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 Copy Share Image
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… — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
I had trouble distinguishing art from life. I don't now, and I feel much better! — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
Melodies can be good depending on the context. You can have a simple melody, and if the harmony behind it is interesting, it can make a very simple melody really different. You can also have a complex melody. The more complex it is, the harder it is to sing, and then sometimes it can sound contrived. You could write a… — Donald Fagen Copy Share
My style is a little quirky. I can't play as fast as most professional jazz players. — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
Now why the hell would I want to increase the volume of my ejaculation ? They can already hear me in the apartment next door. — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
Randy Newman seemed like an even worse singer than me. I liked Ray Charles, Levi Stubbs, Jack Jones, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett. — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
Popularity has everything to do with business and nothing to do with music. — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
As jazz fans, it was amusing for us to play jazz harmonies on these big, ugly electric guitars. — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
It's great to know that our old stuff still sounds good to our fans, just as it's wonderful to think that we've turned a… — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
What do you do with what you're given, and how do you transform it into something worthwhile? — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
We don't think of ourselves as being perfectionists, really. To us it's more about desperately trying to have it sound more or less OK. — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
“I started going to jazz clubs in New York when I was twelve or thirteen, first with my older cousins Mike and Jack, and… — Donald Fagen Copy Share Image
