Advertise on podcast: Gaucho Amigos

Rating

★★★★★

from

56 reviews

Description

The rising tide of Steely Dan memes, merchandise, and general nostalgia among millennials are just stray bits of proof: an unexpected 21st-century Dan-aissance is in full swing. Why is this slick, cynical, and extremely expensive-sounding music—deemed uncool by self-consciously hip music fans for decades—having this kind of resurgence? Hosted by Alex Preiss (creator of the popular @baddantakes Twitter account) with sincere love and embarrassingly deep knowledge, Gaucho Amigos explores how a couple of funny-looking, misanthropic beatniks became the two most unlikely rock stars of the ‘70s. Through 1-on-1 interviews with notable Dan fans from across the pop culture spectrum, Gaucho Amigos ponders the nature of the band’s greatness, exploring the band’s growing cultural cache and trawling the outer reaches of Steely Dan’s sleazy cinematic universe.

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53. "From Prophecy to Profit" ft. Rapallo

2026/08/18

Nick Lanyon and Kyla Jolene of the Montreal-based musical duo Rapallo join the podcast to discuss their excellent debut album Merger, touching on influences that range from musical theater to architecture to Gaucho, and everything in between. We also talk about how Steely Dan's "cinematic universe" had a strong influence on Rapallo's own approach to lyric-writing.

52. "I Got the News" ft. Devon Ivie

2026/07/28

Vulture writer Devon Ivie is one of the journalists who has most consistently (and humorously) covered the goings-on in the world of Steely Dan in recent years. She joins the podcast to give us updates on Donald Fagen's "retirement" status, as well discusses his chances of getting into the Rock Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

51. "Get Along, Kid Charlemagne" ft. Larry Carlton

2026/06/09

Legendary guitarist Larry Carlton joins the podcast to talk about all his collaboration with Steely Dan on albums like The Royal Scam and Aja, and of course discusses how he came to play his much-beloved guitar solo on "Kid Charlemagne."

50. "The Hitmaker" ft. Bernard Purdie

2025/01/14

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, the legendary drummer who played on several songs on The Royal Scam and Aja, and whose influential "Purdie Shuffle" is featured on "Babylon Sisters" and "Home at Last," joins the podcast to talk all about his collaborations with Steely Dan.

49. "The Long Goodbye" ft. Jake Morris

2025/01/07

Jake Morris, the longtime drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, joins the podcast for a rambling chat about his love of Steely Dan, Malkmus, indie rock touring, and his own excellent new solo album The Long Goodbye.

48. "Funked Up Muzak" ft. Steve Huey

2024/12/10

"Hollywood" Steve Huey, co-creator of the original "Yacht Rock" web series and featured interview subject in HBO's new movie Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, joins the podcast to further discuss the complicated relationship between the music of Steely Dan and the genre of jazz-inflected soft rock that has been retroactively dubbed "yacht rock."

47. "Make Mine a Double, Sam" ft. Scott Hull / Robyn Flans

2024/10/22

Mastering engineer Scott Hull, who worked on Two Against Nature and Kamakiriad, joins the podcast to reflect on his experiences collaborating in the studio with Donald and Walter. Also, music journalist Robyn Flans (author of It's About Time: Jeff Porcaro) joins to share stories about the late, great session drummer Jeff Porcaro's experiences with Steely Dan.

46. "This All Too Mobile Home" ft. Dinky Dawson

2024/09/24

Sound engineer Dinky Dawson joins the podcast to discuss his experiences live mixing, recording and spending time with Steely Dan on their 1974 tour, which would end up being their final tour for almost 20 years. Dinky also shares some news about the potential release of a newly discovered 1974 show.

45. "Respect the Seven Second Delay" ft. Don Breithaupt

2024/09/10

Don Breithaupt, who wrote the 33 1/3 series book on Aja, joins the podcast to talk about his lifelong relationship to Steely Dan's music as a writer, singer-songwriter, and fan. Don passes on some of the musical wisdom he received from interviewing Donald Fagen for his Aja book, and discusses the influence of Steely Dan on his long-running musical band and project Monkey House.

