Over-excited though I am by the prospect of imminent new music from Courtney Barnett, Bruce Hornsby and José Gonzalez, I am more than able to keep a foot in the past when it comes to my listening habits. And why not? After all, we live in the greatest period for music ever. Not only do we have all the music that’s ever been made to listen to, every day there is new music to seek out and enjoy. This week, I have been re-listening to Steely Dan.
While The Beatles were unquestionably the most important band in rock history, not least because nothing we listen to today would have existed but for them, and also to my mind the best band in rock history, my favourite band remains Steely Dan. The specific album I have been listening to was their 1995 live album, Alive In America.
Steely Dan, despite their impeccable musical credentials, were not always the greatest live act. And while they always hired the best available musicians – and we are talking about world class players – the band’s music was often so complex it was hard to recreate in a live theatre. Alive In America, recorded during 1993 and 1994, is nonetheless an excellent record and no Dan fan should be without it.
There are few surprises in the track listing, except for the inclusion of that rarity: a song composed solely and sung by Walter Becker. Until then, Donald Fagen usually took the lead vocal. The song, Book Of Liars, came from Becker’s only solo album 11 Tracks of Whack. It was produced by Fagen and featured him on keyboards and while there were hints of Steely Dan throughout the record, it was unquestionably Becker’s album. My best friend Nick bought it and neither of us warmed to it, particularly because it was hard to listen to his baritone voice. When Book Of Liars appeared on Alive In America, I was utterly hooked.
The narrator, Becker, sings about a painful relationship break-up. He sings: “You know, I waited so long girl and I came so far
to see that you’re not always who you say you are.” He concludes: “But now the world’s much larger than it looks today and if my bad luck ever blows me back this way. Well, I’ll just look in my book of liars for your name. Well, you know I’m just gonna look in the book of liars for your name.” Here are the lyrics in full.
I had not long gone through a painful, abusive and costly divorce and Becker’s words hit me like a train. “Things we’ve done and the things we said. But not just now, girl, when I can’t remember exactly what it was we thought we had.” All the things we’d done and said but when it was all over, I really couldn’t remember what it was we had, just what we became. As soon as I played the track, I made my own virtual Book Of Liars. I’ve updated it so many times over the years.
There have been times in my life when I have been, as they say, economical with the truth. If we are all honest with ourselves, we have all done it one way or another. Think of your own examples. I can think of mine. But I as always uncomfortable with deflection and while I can see circumstances where blunt truth may need to be skated over to protect others, there is no need to lie.
An old friend once said to me: “I hate liars.” A simple enough statement but as usual I thought and thought and then overthought it, concluding that actually so did I. And coming from one of the most honest and principled people I have ever had the good fortune to know, I realised I hated liars, too. I took it to the Nth degree, as ever. Even apparently little lies about why someone could not attend a social engagement when I knew really that they just didn’t want to. If someone was capable of little lies, then what was to stop them telling bigger lies? In the modern zeitgeist, someone like Donald Trump has weaponised lying, almost to an art form.
I believe that most people are good people, who are honest and play by the rules. But, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open and just in case, I’ll follow Walter Becker’s excellent advice: “I’ll just look in my book of liars for your name.” Liars might not know they are in it but if they sometimes wonder why I am not in touch, that book might just leave a clue.
