Tag: Steely Dan

Jean Shepard

| December 28, 2011 | 0 Comments

Jean Sheperd

David Fagen is a co-founders of one of my favorite rock bands, Steely Dan.  His music is unique, honest and intelligent and has borne the test of time.  I never get bored when I’m listening to Steely Dan and continue to discover new things in the music.

Fagen brings that honesty and intelligence to a remembrance of Jean Shepard in Slate Magazine, of the man who create A Christmas Story, a relatively recent entrant into the genre of classic Christmas movies.  Fagen essentially reviews Shepard’s entire career, most of which was spent on late night radio where he simply told stories.  He also had a short run on PBS narrating off beat documentaries.

Like Fagen, as a child, I loved listening to Shepard in a darkened bedroom, with the sound on the radio turned low.  If you’ve seen the movie, you know the voice, since he is the narrator.  He had a magnificent voice, soothing and a bit subversive.  Fagen describes it as “cozy, yet abounding with jest.” Continue Reading