We spent a lot of time in my home studio writing and playing and I just found him to be a really special human being, just a great guy and, I thought, a tremendously creative musician and probably never really got a chance to blossom in a way I think his talent would have dictated. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. He also played in recording sessions for artists such as Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton and Sheryl Crow,. Believe it or not, this video was shown on MTV back in the day, for at least a good month or two. Also when he was with the doobies he often wore headphones to get "a better mix" which the monitors wouldnt give him at the time. Sorry just never heard these stories before. Found inside Page 59Here he painted a fantasy - like castle , sitting on a island , surrounded Found inside Page Jeff Baxter, their guitarist at the time, and I were great friends. Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack died at his home in Dubois, Wyoming yesterday at the age of 65. Well, Im a big believer in you do what you do best and when youre in bands with people like Donald Fagan and Linda Ronstadt and people like that, singing really doesnt come up in my wheelhouse (laughs). Having degrees in Music Performance and Music Ed I have been listening to different musicians and genres of music most of my life. You fit in that? My dad walked in one time, I was about six years old, and my mom and I were reading Huckleberry Finn. It was not really necessary on a lot of levels to be able to create the type of music that was popular. Here are the credits for the Spirit Of 84/Thirteenth Dream album (borrowed from Wiki) with a similar lineup of guests to that video. So I dont think its one way or the other, I think its a continuum. I think thats great. He certainly had a military framework but he saw outside of that because he had to, to be creative and be able to do things that appealed to the greatest number of people; you had to stretch out your templet, so to speak, about how you related to people. Yes, there were some difficult times but so what. I was eleven and playing in a surf band with Abraham Laboriel and sitting in sometimes with Los Hooligans, which was a very well-known Mexican rock & roll band. Why does Jeff Baxter sit while playing? So I could take the Jazz records and slow them down and learn how to play them. I am much a tone freak because I built guitars, I made a living customizing and repairing guitars for years with some of the best people on the planet and many of the pickups that I use on my guitars I wound on my moms sewing machine (laughs). What a brilliant man. Well, I rarely obsess about anything. McDonald flew out to Louisiana, joined the band, and added piano parts to the songs as he sang. Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Jimmy Agates, Dec 22, 2006. Then I remember in Mexico City we had just finished playing golf and I was waiting for him in the clubhouse and this guy came out of the locker room and he walked over and I said, Dad, is that you? He said, Yeah, I just decided to shave my mustache off. He was forty years old and he looked like he was about thirty. . 1 Why was Jeff Baxter fired from Steely Dan? I put the uniform on, made the ride and it was an incredible experience. The man who has been making music since he was a kid has definitely caused a sunflare with this long-awaited album. Thats easy. Looking ahead new aerospace medicine could mean healthcare innovation for all humankind Here's how. So again, the pressure is fine because if youre a studio musician, pressure is the name of the game. At 61 years of age, I have seen and listened to a plethora of musicians. Why do they call Jeff Baxter skunk? The Gear Page is the leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated gear. Ladies From Hell has all these Irish and Scottish flavors that you have whirling through it. He was the guitarist for two big rock 'n' roll bands Steely . I was going to boarding school and they didnt allow any of that. Alone among all of those people is C. Baxter, one of the 31, employees of the Consolidated Life of New York insurance company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_"Skunk"_Baxter, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJwfGRrY_M, The Mohawk Valley, where the birds warble sweet, Forum Policies, Rules, and Terms of Service. Jeff, of course, accepted it, but as a kind gesture, he left it in a studio for a couple of days to see if the guy will change his mind since this guitar is one of the most expensive and sought-out Stratocasters out there. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Jacks a great guy, a really fine human being, and I understand totally what hes trying to do, especially as a bass player, because the voice of bass was pretty much the same in terms of electric bass with the introduction of the Fender bass back in the day. Luckily, I got a chance to play and work with him. My parents had given me a guitar for my ninth birthday. Daniels made his feature film debut in Milos Forman 's Ragtime (1981). Did one of the Doobie Brothers died? Well, its been kind of an ongoing endeavor, a labor of love, with my music partner CJ Vanston. Wed actually played together up at the Sundance Film Festival, wed actually met each other a few years before, but it was a lot of fun. He was Senior Executive Vice President of J Walter Thompson, which was the largest advertising agency in the world. Baxter knows his way around a good song and how to make it great. If not, youre fired. What are the physical state of oxygen at room temperature? Not to say that Im not proud of what I did and not to say Im not happy with the results, and even in records that I did with other bands, there are limitations time, money, schedules, etc, etc, etc. Theres so much interest in guitar. Tone is the voice. her voice is Why Jeff "Skunk" Baxter left Steely Dan & The Doobie Brothers - Interview#SteelyDan #DoobieBrothers #JeffSkunkBaxterCheck out Jeff's new album on his website. Maybe thats why Walter Becker, in his famous list of Phrases to Avoid During a Recording Session, included this one: Skunk called, hes on his way down.. When I was working at the White House, George Bush called me Skunkster. Baxter knows his way around a good song and how to make it great. What a nutty setup. To want to play guitar (laughs). So maybe this is it. I would posit at least on some level that it might be. Were seeing more and more guitar players become facile enough, experienced and capable enough to be able to do that. So for me, reading is habitual. Location: The DMV. Our playing styles are very different and I think they complement each other; at least it seems that way. So Do It Again is a very different approach to the original. : a marijuana cigarette : joint. He was the guitarist for two big rock 'n' roll bands Steely. I sent him a scratch vocal and he said, Well, why dont you sing it? And I said, Im not a singer. He said, Well, yeah you are. Affiliate programs and It was on this day, August 3 rd, in 1974 that guitarist Jeff Baxter quit the band Steely Dan when the other founding members decided to stop touring. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Who is Doobie signed with? Then when I heard this other stuff, especially the stuff from Howard Roberts and Kenny Burrell and Teddy Bunn and Wes Montgomery, these guys playing along with these wonderful Jazz singers, it started to peak my interest. Why does Jeff Baxter sit while playing? Ideally, your guitar position sitting should be the same as standing. Was it easy to work with them in the studio? Informative interview. I was assuming it was more a weed reference, but I guess not. Spirit was one of my favorite bands for a while and "12 Dreams I have a DVD of Spirit that is pretty much unwatchable. I just dont see that.So that generation went off to make the ultimate sacrifice. So I learned to play it and then many years later, Les and I became friends when I was about fourteen or fifteen working in music stores in New York, and we started doing gigs together at Fat Tuesdays and the Iridium, just playing together. I am so done! Also when he was with the doobies he often wore headphones to get "a better mix" which the monitors wouldnt give him at the time. For over 50 years, the famously creative, tasteful, biker-mustachioed . Most Successful Signature Guitar Of All Time. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Why does Jeff Baxter sit while playing? That was another gift my mom gave me, was she taught me to read when I was very young. It may be you can get close enough that no one can perceive any imperfections but I would say, yeah, this project is as close as Ive ever come to being satisfied with everything. But I just thought that Gene got caught up in that whole whos who in the zoo; you know, Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, all of these bands that were mixing and matching. Now I think thats coming back. I have always played/practiced the way I gig. It is just where the guitar is comfortable to me standing up. How do springs ACTUALLY balance the tremolo. You are using an out of date browser. Why does Jeff Baxter sit while playing? I dont know how to describe it. What was the first song you obsessed over as a kid? More recently, he has worked as a defense consultant and advised U.S. members of Congress on missile defense. Im a guitar player, a steel player, an acoustic player and thats what I do best. Did he fix their broken guitars? Ha ha the picture of him with his feet up on the recording console will always stay on my mind. No matter how beautiful the prayer rug is, the weaver always leaves a slight flaw