Hi, all. Haven't posted in a long while but have been lurking a bit. Been feeling a little blue vis-à-vis Walter (i.e., sad that he isn't around), and even Donald. This discussion about the auction and the others about his studio, books, CDs, papers, etc., etc., etc. are kind of driving it all home. The worldly possessions of an other-worldly talent. I'm happy to read what everybody's saying. Makes me feel better. And the pictures of the guitars bring me great joy! I'm glad I can stop by here when I'm missing Walt. Additionally, I'm so glad when there's a tune to download. Hearing Walter is the real balm. The newsletters are also another bright spot. D-Mod, still haven't gotten my film developed. I need to get off my arse and get that done to see if there's a picture from my time with Walter at the Tokyo International Forum in 2000. -- fin --

Thank you! During these intervening decades, I only dreamed that such a recording existed. I enjoyed hearing Walter showcase 11TOW tunes at Steely Dan shows -- "My Waterloo" at Century Hall, Nagoya, on Oct. 12, 1996, stands out -- but, frankly, I never thought those performances captured the album's vibe and they didn't enchant me as I thought they might. (Also, I was nonplussed/angry when people got up to take piss breaks or make beer runs when Walter sang a solo tune at amphitheater gigs. Yet another reason for my dislike of outdoor shows.) Anyway, thank you! More, please, more!

Hey, nineteen years ago, give or take! Thanks for digging that up! No update on the film, alas. It ain't like I can zip through a Fotomat or drop off at my local drug store. Those days are gone forever. Schekkie Spilkus is an alter-ego of The Dutch Hercules himself, Tesco Vee of The Meatmen. Schekkie owns and operates Sex Mart 2000 on scenic Black Horse Pike in Pomona, New Jersey. I invoke the name from time to time because it amuses me to no end, much as "Fishmouth" does.

@Matthew Kerns: Walter was always gracious and friendly to me. He never seemed rushed or perturbed to be talking with hoi polloi such as myself. In Tokyo, he asked me questions about my life and my work, and seemed genuinely interested about what is now sappily referred to as "my journey." I made him laugh a few times, which, as you might imagine, was a great feeling. I feel fortunate to have had that opportunity to truly converse with him, and I understand your sentiment about how stories of his interactions with everyday people make you appreciate your time with him. I do hope the film I found is from that evening, and that it is still viable after almost two decades. (Film! How quaint!)

@Moderator: D-Mod, yes, the review was on the SD website, but it's no longer there. I've searched high and low for it in all kinds of internet archives, to no avail. And alas, the original file and emails are also gone, lost along with many other music-writing gigs I did in Japan, mainly due to poor planning on my part. I still have a review of 2vN I did for a newspaper in Nagoya, for which I wrote a weekly music column, and one for C$ I did for the now-defunct Suite101, which hired me after I won something called the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. This is making me think about things I haven't thought about in years. A nice bonus of getting involved here.

@Moderator: D-Mod, Thanks for the reply (!). Thanks also for thanking me for going audible. It takes a lot to motivate me to participate in online stuff. My Slovenian last name, which translates to "point" (as in apex or sharp end), has been the source of much butchery and comedy. So, I sometimes provide the phonetic in written introductions. Just remember this little jingle my classmate Marc B. tossed off in the third grade: Spik took a leak in a nearby creek. Western Pennsylvania rhyming at its naturalist best. There's a Mt. Spik in Slovenia. Rising from a conifer forest, it's lovely, comes to a dramatic summit, and is not named after my family's peasant stock. I did meet and spik with Walter (I'm calling him by his first name now) several times, the most memorable of which was in Tokyo, where I lived for many years. When I heard the 2vN tour was kicking off at the beautiful International Forum Hall, I wrote the Steely Dan website to offer my services as intrepid reporter/reviewer. The powers that be accepted and I reviewed the inaugural gig, a ticket for which I purchased from a Yakuza scalper dressed in D&G. When I submitted my pithy copy the next day--to, if I'm remembering correctly, someone who referred to herself as the Web Drone--I asked if there was a chance of meeting Becker-sama and Fagen-sama before they pulled up stakes and bulleted to Osaka. The answer was "yes," with the further tidbit that Walter had enjoyed my review. I was thrilled to know he had read it, and hoped he had chuckled at my suggestion of marketing a bobblehead figure in his likeness (to emulate his cranial movements on stage, you know). I was instructed to come to the venue a few hours before showtime and collect a pass and a ticket to that night's performance. I met the Web Drone, and she led me to a room backstage where, if memory serves, Walter was steaming the jacket he'd, um, don that evening. We talked for the better part of an hour. There's more to the story, but I don't wanna ramble, at least for now. However, your tale of how you and Walter met does beg one question: Were you the Web Drone? That would be wacky. If the pictures from that night are on that 18.5-year-old 35mm film, I will be sure to share. In the meantime, here's the shikishi that Walter signed. As you can see, Mr. Barney also got a hold of it, though I had hoped to isolate Walter's signature. I guess he didn't want to be jumbled up with the other scoundrels in the band, who after the show kindly signed a second shikishi I had brought along. The same, GRS

Hello, all. I'm always so happy to receive the Walter Becker Newsletter. The New Year's installment was especially wonderful, prompting me to write the group for the first time. Before the November 2009 "Royal Scam" show in Washington, D.C., I said to Mr. Becker (May I call him Walter?), "I listen to 'Circus Money' every day." I did. More than nine years later, I sit and listen to that album and "11 Tracks of Whack," in their entirety, at least twice a month. Generally, music he wrote, performed, and/or produced is part of my everyday life. The above is a sliver of my Walter Becker provenance, if you will. I share it not to boast or illustrate what an uber-fan I am; instead, I hope it will help express how much I adore his music, his mind, his insight, his use of language, and his wit. These are things I think about deeply and earnestly when I listen to his music or that can spontaneously appear in my mind throughout the day: His talent is a continual source of joy. To read the newsletters, hear the “new” music, see first-hand the existence of like-minded people, and know his memory has stalwart care takers … these things are really, really good. As Matthew wrote above, Mr. Becker’s work “makes you want to both be more literate and to share your literary tastes and efforts with ‘those of my kind.’” Sometimes I'll think of him and realize I'm shaking my head, inspired by his talent and saddened by his death. Now, 2019. I’m all for hearing about people’s interactions with Mr. Becker. I’d also be interested in hearing about people’s reactions to his solo work. Anecdotes about touring, his life in Hawaii, song origins, his writing/recording processes. Memorabilia. Interviews with peers and friends. Photos, naturally, and their stories. Poetry (!) and prose. I’d also be keen on meet-ups or events that bring us together. Last, I’d like to pose a question that’s been on my mind for years and years: Ever any discussions about “11TOW” and “Circus Money” being released on vinyl? That sure would be something, you bet. That’s it. So much for brevity. I’ll close by restating that all this Walter Becker stuff is really, really good. Oh, and I think I might have found the roll of film with pictures from my interaction with Mr. Becker in the hours before the second night of the “Two Against Nature” tour at Kokusai International Forum Hall in Tokyo. I certainly hope so; we shall see. Be well and carry the water, GRS