Randy Newman seemed like an even worse singer than me. I liked Ray Charles, Levi Stubbs, Jack Jones, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett. – Donald Fagen
I’ve never been comfortable as a lead performer, and I never wanted to be a singer, particularly. – Donald Fagen
What do you do with what you’re given, and how do you transform it into something worthwhile? – Donald Fagen
I took some lessons as a kid but trained myself by ear. I did it the way jazz musicians used to learn years ago, which is to play records and slow them down to figure out the notes. At first I tried to imitate Red Garland, who was my favorite jazz pianist. – Donald Fagen
I have a critical nature, in the sense that when I look at something I often look for the flaws. – Donald Fagen
Anthemic rock music is inherently fascist – anything intended to move huge masses of people is politically offensive to me. – Donald Fagen
I like it when songs develop in some way. Four minutes usually isn’t enough time for something to develop musically. – Donald Fagen
My writing is really intuitive. As a kid, I went to school in New Jersey and hung out in New York, so the way kids used to talk got into our earlier songs. – Donald Fagen