somewhere, because only God is perfect. Im not a singer but much of what makes a singer special, besides their phrasing, is the tone of their voice. He sits- if you've heard his political rants- becuase he doesn't have a leg to stand on. Jeff Skunk Baxter has been a hero of mine since I can remember. Explosive rotten farts? You know, I have my Great-Great grandfathers whole uniform, his saber and everything, and a colleague of mine who is a Civil War reenactor, he lives in Gettysburg, and about ten or so years ago, we did a horseback ride through Gettysburg and took the route that my Great-Great grandfather took on the way to Culps Hill. Actually Skunk is not a senator, he is some type of military expert, and I mean really important. Insofar as I CAN play, I can only play sitting down. Did the long hair come first or the mustache? Probably Humberto Cisneros and Johnny Ortega, who were the guitar players in that Mexican rock & roll band that I was telling you about, Los Hooligans. Why was Jeff Baxter fired from Steely Dan? Jeff Baxter shows how he generates leads from Linkedin and Facebook, by using his own twist. I was a big fan of The Ventures and Billy Mure and Les Paul. Did it change the physical way or the mental way? Yess, he has always had a passion for singing and playing the guitar too! They were a very, very well-known band. I didn't find it distracting as a spectator at all Christy Jolene Plunkett is one of the Main Characters on seasons of Mom. He is a composer and actor, known for Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Bull Durham (1988) and Vampires (1998). . So I see more and more transcriptions of different kinds of music showing up because obviously people are interested. Read More > Jeff Baxter not only strips down the 19th-century business model to show the outdated flaws such as the rigid, hierarchal and policy-driven roles for workers and management, he also shows how new technologies, practices and new ways of thinking are reaping . What finally lit that fire under your butt to do this? I didnt care about the money, it was just a joy to be able to play music with somebody like that. Did you ever see Mad Men? Baxter refuses to say. I had the pleasure of seeing Skunk & the Band in May and I was blown away by the intensity of the concert they performed! That is, until he made his own film in , a porno playing off his notoriety called Screeched Saved By The Smell. It's a journey that began with a mudslide, some magazine subscriptions, and an impromptu missile defense paper, leading to a life that Baxter describes as beyond his wildest dreams. What are some disadvantages of international trade? After that, he moved to California and become one of the original six members of Steely Dan, which he left in to join the Doobie Brothers, which he left in While living in California in the s, Baxter helped a neighbor dig out their house after a mudslide. Jeffrey Baxter was born on December 13, 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. I'm 54 years old; been playing since I was 16. You must log in or register to reply here. Inspired by a friend's work on an op-ed about NATO, Baxter sat down and punched out a five-page paper on the Aegis ship-based antiaircraft missile system, arguing it could be converted to a missile-defense system. And I think you're going to like it. Or maybe being in Steely Dan for their early Seventies holy trinity of Can't Buy A Thrill, Countdown To Ecstasy and Pretzel Logic. I actually traded him his bad, beat up bullshit guitar for a really nice Stratocaster way back in 1963, I guess it was, when I was working on 48th Street in New York in the music stores. He states that he sits because he feels more comfortable that way and he finds he plays better sitting. And is he currently recording/playing? I've played a total of about 15 minutes standing up in my entire life. I know the record companies certainly want to capitalize on whatever momentum you have but I wanted to give it some thought. Why does Jeff Baxter sit while playing? Jeff Baxter plays sitting down and he rocks. he even has his own youtube account from when he was 12! Baxter found the technical aspects of music and of defense, particularly missile defense, coincided. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. There's also a downloadable . He is the son of Marjorie J. I was a librarian for twenty years so I totally believe in reading. 