
Eminent Hipsters
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Narrated by:
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Donald Fagen
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By:
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Donald Fagen
About this listen
A witty, revealing, sharply written work of memoir and criticism by the cofounder of Steely Dan.
Musician and songwriter Donald Fagen presents a group of vivid set pieces in his entertaining debut as an author, from portraits of the cultural figures and currents that shaped him as a youth to an account of his college days and of life on the road.
Fagen begins by introducing the “eminent hipsters” that spoke to him as he was growing up in a bland New Jersey suburb in the early 1960s, among them Jean Shepherd, whose manic nightly broadcasts out of WOR-Radio “enthralled a generation of alienated young people”; Henry Mancini, whose swank, noirish soundtracks left their mark on him; and Mort Fega, the laid-back, knowledgeable all-night jazz man at WEVD who was like “the cool uncle you always wished you had". He writes of how, coming of age during the paranoid Cold War era, one of his primary doors of escape became reading science fiction, and of his invigorating trips into New York City to hear jazz. “Class of ’69” recounts Fagen’s colorful, mind-expanding years at Bard College, the progressive school north of New York City, where he first met his future musical partner Walter Becker. “With the Dukes of September” offers a cranky, hilarious account of the ups and downs of a recent cross-country tour Fagen made with Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald, performing a program of old R&B and soul tunes as well as some of their own hits.
Acclaimed for the elaborate arrangements and jazz harmonies of his songs, Fagen proves himself a sophisticated writer with a very distinctive voice in this engaging audiobook.
©2013 Donald Fagen; 2013 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"[An] excellent...and satisfying memoir. This is less about Fagen’s career than about his tastes... He writes insightfully about music, films, and books...with this remorseless, hilarious book, Fagen reveals himself as a first-class grump.... Eminent Hipsters is also a convincing testimonial to the honing effect of a lifelong devotion to the culture of misfits, weirdos and cranks." (Rolling Stone)
"Fagen is utterly charming when he describes other performers...he defends TV and film composer Henry Mancini from charges of fuddy-duddyness...his essay on Connie Boswell is the kind of top-notch, incisive cultural critique you ain’t gonna get from the likes of Keith Richards. Just like the lyrics he penned for the Dan, Fagen’s writing here is charged with a zingy, acerbic intelligence." (Slate.com)
"As you would expect from someone who has been one of the most consistently sardonic voices of rock, Fagen can write." (GQ.com )
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Story
As an A&R man at Epic Records, Tom Werman helped introduce the world to REO Speedwagon, Boston, Ted Nugent, and Cheap Trick; he also discovered KISS, Rush, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but his record label passed on all of them. Then, as an independent producer, he oversaw landmark albums by Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Lita Ford, Jeff Beck, Poison, and many more. All in all, his record-making resume includes twenty-three gold- or platinum-selling albums and cumulative sales of more than fifty-two million copies.
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Great behind the scenes descriptions of some historic recordings.
- By MeLisa Owens on 05-28-24
By: Tom Werman
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The Real Frank Zappa Book
- By: Frank Zappa, Peter Occhiogrosso - with
- Narrated by: Ahmet Zappa
- Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The legendary Frank Zappa, one of the most influential, innovative and controversial musical artists for the past 20 years, takes us on a wild, funny trip through his life and times. Along the way, Zappa offers his inimitable views on many things such as art, politics, and beer.
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Some good parts, some not...
- By Ian Currie on 09-20-23
By: Frank Zappa, and others
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Life in the Fast Lane
- The Eagles’ Reckless Ride Down the Rock & Roll Highway
- By: Mick Wall
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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"Surely make you lose your mind . . ." So the Eagles warn us about the outrageous and ruthless lifestyle of the ambitious rock-n-roller. In fact, Don Henley could barely listen to the track "Life in the Fast Lane" when they were recording it. He was so high that it made him sick. The band that embodied the American dream with globe-straddling success, impossibly luxurious lives, and almost supernatural talent also descended into nightmare with betrayal, hate-filled hubris, the skeletons of perceived enemies, brutally discarded lovers and former band mates left unburied in the road behind them.
