22. "Gaucho" by Steely Dan (1980)

Well I should know by now
That it's just a spasm
Like a Sunday in T.J.
That it's cheap but it's not free
That I'm not what I used to be
And that love's not a game for three

(TJ = Tijuana for you neophytes.)

Again with the age thing.

This album, by the way, is all about being burned-out on living the fast L.A. lifestyle. It has a very California feel to it. There are some pretty overt drug references, like "chasing the dragon" in Time Out of Mind and "the Cuervo Gold, the Fine Colombian" in Hey Nineteen; and lots of commentary on the "glamor profession", but this album is all about coming out defeated on the other side. There is really not a flattering portrait of anyone or anything on this collection, despite the upbeat sound of the thing.

The song that especially portrays this sentiment is the extravagant title cut, which satirizes the gay lifestyle. Now, I know Becker and Fagen are not gay, so on one hand this song comes off a little bit homophobic, or at the least stereotypical. On the other hand it is just the icing on the ironic cake (no pun intended on yesterday's entry):

Who is the gaucho amigo
Why is he standing
In your spangled leather poncho
And your elevator shoes
Bodacious cowboys
Such as your friend
Will never be welcome here
High in the Custerdome

By the way, nobody knows what the heck is a "Custerdome". I think the key word here is "high". Plus I always liked that line,

No he can't sleep on the floor
What do you think I'm yelling for?
I'll drop him near the freeway
Doesn't he have a home?

Yes, this album is about drugs. The "gaucho amigo" is the stupid choice you made when you were high that you thought you couldn't live without, but now you can't get rid of it. It's not his fault -- he can't help it that he's a "bodacious cowboy" -- but he doesn't belong in your house living with you. Now you have to do something drastic to get rid of him.

Get the message? It is for any of us who has ever repetitively, or addictively, engaged in something stupid and is now trying to live with the empty consequences. And I think that's something we can all relate to.

And you thought these lyrics were nonsense.

cds

p.s. The copy of this album I have is actually on Disk 4 of the collection "Citizen Steely Dan". If my kids are reading this, I would like to know the whereabouts of disks 1-3. Love, Dad.