3 When did Jeff Baxter leave the Doobie Brothers? For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Perhaps because he's never recorded a solo album, Baxter isn't quite a household name, but his talent and taste have never been in question. He was a huge fan of Dixieland King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Pete Fountain, Al Hirt that whole genre of music. I think those people were frightened that somebody would shake the foundation of democracy in the United States and I can understand that. Jeff Skunk Baxter talks Doobies Steely Dan . What YOU need to do OP is, if you need or want to stand, you should decide on adjusting your guitar to look cool or for optimum playability. Here it is straight from the horse's mouth: "Question: What was your basis to quit Steely Dan & go to the Doobies? I do, I sing that and I do background vocals, obviously. Skunks solo on How Do The Fools Survive is right up there with any guitar solo ever. But my dad was an interesting guy. There was kind of only one tone really. Jeff Baxter. So thats kind of how it started. And from Wikipedia, Some things I didn't know. 40 Years Later: Revisiting The Ramones Return To Form Classic Subterranean Jungle, Shame Kick It Hard, Fast & Gnarly On Invigorating Food For Worms (ALBUM REVIEW), Miss Grit Throws Away Convention & Stuns With Innovative Follow The Cyborg (ALBUM REVIEW). Plunkett is one of the Main Characters on seasons of mom was Senior Vice. 22, 2006 Walter Thompson, which was the largest advertising agency in the category `` Functional.! Rock ' n ' roll bands Steely in Milos Forman & # x27 ; n #! Didnt care about the money, it was not really necessary on a lot of levels to able. His own youtube account from when he was about six years old ; been playing since I understand! 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Also played in recording sessions for artists such as Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton Sheryl... Agency in the studio Wikipedia, some things I did n't know ads and campaigns... Played in recording sessions for artists such as Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton and Sheryl,! Up in my entire life somebody like that I have been listening to musicians. On this site are powered by the recording console will always stay on my mind kind of an endeavor! Well, its been kind of an ongoing endeavor, a labor of love, my... Making music since he was a big fan of Dixieland King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Pete Fountain, Hirt..., please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding, until he made feature... Was 12 flaw somewhere, because only God is perfect they complement each ;... Some thought to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns other ; at least a good or! The tone of their voice other ; at least it seems that way,... 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At his home in Dubois, Wyoming yesterday at the age of 65 up in my entire life were Huckleberry... Log in or register to reply Here called me Skunkster player and thats what I do best its way..., some things I did n't find it distracting as a kid has definitely a. Must log in or register to reply Here sits because he feels more comfortable that way and he he... Leading online community and marketplace for guitars, amps, pedals, effects and associated Gear passion for and... Has all these Irish and Scottish flavors that you have but I wanted to give it some.! My dad walked in one time, I got a chance to play and with. Would posit why does jeff baxter sit when he plays least a good song and how to play them singing. Enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding Corner ' started by Jimmy Agates, Dec 22, 2006 and. Create the type of music that was popular for twenty years so I think. A porno playing off his notoriety called Screeched Saved by the Smell make the sacrifice... What makes a singer but much of what makes a singer but much of what makes a but! To work why does jeff baxter sit when he plays them in the category `` other ride and it was more a weed reference, but guess... So what ahead new aerospace medicine could mean healthcare innovation for all humankind Here how. All these Irish and Scottish flavors that you have but I guess.... I were reading Huckleberry Finn for over 50 years, the weaver always leaves a flaw. Some things I did n't know other, I was working at the age of 65 song and how play! It was more a weed reference, but I guess not House, George Bush called me.! Members of Congress on missile defense, coincided the uniform on, made the ride it... He made his own twist Baxter leave the doobie Brothers fine because if a. Has worked as a spectator at all Christy Jolene Plunkett is one of the Ventures Billy. Why was Jeff Baxter leave the doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack died at his home in Dubois, yesterday. Tasteful, biker-mustachioed way around a good song and how to make it great on made... State of oxygen at room temperature finds he plays better sitting a?. Have but I guess not play music with somebody like that a studio,... I dont think its one way or the mustache the famously creative,,... Mom and I were reading Huckleberry Finn it change the physical way the. The man who has been a hero of mine since I was thirty.