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Welcome Overview
- By Stephen on 11-09-23
By: Mick Wall
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Miracle and Wonder
- Conversations with Paul Simon
- By: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, Paul Simon
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon is part memoir, part investigation, and unlike any creative portrait you’ve ever heard before. Recorded over a series of 30 hours of conversation between Simon, Gladwell, and Gladwell’s oldest friend and co-writer, journalist and Broken Record podcast co-host Bruce Headlam, the conversation flows from Simon’s music, to his childhood in Queens, NY, to his frequent collaborators including Art Garfunkel and the nature of creativity itself.
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A lifelong companion who will never know my name
- By scsurfer on 11-16-21
By: Malcolm Gladwell, and others
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Drums & Demons
- The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon
- By: Joel Selvin
- Narrated by: David Bendena
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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With full cooperation from the late Gordon's family and based on his trademark extensive, detailed research, Joel Selvin’s account is at once an epic journey through an artist’s monumental musical contributions, a rollicking history of rock drumming, and a terrifying downward spiral into the unimaginable madness that Gordon fought a valiant but losing battle against. One of the great untold stories of rock is finally being told.
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Detailed look into the tortured soul of Jim Gordon
- By vintageone on 04-10-24
By: Joel Selvin
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Quantum Criminals
- Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan
- By: Alex Pappademas, Joan LeMay
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Steely Dan's songs are exercises in fictional world-building. No one else in the classic-rock canon has conjured a more vivid cast of rogues and heroes, creeps and schmucks, lovers and dreamers and cold-blooded operators-or imbued their characters with so much humanity.
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Too many lyrics, not enough music
- By Charlie White on 02-27-25
By: Alex Pappademas, and others
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The Name of This Band Is R.E.M.
- A Biography
- By: Peter Ames Carlin
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 16 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spring of 1980, an unexpected group of musical eccentrics came together to play their very first performance at a college party in Athens, Georgia. Within a few short years, they had taken over the world–with smash records like Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster and Green. Raw, outrageous, and expressive, R.E.M.’s distinctive musical flair was unmatched, and a string of mega-successes solidified them as generational spokesmen.
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Sometimes good guys win
- By Roger D. Plothow on 11-27-24
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Led Zeppelin
- The Biography
- By: Bob Spitz
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 21 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of the definitive New York Times best-selling history of the Beatles comes the authoritative account of the group many call the greatest rock band of all time, arguably the most successful, and certainly one of the most notorious.
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Sex & Drugs & Rock-n-Roll.... in that order.
- By Joe on 01-03-22
By: Bob Spitz
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Sonny Boy
- A Memoir
- By: Al Pacino
- Narrated by: Al Pacino
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies—The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon—that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.
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I loved this so much!!! But….
- By paintgal on 10-24-24
By: Al Pacino
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Brothers
- By: Alex van Halen
- Narrated by: Alex van Halen
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate. In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother.
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Great but incomplete.
- By Zac Stafford on 10-31-24
By: Alex van Halen
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Farewell Yellow Brick Road
- Memories of My Life on Tour
- By: Elton John, David Furnish - foreword
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Vikas Adam, Daniel Henning, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Farewell Yellow Brick Road is a celebration of Elton John's record-breaking, globe-spanning farewell tour—from Allentown to Auckland, from Sydney to San Francisco. Featured concerts include Elton’s dazzling performances at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022, the finale of which streamed live on Disney+. Fans will be treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into every aspect of these spectacular shows, including Elton’s legendary touring wardrobe by Gucci, the set design, official photography, and more.
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Could have been …
- By Tracy F. on 01-04-25
By: Elton John, and others
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The Friday Afternoon Club
- A Family Memoir
- By: Griffin Dunne
- Narrated by: Griffin Dunne
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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At nine, Sean Connery saved him from drowning. At thirteen, desperate to hook up with Janis Joplin, he attended his aunt Joan Didion and uncle John Gregory Dunne’s legendary LA launch party for Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. At sixteen, he got kicked out of boarding school, ending his institutional education for good.