44. "Angular Banjos Sound Good to Me" ft. Elliot Scheiner

2024/07/16

Engineer, mixer, and producer Elliot Scheiner, who won Grammys for his work on Aja, Gaucho, and Two Against Nature, joins the podcast to talk all about his experiences working on those classic Steely Dan albums, and more.

43. "We Work Well Together" ft. Thomas Dolby

2024/06/18

Producer and singer-songwriter Thomas Dolby joins the podcast to primarily discuss his collaborations with another band whose songs contain obtuse lyrics and complex chord sequences, Prefab Sprout. Thomas shares his experiences producing the albums Steve McQueen (1985) and Jordan: The Comeback (1990), and also talks a bit about his own solo work and of course, Steely Dan.

42. "The Trip We Made to Hollywood" ft. Elliott Randall

2024/05/21

Guitarist Elliott Randall joins the podcast to talk all about his experiences with Steely Dan, from playing shows and recording with Donald and Walter in 1960's New York, to later joining them in L.A. to lay down guitar solos on songs like "Reelin' in the Years" and "Green Earrings." Elliott also looks back on friendships with several beloved musicians including Jimi Hendrix, Laura Nyro, and others.

41. "They Never Knew it Went Down" ft. Andy Cush

2024/05/07

Writer and bassist Andy Cush (Pitchfork, Garcia Peoples) joins the podcast to discuss the challenges of tackling the Steely Dan hits with his new cover band Katy & the Liars, and shares how Chuck Rainey's bass parts on "Kid Charlemagne" and "Peg" inspired him to learn how to slap the bass.

40. "The Corner Office" ft. Max Zuckerman

2024/04/23

Max Zuckerman's debut solo album The Corner Office, with its perfectly arranged jazz-pop epics about creeps and sleazebags, is very reminiscent of a certain band...Max joins the podcast to talk about his own work and creative process, his love of Steely Dan, and other musical influences including Brazilian groups like Azymuth and Japanese City Pop.

39. "Gotta See a Joker" ft. Allison Rapp

2024/04/16

Classic rock journalist Allison Rapp (Ultimate Classic Rock) joins the podcast to discuss some of her favorite songs from the Dan-verse, including "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City" and Tori Amos' cover of "Do It Again," and shares what it was like to see Steely Dan on their current tour with the Eagles. Also, Alex shares a brief follow-up on the "lost" Gaucho song "Heartbreak Souvenir."

Podcast reviews

Read Gaucho Amigos podcast reviews

5 out of 5

56 reviews

★★★★★

Sorcerer-Music 2026/06/16

Mystical Spheres

Great pod - deep dives on one of the most legendary music groups ever

★★★★★

Buddhafaux 2024/10/25

Fantastic

A breathe of fresh air

★★★★★

Bbcsdg 2024/09/25

10/10

Great podcast and network. No static at all!

★★★★★

rubig10 2024/04/21

Getting better each week

Been listening since the first episode. Learned some things I didn’t know as a 40 Year Dan fan like the lexicon / peg story. The most recent rob mouns...

★★★★★

.andrew; 2024/04/20

Amazing podcast - no static at all!

Any major dude will tell ya that for longtime Dan fans and newcomers to the Steely Dan universe look no further than the Gaucho Amigos podcast. No sta...

★★★★★

RJ495 2023/11/01

Great podcast for Dan fans

Love this podcast and all the amazing guests that come on and share the lore behind Steely Dan. Alex does a great job recruiting guests and interviewi...

★★★★★

Emileh_ 2023/10/14

Alex is putting in the work!

If you are a Dan fan, you’ll love this podcast! From casual conversation with friends to interviews with producers and engineers that worked with the ...

★★★★★

Tom Osander 2023/08/21

Jive free pod

The one stop shop for all your Steely Dan needs. Intelligent, opinionated and well-informed (just like Fragen & Becker themselves), these chats take u...

★★★★★

rebbi 2023/08/05

The Ultimate Steely Dan Geek Out

Gaucho Amigos taps into the passion and thoughtfulness of the Steely Dan fandom, as host Alex interviews musicians, writers, friends and other admirer...

★★★★★

3JWW66 2023/07/12

Great Podcast for Steely Dan fans

Gaucho Amigos has everything you’d want in a Steely Dan podcast: great guests, wide-ranging topics, and lots of cool tidbits of Steely Dan lore. It’s ...

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