{"product_id":"quantum-criminals-ramblers-wild-gamblers-and-other-sole-survivors-from-the-songs-of-steely-dan-9781477324998","title":"Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"ONE OF THE SHARPEST, FUNNIEST, AND BEST BOOKS EVER ABOUT ANY ROCK ARTIST\"--\u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"WEIRD AND WONDROUS\"--\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"I ADORED IT\"--Michael Chabon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA literary and visual exploration of the songs of Steely Dan.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Steely Dan's songs are exercises in fictional world-building. No one else in the classic-rock canon has conjured a more vivid cast of rogues and heroes, creeps and schmucks, lovers and dreamers and cold-blooded operators--or imbued their characters with so much humanity. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Pulling from history, lived experience, pulp fiction, the lore of the counterculture, and their own darkly comic imaginations, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker summoned protagonists who seemed like fully formed people with complicated pasts, scars they don't talk about, delusions and desires and memories they can't shake. From Rikki to Dr. Wu, Hoops McCann to Kid Charlemagne, Franny from NYU to the Woolly Man without a Face, every name is a locked-room mystery, beguiling listeners and earning the band an exceptionally passionate and ever-growing cult fandom. \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eQuantum Criminals\u003c\/i\u003e presents the world of Steely Dan as it has never been seen, much less heard. Artist Joan LeMay has crafted lively, color-saturated images of her favorite characters from the Daniverse to accompany writer Alex Pappademas's explorations of the famous and obscure songs that inspired each painting, in short essays full of cultural context, wild speculation, inspired dot-connecting, and the occasional conspiracy theory. All of it is refracted through the perspectives of the characters themselves, making for a musical companion unlike any other. Funny, discerning, and visually stunning, \u003ci\u003eQuantum Criminals\u003c\/i\u003e is a singular celebration of Steely Dan's musical cosmos. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e Alex Pappademas is the author of \u003ci\u003eKeanu Reeves: Most Triumphant\u003c\/i\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Movies \u0026amp; Meaning of an Irrepressible Icon\u003c\/i\u003e and the writer and host of the acclaimed podcast The Big Hit Show. His work has also appeared in \u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and Grantland. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Joan LeMay is an artist based in London and New York City (although the paintings for this book were created in Portland). Her work appears in multiple publications and books and has been shown in museums, galleries, and public spaces internationally. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Texas Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50579908198674,"sku":"9781477324998","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d7415ea5-ac06-435f-8408-7d4135769d69.jpg?v=1732006223","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/quantum-criminals-ramblers-wild-gamblers-and-other-sole-survivors-from-the-songs-of-steely-dan-9781477324998","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}