Donald Fagen Defines Yacht Rock: ‘Go F- - - Yourself’

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

And next time you ask, you’ll be the recipient of the other meaning of “Peg.” Steely Dan’s very own Donald Fagen is, of course, aware of the flourishing subgenre known as “yacht rock,” but he’d prefer if you shut your trap about it. Per People, when contacted by the director of the new documentary Yacht Rock and asked for his perspective, Fagen was unsparing before hanging up the phone: “Oh, yacht rock. Well, I tell you what. Why don’t you go fuck yourself?” An audio recording of the conversation made the final cut of the film, which also features interviews with genre captains such as Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross. Yet there’s a happy ending for this sonic schooner: Following the conversation, Fagen’s manager granted Yacht Rock the use of six Steely Dan songs. “I think it’s a wink,” the director explained of Fagen’s viewpoint. “It’s like, ‘I get it. I understand how important this name is to our music. But I’m gonna let you know how I feel about that.’ It’s him being him.” Hey, he’s a major dude.