I Want a Name When I Lose

"Mr. Becker: The protagonist in 'Deacon Blues' is a triple-L loser—an L-L-L Loser. It’s not so much about a guy who achieves his dream but about a broken dream of a broken man living a broken life.

Mr. Fagen: The concept of the 'expanding man' that opens the song ['This is the day of the expanding man / That shape is my shade there where I used to stand'] may have been inspired by Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man. Walter and I were major sci-fi fans. The guy in the song imagines himself ascending the levels of evolution, 'expanding' his mind, his spiritual possibilities and his options in life.

Mr. Becker: His personal history didn’t look like much so we allowed him to explode and provided him with a map for some kind of future.

Mr. Fagen: Say a guy is living at home at his parents’ house in suburbia. One day, when he’s 31, he wakes up and decides he wants to change the way he struts his stuff.

Mr. Becker: Or he’s making a skylight for his room above the garage and when the hole is open he feels the vibes coming in and has an epiphany. Or he’s playing chess games against himself by making moves out of a book and cheating.

A mystical thing takes place and he’s suddenly aware of his surroundings and life, and starts thinking about his options. The 'fine line' we use in the song ['So useless to ask me why / Throw a kiss and say goodbye / I’ll make it this time / I’m ready to cross that fine line'] is the dividing line between being a loser and winner, at least according to his own code. He’s obviously tried to cross it before without success."
- posted by cjb @ 10:19 PM