Appreciation: Walter Becker approached everything with irreverence — except Steely Dan's music
Walter Becker wasn't easily impressed.
Addressing a crowd of show-business luminaries in 2001 as his band, Steely Dan, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he took a typically sly - and typically subtle - dig at the institution's inflated self-regard by declaring, "We're persuaded it's a great honor to be here tonight."
And when Steely Dan played the Hollywood Bowl with an orchestra last year, the guitarist and bassist fake-apologized for having dressed in a T-shirt and windbreaker:
