MVP On Why Steely Dan Is The 'Cuervo Gold' Standard For Music
I recently caught up with the WWE Superstar and his shared appreciation for Donald Fagen & the late Walter Becker
I love it when my worlds collide, especially if those worlds involve pro wrestling and the “Third World Man” of Steely Dan. Like I’m sure many kids of the 80s & 90s, I was a prisoner to the household musical tastes of my parents, particularly my father. Dean Martin, Cat Stevens, America, Herb Alpert provided an easy-listening backdrop to my eventual infatuation with Razor Ramon and his founding of the NWO, but no soundtrack ever would provide a broader biographical brushstroke than Steely Dan.
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker gave my adolescence an audio time capsule for many wrestling figures purchased or video games played as I grew in my fandom. With the benefit of forethought, Steely Dan’s innovation and boldness to venture into the absurdity of music parallels many of the reasons why I enjoy the “one true sport.” Wrestling can showcase a desire for perfection, transcend its very own and when done right, provide great moments for tongue-in-cheek cleverness that few can. Steely Dan did all that for music over the span of four decades.
In WWE, MVP has shown that he is diverse in his talents and provides a level of legitimacy in everything he does. The man from Miami first made his mark as a rising singles star in the mid-to-late 2000s including a historic United States Title. He returned to the he’s started his own renaissance in a managerial role and was pivotal in the popularity of the landmark faction “The Hurt Business.”
Social media can certainly be a societal albatross when not properly handled, but one benefit is that it made me aware of MVP’s fellow appreciation for “The Dan.” A bucket list interview for me became MVP where we’d keep it “strictly Steely” and away from the squared circle: ironically enough, enter WrestleMania 39 in Hollywood.
Per usual for wrestling’s biggest weekend of the year, WWE provided talent for the press junket and one of those names were MVP. I had questions written down, but definitely didn’t need them. Below is the interview courtesy of AdFreeShows.com. While it’s not “strictly Steely,” I felt like I did Hoops McCann justice by shining the silver phone and getting MVP’s special perspective.