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Griffiths phrasing made it easy to listen and absorb.
- By Nancie Keay on 06-17-24
By: Griffin Dunne
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Greenlights
- By: Matthew McConaughey
- Narrated by: Matthew McConaughey
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me. Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries.
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Love this!
- By Nancy on 10-21-20
What listeners say about Eminent Hipsters
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- Joe Vendors
- 05-18-20
Not Just for Steely Dan Fans
Remember when you were a kid and you discovered something so secret and cool you knew no friend of yours could possibly know about it yet? That's what I am feeling as I enjoy this book, read by the author. It is hysterical.
Mr Fagen is as gifted a writer as he is as the leader and main writer in Steely Dan. Incrediblly literate and truthful. Wonderful
As I say in the heading it is Not just for Steely Dan fans!
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- Harry
- 01-26-14
Must-listen for Steely Dan or Donald Fagen fans
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
If you've ever wondered about Donald Fagan or Steely Dan's origins, this is the book for you! The fact that it is narrated by Fagen himself is a major bonus. While some might not care for the sound of his voice or his laconic manner, I found it to be integral to enjoying the text.
Fagen was born just a few years before me, but the touchpoints of his youth resonated with me. Listening to a transistor radio, transitioning through listening to different styles of music, etc.
As a former performing musician myself, I enjoyed hearing his tales of life on the road -- the good and the bad... well, mostly the bad. But even the bad is funny the way he tells it. Any musician who aspires to be famous enough to tour for a living (or whatever reason) should certainly listen to Fagen's story before getting too excited about what awaits them on the road.
What did you like best about this story?
The scope, from youth to Steely Dan reunion tours, and told by the man himself.
Have you listened to any of Donald Fagen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I'd only heard his music (recordings, radio, one live concert in 2013) and one radio interview. All great stuff, but don't pass over this audiobook.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I listened while commuting. Most audiobooks are way too long to even contemplate sitting or even listening to for 10-30 hours.
Any additional comments?
Buy this audiobook!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 01-24-18
Great book!
Half of one of my favorite bands talks about his life and touring! Fun listen!
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- John
- 03-05-15
Great fun!!!
As a fan since forever, it was great to hear Fagen's reflections in his own voice. I laughed out loud many times, and gained a better understanding of what made one of favorite artists become who he is. Highly recommended.
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- John Rusiniak
- 05-12-21
Great for fans of Fagen, probably no one else
Some decent stories here, but a whole lot of "old man yells at cloud" moments. Did you know that everything sucks now? You will after reading this book!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Casper P.
- 05-26-22
Just perfect
I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying this. It seems to be a collection of essays, some are musicologically very deep critiques of artists such as the Boswell Sisters. I had never heard of these wonders before but this discovery alone is worth the credit.
Others are moors sketches and observations on life. Mostly around music though. He is a jazz fan so to me, this is heaven.
It turns out Donald is an ex-cel-lent writer which is no coincidence as he was a professional writer before. But I didn't know.
So the prose is deep, witty, insightful and goes down smooth if you know what I mean.
Totally recommend this one.
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- Bill
- 02-11-25
The real deal
The honesty of life on the road and it's affects on emotional and physical health
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- Mitchell
- 07-28-22
Loved it.....mostly
Very slow start but I'm glad I stuck with it. I truly enjoyed it.
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- jlight
- 09-19-16
great book for fans
I have loved Steely Dan for decades as well as Donald Fagan. This book shed great light into more of who he is and how he thinks, something I appreciate very much. keep the writing coming Donald...but perhaps first find the cure for ATD and PTD
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1 person found this helpful
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- Darren Embry
- 09-26-19
Good origin story
Probably need to be a big Steely Dan fan or music history buff to find it compelling or really love...but that's me. Cheers, Donald. Glad you wrote and read this.
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