Full Disclosure

In an open letter to Luke Wilson, Steely Dan slams his brother Owen for starring in You, Me and Dupree, a film blatantly stealing a character from their Grammy-winning song “Cousin Dupree.”

I’ve referenced Steely Dan in 2 bits. Lest I invite their hip, jazz-rock wrath for mentioning them in my obscure, ill-attended stand-up performances, let me explain. One is during a riff on original sin—part of an extended hunk on the Catholic Church’s imminent revision of the doctrine of Limbo. After playing the naïf and thinking Original Sin meant sinning in a uniquely creative manner—itself a somewhat hack premise—I first suggest the gluttony of eating too many sloths. Then I invoke sexual intercourse with a Savannah College of Art and Design coed but in a banal, derivative manner. “That’d be different, right? Fucking someone outré in a blasé way? We’re talking missionary position, Steely Dan on the stereo, maybe a little white wine.” This last clause is to be spoken in a comic voice parodying an unoriginal, suburban seducer but usually just comes nasal—I’m not known for my character work.

The other bit is based on their infamous name and is excerpted here.

In each I fully disclose the band’s name and deride not their music but its proletarian use. Still, I hope this public statement means we’re cool.

Methinks their beef may in part be a piling on to the "Owen’s overexposed" backlash. I also participated in this with a reference to Owen in an unreleased comic short spoofing Dogme 95 titled Dogme 05. (The dogmatic Danish directors could get a release for their stark depiction of a suicide if they only add Owen Wilson as the victims buddy.)

Still, artists have a right to be upset when work they inspire falls short. Don McLean famously dissed American Pie star Jason Biggs for not fucking the pie for 8 and a half minutes in a ’58 Impala. That would have been funnier.