Billy Joel: unearned contempt?

Really gives new meaning to the phrase: People who live in Glass Houses shoudn't throw stones.

Slate's Ron Rosenbaum writes, after listening to a multi-CD boxset of the Joel's greatest hits:

I think I've identified the qualities in B.J.'s work that distinguish his badness from other kinds of badness: It exhibits unearned contempt. Both a self-righteous contempt for others and the self-approbation and self-congratulation that is contempt's backside, so to speak. Most frequently a contempt for the supposed phoniness or inauthenticity of other people as opposed to the rock-solid authenticity of our B.J.

He likens the Joel to Holden Caulfield, the phony who condemns phonies and phoniness (and high school idol)... which, following his song-by-song analysis, actually rings quite true. Rosenbaum takes FOREVER to get there, and the rhetorical question answering comes much too late to be of any use to those angered by his criticism. But nevertheless, a fine takedown of an artist that I once detested, yet can now tolerate after years of New York Area Classic Rock Radio.

But his article somehow rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it's the lack of humor? and the hyperbolic tone of some of the criticism, bordering on preachy screechiness:

He was terrible, he is terrible, he always will be terrible. Anodyne, sappy, superficial, derivative, fraudulently rebellious. Joel's famous song "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"? Please. It never was rock 'n' roll. Billy Joel's music elevates self-aggrandizing self-pity and contempt for others into its own new and awful genre: "Mock-Rock."

Jeez, relax. He's still not as bad as the Dan. Or is he?

Why do I hate Steely Dan?

So smarmy. So smug. Suck? Steely!

All alliteration aside... actually, one more: soulless.



Every time I hear the name Steely Dan, this song pops into my head. Which really doesn't help. But especially since I read this article by co-founder and mastermind of Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, all about the rise and fall of Jean Shepherd--the man behind A Christmas Story. The article actually makes for pretty good reading, but most telling is Fagen's continued references to Lenny Bruce. Lenny who you may say? More on that later.

In the meantime, I found this lovingly brutal takedown of Fagen in the Onion to be so so satisfying. Clean doesn't really come close to describing their band's sound. More like anti-septic, mixed with 70s LA sleaze. Ugh... disgusting. But 70s sleaze resulted in some pretty good records, so that can't be all it.

Perhaps it is the obnoxious and long-winded open letter to Wes Anderson, letting the director know how terrible his movies have become, which disappoints Steely Dan to no end--illustrated by terrible songs they wrote to replace the music of his then upcoming release The Darjeeling Limited. Or at least that's what I assume. I couldn't get past the opening declaration of their credentials, namely some Intro to Film 101 name-dropping. Congratulations guys, you must be film critics of the highest caliber. Who could ever doubt your taste?

Oh, anyone who has ever listened to your music.

Also I should probably say old men, not guys. Is this a generational gap, a sense of humor thing? I mean, Lenny Bruce was great and all, but he's not all that shocking anymore. And Mitch Hedberg certainly outdid him in the OD department.

Steely Dan, after all, comes from Burrough's Naked Lunch. But as "dark" as Steely Dan's "sarcastic" songs get (OMG what ever could the song title "Peg" refer to, in a song that seems to be about a blue film?), they can't touch Burrough's insanity. The defense here, I think, is that Steely Dan's albums are "cerebral," "wry," "eccentric" (thanks Wikipedia)...

Besides, square, dig the jazz influence. Plus, we're like totally joking anyway.

If all of Steely Dan is merely a joke, perhaps I don't get it.

Or it was never funny.