podcast to tell the story behind his 1969 folk-rock masterpiece Spirit of the Gold...
"I Can't Cry Anymore" ft. Jack Hamilton
Writer Jack Hamilton (author of Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination) joins the podcast to discus...
"The Early Years" ft. Kenny Vance
Kenny Vance (singer and founding member of Jay and the Americans) joins the podcast to tell the story of discovering two you...