“Charlie Freak”—fifth song, side two of Pretzel Logic (1974)

This was never one of my favorite Steely Dan songs, if only because musically I find it a bit alienating—it's kind of a rigid march, like something you'd listen to on your way to die. Which is appropriate, I guess, for the lyrics. It also makes me think of a song you'd hear in church, or maybe because of the sleigh-bells that come in for the last verse, a Christmas song. Of course, I don't know in what church you'll hear a song celebrating a junkie named “Charlie Freak”—my kind of church, I guess. I really came around to this song once I paid attention the the lyrics—I guess it's also my kind of Christmas carol. It's a story song, told in a relentless fashion which I guess matches the music. The narrator runs into a strung-out “friend” and gives him some money in exchange for a valuable gold ring, essentially ripping him off. Charlie then scores, OD's, and dies, and the narrator, hearing about this, gives the ring back to the dead man. When I first took in this story, I thought, a lot of good that's going to do. This song is just a huge bummer—one guy dies and the other is wracked with guilt. But there can be a positive side. By telling this story—whether it be at church, his Narcotics Anonymous meeting, a poetry open mic, or as a song by a band named “Steely Dan”—something positive does come of it. A lesson learned by one person, then passed down in a compelling way, is an example of spiritual advancement—the hope is that each person who comes along doesn't have to learn everything the hard way. Sometimes learning can come in the form of something pleasurable—a story, a song.

—Randy Russell 4.5.20