{"id":54169,"date":"2014-08-03T07:30:52","date_gmt":"2014-08-03T11:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/valorguardians.com\/blog\/?p=54169"},"modified":"2019-10-18T21:37:47","modified_gmt":"2019-10-19T01:37:47","slug":"a-madam-ducornet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/?p=54169","title":{"rendered":"\u00c0 Madame Ducornet . . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

Longtime readers know that Jonn tolerates my occasional random walk<\/a> ramblings here at TAH.\u00a0 And yeah, that means this article is another such ramble.\u00a0 Consider yourself forewarned. (smile)<\/p>\n

. . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not a big believer in ESP. Those who claim to be able to \u201cremote view\u201d objects or tell the future are IMO almost always as shameless a group of liars as the fools and tools we often feature here at TAH.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m not willing to completely dismiss the possibility, either. There is indeed strong evidence that time appears to be one-way and irreversible, and that the connection between past and future is the same.\u00a0 However, mankind’s knowledge of the physical world is woefully incomplete. And even our best current theories of how the world works don\u2019t categorically rule out the possibility.<\/p>\n

In short:\u00a0 it’s obvious that the past affects the future.\u00a0 But it’s IMO a bit too early to say, categorically, that the future cannot possibly echo into the past.<\/p>\n

Besides, I\u2019ve had a few experiences that make me wonder. A number of them have to do with music.<\/p>\n

As a youngster, a number of tunes over the years made an impression on me. For some reason, I knew that these few were different \u2013 and damned important.<\/p>\n

How I knew, or why they were important . . . I didn\u2019t know. I just somehow knew they were.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I found out why – usually years or decades later.\u00a0 The experience usually wasn’t much fun.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m about to talk briefly about one of those tunes.<\/p>\n

. . .<\/strong><\/p>\n

Walter Becker and Donald Fagan<\/em>. You might not recognize those names immediately unless you\u2019re a fan. But if you listened to popular music since 1971, I will guarantee you\u2019ve heard their music.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re the duo that formed the creative core of Steely Dan.<\/p>\n

In 1974, Steely Dan released perhaps their finest work \u2013 an album called Pretzel Logic<\/em>. The song in question is found there.<\/p>\n

Steely Dan songs are often filled with obscure literary references and metaphors. They are typically lyrically indirect, and elliptical \u2013 even more so than those songs by Michael Stipe of REM. They frequently have not-immediately-obvious messages, sometimes darkish; the lyrics are often cutting, cynical, and satirical. Often they have borderline disturbing or taboo subjects.<\/p>\n

And they\u2019re invariably exquisitely<\/em> crafted, as is the music. Steely Dan’s pursuit of perfection in the studio is legendary.<\/p>\n

But except for the craftsmanship, this particular tune is none of those. Donald Fagan, the song\u2019s principal author, has said that this song should be taken at face value<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The song is a relatively simple song about a young man who became infatuated with a lady. It was reportedly written about a woman Donald Fagan met while a student a Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.\u00a0\u00a0 She was married to a member of Bard’s faculty.<\/p>\n

The lady\u2019s married name was purportedly Ducornet; she was American, but had married a Frenchman teaching at Bard in the late 1960s. She and her husband left for France in 1972, when Steely Dan was on the brink of commercial success. And while a student at Bard, Donald Fagan had indeed given her his number at a party – and suggested she call him.<\/p>\n

A relationship between the two never happened. Fagan has never confirmed the story above, or indicated who the song is about.\u00a0 The lady in question has<\/a>, and believes the tune is about her.\u00a0 But she’s obviously not in a position to know with certainty Fagan’s thoughts while writing the song.<\/p>\n

So:\u00a0 listen to the tune and judge for yourself. Personally, I\u2019m convinced the song should<\/em> be taken literally – and that the lady is correct.\u00a0 The pieces simply fit together too well.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the tune. IMO, it\u2019s possibly the best song Steely Dan ever did.\u00a0 And that’s saying one helluva lot.<\/p>\n


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