Walter Becker died on September 3, 2017.
Steely Dan went on tour following the release of their debut album, "Can't Buy a Thrill". The band toured for three years before Becker and Walter Fagan decided they hated hated their live sound.
After seeing them in Moline last summer, their live sound is spectacular.
I guess that joke missed.
Becker and Fagan (and Becker especially) hated touring.
They did have something like a band early on, but I have always fundamentally seen them as two songwriters in the studio working with a talented but rotating supporting cast. I would imagine they probably saw themselves like that more, too.