Don't Take Me Alive Bass Cover

Happy Birthday to Donald Fagen who was born on this date in 1948.

Don’t Take Me Alive by Steely Dan off of The Royal Scam album which was released in 1976. I am not quite sure who played the bass on this song. According to Wikipedia, it was by either Walter Becker, himself, or Chuck Rainey.

Remember my young, bass-playing friend, Miss Ellie Kim? The last time we went down to visit with Ellie and see the show, School of Rock - The Musical on Broadway, Ellie was not performing. Last week, Ellie’s Mom, Julie, notified Lynn and I that Ellie was going to be playing the role of “Katie - The Bass Player” for the Saturday performance. We were invited, along with a sizable group of extended family and friends, to attend and it was our honor to do so. We were to meet in the lobby of the theatre before the show and Lynn and I arrived at 1:30. A few minutes passed and the theatre goers began to crowd in. It was painfully cold outside and not much warmer in the lobby of the Winter Garden. I began to get a little nervous (because, that’s what I do), but a short time later Julie’s husband, John, stepped up and introduced himself. I was at a slight disadvantage having not met John before, but he said he recognized me as a familiar face in their home. His greeting could not have been any warmer or gracious, he was a true gentleman and cut through any awkwardness I may have felt on my part. He then introduced us to their son, Ellie’s brother, Josiah. Josiah, who is 14, was thoroughly unimpressed with my “celebrity status” and brought me back to cold reality. Haha. Soon after, Julie arrived, gave us our seating assignments, and into the show we went. Having seen the show before, I knew it was going to be good, but what Ellie brought to the experience is hard to put into words. It was awesome and that’s not a word I throw around lightly. It was such a thrill to see a person who I had met and spent some time with, up on a stage like that. Her performance, which I was watching with a critical eye, was flawless - singing, dancing, dialogue, and to top it all off - playing bass - perfect…everything. Lynn and I were both glad that they keep the lights low in the theatre as we both shed some tears at certain points during the show. After the show ended, we waited around inside the theatre as Julie had gotten permission from the stage manager to take some photos with the guests. It was during this little mixer that I met Ellie’s actual bass teacher, Dan Kleederman, who is a super nice guy. A couple of my favorite moments were when Lynn and I were posing with Ellie in front of the stage for a picture. I asked her if she was able to hear me yelling (for some reason, I was unusually animated for this show). She said she could not, but that she could see me waving my hands in the air. I did say “unusually animated” didn’t I? And, as we stepped off to the side, Ellie’s Grandfather approached me, shook my hand, and said, “Yes, I see you on the computer all the time.” I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I asked him if he had subscribed to my channel. His response was, “No, Ellie makes me watch.” which got a big laugh from those close enough to hear. Very sweet man, he was…you could just tell. Anyway, it was another fantastic day in the city with Lynn and the Kim family and an experience I won’t soon forget.

If you’ve got a moment, please check Ellie’s cover of Sir Duke -
   • Sir Duke Bass Cover - Stevie Wonder -...  

I’m playing the sharp looking (and relatively inexpensive) Spector Legend with upgraded EMG p/u’s and a MightyMite HAZ Clone preamp.