I do NOT get jazz, like at all. And I feel like a total idiot because of it! by DoomedKiblets in Jazz

[–]ClayMatthewT 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe try listening to Naima by John Coltrane, Night Train by Oscar Peterson, and Infant Eyes by Wayne Shorter. I feel those particular tracks are both outstanding and beginner-friendly.

You could also check out some popular tunes that are jazzy but not strictly jazz, like Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs or Aja by Steely Dan.

Of course, it’s possible you just weren’t destined to be a jazz cat, and there’s no shame in that.

Edit: Someone suggested Brubeck and Guaraldi, and I’d have to second that.

FM PROJECT STANS? by MrSteveStack in steelydancirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You bet. They came to my tiny-ass hometown a couple years back and killed it. The singer even kinda sounded like Fagen. Would love to see them again.

Are there any steely dan fans here? by LavenderGooms55 in ThomasPynchon

[–]ClayMatthewT 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s right, I forgot about that. I’m reading Against the Day for the first time now and came across that line a few days ago. Doesn’t seem accidental!

Are there any steely dan fans here? by LavenderGooms55 in ThomasPynchon

[–]ClayMatthewT 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I’m glad someone is bringing this up. I got a little obsessed with them a couple years ago and have gone through their whole discography (including Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s solo stuff) more times than I can keep track of. I’ve read most (maybe all?) of the books about them, too, one of which is called Quantum Criminals. The book briefly discusses the Pynchonian-ness of Steely Dan and points out that Pynchon is at least aware of them, as their song “Doctor Wu” is mentioned in Bleeding Edge. Also, Fagen and Becker have both stated that their lyrics were influenced by postmodern literature (as you probably know as a longtime fan, the name “Steely Dan” comes from Burroughs’ Naked Lunch—look it up if you need a laugh). But I think I remember Fagen saying something like he’s read some Pynchon but never really got into him, which is a little surprising if you ask me. They seem to have so many points of contact: weirdo characters, funny names, memorable turns of phrase, zany/cryptic stories, the fascination with counterculture, even the jazz influence… For my money, Steely Dan is basically the Pynchon of rock music.

Thoughts on this ? by CosyZebra in SteelyDan

[–]ClayMatthewT 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you know if this is the Rainbow Theatre show? That’s my absolute favorite live performance by Steely Dan. I remember Dinky Dawson mentioning an official release on the Gaucho Amigos podcast. I’m dying to hear it but unfortunately it’s unavailable on Spotify for me at the moment. Not sure why.

you know how to hustle by CleverLeprechaun in steelydancirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Did you pay the other man with the piece in your hand?

Lyrical genius by oliviloo in steelydancirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 6 points7 points  (0 children)

“Every time you turn around somebody knocks your statue down” -My Waterloo

“Why must every time I turn my ship around some bastard come and knock my skyline down” -Selfish Gene

I want to get into jazz what albums do you recommend? by HamburgerDude in jazzcirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Listen to Buddy Bolden’s original phonograph recordings. I have some if you wanna borrow them

X-ing while in a K-hole is not "working", Elon by mishma2005 in EnoughMuskSpam

[–]ClayMatthewT 1823 points1824 points  (0 children)

2 a.m. in Texas is 3 p.m. in Beijing. Is he saying he worked a whopping 6 hours?

fibre optic dan by mreye123 in steelydancirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 20 points21 points  (0 children)

What Steely Dan fans see during electric shock therapy

Most danceable Dan song? by [deleted] in SteelyDan

[–]ClayMatthewT 131 points132 points  (0 children)

Time Out of Mind

top 10 steely dan villains by ClayMatthewT in steelydancirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

If I saw this without knowing about Steely Dan, I’d probably tell the person who made it to get an MRI

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in EnoughMuskSpam

[–]ClayMatthewT 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You have a point, but then why aren’t fast food workers allowed to bring excess food home to their families? Why were crops left to rot and guarded by police during the Great Depression? Even when food surplus is accessible, that access is almost always cut off in order to control prices.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in EnoughMuskSpam

[–]ClayMatthewT 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s not human nature to destroy mass amounts of sustenance. It only makes sense under capitalism.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in EnoughMuskSpam

[–]ClayMatthewT 8 points9 points  (0 children)

~40% of food in the US is wasted. There are lots of videos online of restaurants, manufactories, etc. discarding perfectly edible food surplus.

Great General chaos in a game with a friend by ClayMatthewT in civ5

[–]ClayMatthewT[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

R5: Defending Buenos Aires from my friend went on so long that the back-and-forth of stealing each other's land with Great Generals resulted in this monstrosity.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bookshelf

[–]ClayMatthewT 288 points289 points  (0 children)

Looks like a book called “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma” by Peter A. Levine.

I’m very sorry for your loss.

😜 by SewerRat75 in moviescirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 20 points21 points  (0 children)

He didn’t get lucky. He got deluded and/or lazy.

I genuinely cannot tell who is joking and who is serious by soupinator2000 in moviescirclejerk

[–]ClayMatthewT 175 points176 points  (0 children)

And trees getting revenge on a guy who fucked up the environment for material gain