I like it when songs develop in some way. Four minutes usually isn't enough time for something to develop musically.

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

I tried to grow up. Honest. Didn’t quite happen. I guess I’m someone for whom youth still seems more real than the present, or the half century in between. And why not? I'm deeply underwhelmed by most contemporary art, literature, music, films, TV, the heinous little phones, money talk, real estate talk, all that stuff. The Internet, which at first seemed so fascinating, appears to be evolving into something even worse than TV, but we'll see.

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

I have a critical nature, in the sense that when I look at something I often look for the flaws.

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.

I like it when songs develop in some way. Four minutes usually isn't enough time for something to develop musically.