So what exactly does the name of the rock band Steely Dan mean?
Since just before the global pandemic, I have been a volunteer on the Older Person’s Unit of St Thomas’ Hospital in central London. Every week, I talk to people between 65 and 100 about their lives and I can tell you that everyone has a story and I learn a lot about life.
So this week I was talking to a guy who had an interest in rock music and he told me the origin of the name of the American band Steely Dan. I wasn’t sure whether to believe him, so I checked it out on the web.
To quote the relevant page:
“Now, all they needed was a name. Of course, it would come from a left-field but unsurprising source. As both Becker and Fagen were huge fans of the bizarre world of 1950s ‘Beat’ literature, they chose the name Steely Dan. It was pulled directly from William S. Burrough’s highly controversial 1959 novel, Naked Lunch.So what or who is ‘Steely Dan’, you might ask? For those of you who haven’t read the meandering, psychotropic book, ‘Steely Dan III from Yokohama’ is the name of an oversized, steam-powered strap-on dildo that is used by Mary during the chapter of the book entitled ‘A.J.’s Annual Party’.”
This explanation is taken from this piece. So now you know …