Steely Dan hated touring. That’s been the accepted narrative for a very long time. But it is one former guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter questions.

“I’m not sure that’s actually 100% true,” he tells UCR. “I know [Walter] Becker and [Donald] Fagen enjoyed the concept of saying [that], but we toured a lot in the beginning.”

Baxter has logged numerous studio hours with artists like John Mellencamp, Carly Simon, Ringo Starr and Joni Mitchell. Still, his prolonged stints with each Steely Dan after which the Doobie Brothers put him on the map, due to his enjoying – and okay, sure, additionally his unforgettable mustache.

He’s been out on the street sharing tales from his prolonged profession throughout a collection of intimate live shows in assist of his debut solo album, Speed of Heat, which arrived in 2022. While the prospects of releasing a report below his personal title may need been daunting, Baxter loved the expertise a lot that he admits to ideas of a sequel.

During a latest dialog, he mentioned the album, in addition to some milestones from his storied previous.

What introduced you again to Steely Dan’s “My Old School” and the model you recorded in your album?
I used to sing it reside with Steely Dan. For some cause, Donald needed me to do it and I believed, “Okay, I’ll give it a try.” The extra we performed it, the extra energetic it obtained. It reached the purpose the place it was actually rockin’. I believed, “Someday, I’d really like to explore just how far I could take this,” by way of vitality. This model is fairly thermonuclear, I’d say. [Laughs]

You had been going to have Steven Tyler sing it initially.
Steve’s top-of-the-line rock singers I do know. I believed it could be an excellent addition to the efficiency and to the vitality stage that I used to be on the lookout for, for the tune. He’s an outdated pal, so I believed I’d ask and see if he needed to do it. His response definitely shocked me. I simply did it as a scratch vocal for him, so he may know the place the vocal was. I had actually no intentions of singing it on the report – however he is aware of extra about these things than I do. So I trusted him and I nonetheless do. He mentioned, “You oughta do it.” I mentioned, “Okay, I’ll take a shot.”

That says rather a lot about Steven.
That’s additionally an indication of an excellent musician, to have a look at one thing from an goal standpoint, not from a subjective standpoint.

Listen to Skunk Baxter’s Update of ‘My Old School’

It’s additionally being conscious of what the tune wants or recognizing when it does not want something.
That’s definitely an necessary facet of being a studio musician, that’s for rattling certain. I recall a scenario the place Gary Katz, who was the producer for Steely Dan, was producing a feminine singer. He known as me and mentioned, “Listen, I’ve finished this record, sort of. I want you to come in, bring all of your stuff. I want you to listen to every track and tell me what it needs.” I got here in with every thing and it was all arrange. I listened to the entire album and mentioned, “Gary, it doesn’t need anything. It’s just fine.” He mentioned, “That’s why I pay you triple scale.”

I spoke with Gary lately. Donald and Walter are legendary for placing musicians by way of their paces. He advised me an excellent Don Henley story. What’s a second that pushed you as a musician?
One instance was after we did “East St. Louis Toodle-oo,” with the concept that every of us will decide one of many devices from the unique Duke Ellington recording and play it on one other instrument. What would that instrument be? I picked the trombone half and I figured, “Well, since the trombone is known for being able to slide between notes, I think I’ll take a shot on pedal steel.” That was a problem however I like a problem – and to me, it gave me a possibility to essentially push my talents and push the envelope.

READ MORE: The Most Overlooked Steely Dan Song From Each Album

I really like listening to Michael McDonald on this album. There’s a vulnerability you had been in a position to seize, the best way he approaches his vocal on “My Place in the Sun.”
Originally, it was going to be an instrumental report. When I discussed to Mike McDonald that I used to be doing a solo mission, he mentioned, “Well, you know, if you want me to do something on it, I’d love to.” I believed, “Yeah, why not?” The concept was, okay, you’ll write with myself and [producer] CJ [Vanston], however let’s strive one thing that’s out of your wheelhouse.” This is what associates are for. If it’s horrible, it’s my fault. If it’s nice, you’re taking the credit score for it. But [the idea is] to strive one thing that’s very totally different. I believed he did an unimaginable job. I don’t assume he’s ever finished something like this. It’s so totally different. But once more, it showcases his skills and it gave him a possibility to open up.

