Eminent Hipsters Spiral-Bound | 2014-10-28

Donald Fagen

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A witty, candid, sharply written memoir by the cofounder of Steely Dan

In his entertaining debut as an author, Donald Fagen--musician, songwriter, and cofounder of Steely Dan--reveals the cultural figures and currents that shaped his artistic sensibility, as well as offering a look at his college days and a hilarious account of life on the road. Fagen presents the "eminent hipsters" who spoke to him as he was growing up in a bland New Jersey suburb in the early 1960s; his colorful, mind-expanding years at Bard College, where he first met his musical partner Walter Becker; and the agonies and ecstasies of a recent cross-country tour with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. Acclaimed for his literate lyrics and complex arrangements as a musician, Fagen here proves himself a sophisticated writer with his own distinctive voice.
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 176 pages
ISBN-10: 0143126016
Item Weight: 0.3 lbs
Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 7.7 inches
Praise for Eminent Hipsters

"[An] excellent. . . and satisfying memoir. This is less about Fagen's career than about his tastes. . .He writes insightfully about music, films, and books. . .with this remorseless, hilarious book, Fagen reveals himself as a first-class grump. . . Eminent Hipsters is also a convincing testimonial to the honing effect of a lifelong devotion to the culture of misfits, weirdos and cranks."--Rolling Stone

"Fagen is utterly charming when he describes other performers. . .he defends TV and film composer Henry Mancini from charges of fuddy-duddyness. . . his essay on Connie Boswell is the kind of top-notch, incisive cultural critique you ain't gonna get from the likes of Keith Richards. Just like the lyrics he penned for the Dan, Fagen's writing here is charged with a zingy, acerbic intelligence."--Slate.com

"As you would expect from someone who has been one of the most consistently sardonic voices of rock, Fagen can write."--GQ.com

Donald Fagen's writing has appeared in Premiere, Slate, Harper's Bazaar, and Jazz Times. He lives in New York City.