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It's Schmendrick Time (And That's OK​)​-​-​dedicated to Walter Becker

from South of the Wall by Walter Ehresman

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Ehresman tells us "A song I wrote and recorded that's dedicated to the late Walter Becker who, as you know, was one half of Steely Dan......In that band, I think the pretty jazz melodies came from Fagen, and the grit and lyrics about faded hipsters came from Becker......He died in 2017, and I knew I wanted to do a tribute song for him......On the "Two Against Nature" DVD, he and Fagen are in the back of a limo, driving around the streets of New York City, talking about (among other things) the difference between a schmuck and a schmendrick......So that gave me the hook into this little ditty about.....you guessed it......faded hipsters, who despair at their loss of cool in a scene where they may well never have been cool to begin with."

This song is far and away the most successful example of the Steely Dan influence on Ehresman's work, from the sophisticated arrangement to the tasty, cool jazzy licks.

See the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsZtxshMHMM

lyrics

It’s Schmendrick Time (And That’s OK)
(© 2018 Walter Ehresman)
--dedicated to Walter Becker

Down on the boulevard, it’s seen a better day,
but the price is copacetic so we moved in Saturday;
A case of Shaefer for the friends who took the call,
and a measure of mood lighting for the writing on the wall.

The games we’re playing are all lacking in cache’—
the retro insufficient to appeal to kids today;
We walk the nightlife in a demographic haze,
and we wreck the cool of places while we dream of yesterday.

[chorus]
Well, it doesn’t bear thinking, and it’s best to look away;
And we’ll never make 5th Street if we carry on this way.
Indulge in introspection, and we can’t go out to play—
‘cause it’s schmendrick time (and that’s OK).

[break]
There was a time (at least we’ll say there was)
we set the latest fashion, and left a trail of buzz;
In the Chronicle of Lifestyle—No. #1!
What fun!!
Our sun
Will never
Set.

Don’t get out much, now the tide is on the turn;
With endless shut-in options, and potato chips to burn;
The signals that we get—impossible to spurn;
Our rejection from the in-crowd is a savage thing to learn.

credits

from South of the Wall, released October 31, 2018
Walter Ehresman: all vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards & key percussion, vocoder, electric sitar, chimes, groove box programming, sequencing.

p. 2018 Walter Ehresman. Snipe Bog Records.

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Walter Ehresman San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin , Walter Ehresman was an eccentric presence in the Austin music scene from the '80s until his 2015 move to Mexico. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist...and a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, expressed with fearlessly honest, socially-conscious lyrics. ... more

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