I think of Steely Dan as being of its time, and it may be inseparable from its time.

Now why the hell would I want to increase the volume of my ejaculation ? They can already hear me in the apartment next door.

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 melody that would be fine on a saxophone but if you give it to a singer, it can sound raunchy.

What do you do with what you're given, and how do you transform it into something worthwhile?

When you get a groove going, time flies.

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.

As jazz fans, it was amusing for us to play jazz harmonies on these big, ugly electric guitars.