Deacon Blues take two, this time with punchlines

Thought it would be great to post my stripped-down performance and critique of Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” as a promo for the August 22 Steely Ann show at The NU Franklin, so I did it, then I remembered that Facebook and Instagram have max durations for video clips, and all of mine were too long, so none of my punchlines showed up. Just me singing in the car. That’s not really what I wanted to post.

This is not unlike when I was elected Freshman Rep to the Homecoming Court at Lincoln-Way High School, and we all knew it was weird, this was the 1980s and I was a floral-dress-wearing choir member vs. a cheerleader or a Rhythm Knight. My win felt mildly Carrie. So when the Homecoming Committee asked for a quote for the newsletter, I said that my goal in life was to become Miss America. It was funny because COME ON. Come on you guys. Everybody would read it and see that I’d put a very knowing and funny frame around the whole situation, and it would get me a lot of laughs. It did not. It got a lot of cringe.

There was no way to go back and fix it, at the time. You just got through the week with the crown in your locker instead of on your head where the non-ironic Homecoming Reps and the Queen wore theirs.

This new “Deacon Blues” fiasco of mine, however, is taking place in a new era where I can post the clips in full. Here they are:

_{A classic Steely Dan protagonist will announce his own nickname.}

_{A classic Steely Dan protagonist will let you know that he crawls like a viper through these suburban streets.}

I kid! I kid about Steely Dan’s skeezy protagonists because I LOVE THEM.

STEELY ANN is Rachel Maccabee and me on lead vocals, Chaz Draper on drums, Craig Matarrese on bass, Larry McDonough on keys and vocals, and Johnathan Moeller on guitar and vocals. More about the band here.

Facebook event for the August 22 show here. Tickets here.