Listen to Steely Dan’s ‘East St. Louis Toodle-oo’

Your model of “Do it Again” feels genuine to the best way Donald and Walter would method songs. They had been all the time trying to flip issues inside out and take a look at one thing totally different.
Well, they had been definitely standing on the shoulders of giants. That was John Coltrane’s complete factor, to seek out one be aware and see what number of totally different approaches he may provide you with. Charlie Parker would take a chord and do the identical factor. Miles Davis realized that he was not going to be Dizzy Gillespie, so he picked his notes very rigorously. I all the time assume again to John Coltrane’s model of “My Favorite Things.” I imply, it’s the final tune that you’d assume that John Coltrane would tackle – however for some cause, he noticed that this was a canvas he may paint on.

Steely Dan did some reveals with Frank Zappa. How did that mixture fare?
I can’t recall any unusual juxtaposition or any battle of any variety. I believe we had been each interested in one another. You know, he would come and hearken to us and we had been listening to him. Frank was type of a New York man as nicely. He had that New York musician angle that I’ve and Walter and Donald and Denny [Dias], Dave [Palmer], all of us had that taste about us. I simply actually bear in mind having fun with the chance [to share the bill with Zappa].

READ MORE: How Steely Dan Might Have Become Like the Grateful Dead

It’s identified that Donald and Walter weren’t huge followers of touring initially, in these days. Why do you assume it was tough for Steely Dan to tour again then?
I’m unsure that’s truly 100% true. I do know that Becker and Fagan loved the idea of claiming, “We don’t want to play live. We can’t get the perfect sound.” But we toured rather a lot to start with. Everybody had a good time. Someone despatched me a duplicate of [the band’s appearance on] Midnight Special, the place we did “My Old School.” It seems to be to me like Donald is having a rip-roaring time. So I’m not fairly certain that’s 100% – I imply, I get the thought of purity and perfection, however a few of these gigs that I bear in mind had been fairly smokin’.

How did you find yourself forming the supergroup, the Best, with Joe Walsh, Keith Emerson and John Entwistle?
We had been the home band on the China Club in L.A. It was fascinating that all the sudden I’m getting calls from associates of mine like Elton John and a man like Bruce Springsteen saying, “I really want to come play at the China Club” – as a result of the home band was fairly good. So we began doing reveals with totally different folks and enjoying amongst ourselves. Michael Jensen, my publicist, got here in sooner or later and went, “You know what? We should do something with this.” He obtained along with a Japanese promoter and we ended up doing 5 reveals – 4 in Japan and one in Hawaii. So once more, it was similar to, “Well, since there’s really no pressure to be anything or to promote anything, let’s just have some fun.” You know, there was no company or enterprise angle to it. I bear in mind throughout rehearsals one time, we had been doing “Boris the Spider,” John Entwistle’s tune. Somehow or different, I began enjoying the theme from Jaws over it. Anytime you do something within the classical vein with John or any of the opposite gamers, it’s like lighting dry grass. Keith is classically skilled, so we had been about three or 4 bars into it and he began enjoying the melody from Jaws [as well]. It’s in his DNA.

So it’s like, okay, from there, let’s go to “Night on Bald Mountain” from Mussorgsky. Keith was clearly acquainted with that [because of Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s adaptation of Pictures at an Exhibition, and John was classically trained on French horn. So it wasn’t like we were going to any place that nobody knew. I even studied classical piano for eight years. So bingo! Somehow or other, we ended up going into “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky and then back into “Boris the Spider.” I mean, this was kind of what this thing was about. There were no limits. There were no boundaries. No limitations at all. The depth of musical talent in the band, there wasn’t anything you couldn’t do. Some of the stuff we wrote out when we played it live, simply because Keith had arrangements that he wanted to do. “Fanfare for the Common Man,” he’d written out the charts. Yeah, I wanted to play what he wanted me to play! Because I loved what he’d written. [Laughs] But it’s humorous, it was a mix of studying the chart after which going out, type of off-the-ball, coming again and studying the chart after which going again and making an attempt one thing totally different once more! I liked it. There was a lot vitality and it was a lot enjoyable.