Michael Franks

Which record is that?

I made this Michael Franks record 10 years ago, tribute to Michael Franks.

And do you know about, do you know who Michael Franks is?

No, but when I was talking to you on Spotify, I saw that thing.

Wait, you have top, like bazillions.

And my numbers are... due to that record and then a few things that happened afterwards i have way better spotify numbers than people who are headlining newport like it's just a weird thing because spotify is not the place where a lot of people are putting in their time you know but this french i put out a record in 2014 of my own songs that came out on on a french label and it's a label that i connected with because they had been working with my father and so i had developed a relationship with them They put out that record.

It's a very small little label.

And he said to me, this guy Pierre said, you should do a tribute to Michael Franks.

Franks.

No Michael Franks, no Wonderwall, no, very little to no, yeah, Michael Franks.

As a guitarist, you must cringe when someone else does that because you know there's a 50% chance it's not going to go well.

You know, you wish the person well.

I just like music, and that's why I'm doing this now, because I like mu-- [laughs] Well, I, I can't say that, but I'm, I'm really...

A guy named Michael Franks is my music hero.

That is my number one guy.

And, uh, some of you, you're gonna go look it up.

She would get it framed, and he would autograph it, and I've got that.

I'm looking at it right now here in our studio.

Everybody's got somebody like I have Michael Franks.

And, um, I learned a long time ago, don't diminish anybody's love of some kind of music, even when you can't identify with it.

Well, have you ever heard Walter Becker singing before? Actually, you might have on the final Steely Dan album where he sings on Slang of Ages, but I wanted to feature one of his solo tracks and there is Book of Liars from 1994, that version taken off Alive in America, which got that record store day release back in April.

Of course, I mentioned Walter before when Rosie Vila came up in episode seven and the fact that he produced a lot of bands during Steely Dan's hiatus, the likes of Fra Lippo Lippy, Ricky Lee Jones, Michael Franks, all of which I need to get on the podcast because they're here in the record room.

But one notable act he worked with was China Crisis, producing two of their albums, one of which was Flaunt the Imperfection.

So let's take you back to April 1985, as you remember, Becker, on this episode and a track from that album.

Really? So you don't like a Larry Carlton or something like that? I don't even know Larry Carlton.

Michael Franks? No.

You know all those guys? I like the rhythmic jazz.

I don't like the...

We're listening to, listening to Michael, Anita Baker, right? And my parents had jazz records in the house.

Weather Report and Grover Washington and Michael Franks.

When the cookie jar is.

Right.