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On That Note<\/a><\/p>\n \n Welcome to \u201cOn That Note,\u201d a rock-and-roll-centered column that will dive into the big stories, trends, and crazy ideas coming out of the music industry.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cSomeone asked him what he thought about having a viral moment, and he said, \u2018We must really have our finger on the pulse of the nation.\u2019 So that was his comment about it.\u201d There was only one correct reaction to seeing Donald Fagen reappear in the passenger seat of a social-media video last month: Is there gas in the car<\/a>?<\/p>\n The clip, posted by Fagen\u2019s stepdaughter, Amy Helm \u2014 whose mother, the singer-songwriter Libby Titus, was married to Fagen until her death in late 2024 \u2014 was meant to draw attention to a few tickets still available for the Helm Family Midnight Ramble<\/a>, a frequent community gathering for live music in Woodstock, New York. (It was created in tribute to her father, Levon Helm, the drummer and beautifully rugged vocalist for the Band.) Fagen\u2019s nonchalant cameo, though, got the Steely Dan community in a tizzy. There he is, sitting pretty<\/a>, chewing gum and looking like a major dude in a pair of sunglasses. Weeks later, Helm posted another video<\/a>, this time with Fagen looking even more unbothered and checking an imaginary watch. The trilogy concluded<\/a> on April 1 with Fagen scribbling an inscrutable equation on the car window until, again, taking a break to consult an invisible timepiece on his wrist. The three videos are barely over 60 seconds combined and provide more entertainment value than your favorite foreign movie<\/a>. But it also served as an update of sorts for Fagen, who has eschewed public life since Titus\u2019s passing and whose whereabouts were uncertain. So, how\u2019s our man doing?<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s doing fantastic. He\u2019s living up here in Woodstock full time,\u201d Helm told me on a sunny afternoon this week. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing a lot of music. He\u2019s enjoying his retirement. He\u2019s playing piano and singing the occasional rock-and-roll cover with our family band at the Midnight Ramble, and we\u2019re having a great time. He\u2019s working on music with my son as well. They\u2019re working on an album, and that\u2019s been fun. So it\u2019s a nice time for the family.\u201d<\/p>\n During our chat, Helm was killing time in her car before picking up Fagen for a drive. She says she made the first video for the Midnight Ramble in the comfort of her vehicle because, simply, she lost track of time, and Fagen happened to be riding shotgun. \u201cI was on a deadline to get the video in, and I told him to hang on a second before we pulled out of a parking lot,\u201d she explains. \u201cI was like, \u2018Let me just quickly get this video done.\u2019 And he was like, Yeah, \u2018I\u2019ll make it with you.\u2019 That\u2019s how they began.\u201d<\/p>\n It took Helm a few days to realize the impact of Fagen\u2019s appearance outside of the normal Midnight Ramble audience. \u201cThe funny thing is that there was so much response in the comments on Instagram,\u201d she notes. \u201cI\u2019m barely on Instagram, and Donald doesn\u2019t have it. So all of a sudden friends were texting me and letting me know that it was really resonating with Steely Dan fans. I thought that was really sweet and funny.\u201d With performances planned well into 2026, Helm is certain a fourth video will be a necessity. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what Donald comes up with,\u201d she says. \u201cSomeone asked him what he thought about having a viral moment, and he said, \u2018We must really have our finger on the pulse of the nation.\u2019 So that was his comment about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Fagen last performed as Steely Dan in March 2024, when his band opened for the Eagles on their ongoing farewell tour and somehow refused to play \u201cEverything You Did\u201d to mark the occasion. (Real fans know<\/a>.) Fagen was forced to miss a few gigs due to a hospitalization<\/a> in late 2023. While there are no current plans for him to return to the road as Steely Dan, don\u2019t give up hope yet of hearing \u201cMy Old School\u201d live one last time. \u201cRight now he\u2019s really enjoying being retired and not having any expectations or pressure,\u201d Helm explains. \u201cWe drive around, we listen to music, and he picks fun covers for us to try at the Midnight Ramble. He\u2019s just enjoying the downtime, but I guess you never know. Every artist has their seasons and what they want to lean into, so who knows.\u201d<\/p>\n Helm and Fagen have recently enjoyed working on arrangements for Bob Dylan\u2019s \u201cRita May,\u201d as well as two collaborative songs Dylan did with the Band during their Basement Tapes sessions, \u201cThis Wheel\u2019s on Fire\u201d and \u201cI Shall Be Released.\u201d Fagen does a particularly groovy cover of the Rolling Stones\u2019 \u201cOut of Time,\u201d too, in case you were curious. \u201cHis singing is so great. It\u2019s so incredible to hear him sing some of the Band stuff, because the Midnight Rambles focus on Band material as well as the greater American rock-and-roll canon,\u201d Helm says, noting that Fagen\u2019s take on \u201cI Shall Be Released\u201d is the standout of the bunch. \u201cHe makes that one sound breathtakingly good. Just so moving and powerful,\u201d she adds. \u201cEven knowing him and being his stepdaughter, it\u2019s kind of arresting to hear him sing that stuff. His voice is so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n Related<\/p>\n
\n Photo: Courtesy of Donald Fagen\n <\/p>\n