I was a Steely Dan fan when I was growing up, but an ambivalent one, for two reasons. First, the icy perfectionism of the music was enjoyable, but hardly uplifting; second, the lyrics didn’t contain a scintilla of idealism. It appeared to me that Becker and Fagen were celebrating the self-destructive lifestyles of bohemian characters for no obviously good reason. I mostly set the records aside.
On further reflection, I was mostly right about the music, but wrong about the lyrics. It is obvious to me now that Becker and Fagen were acting as journalists, not evangelists for the demi-monde. They pointed out, not just the hypocrisy of establishment figures, but the hollowness of the lives of self-indulgent losers and criminals, as well. There is, in the end, nothing romantic about the criminal lifestyle that is worth emulating.
Take “Deacon Blues,” for example. The lines in the song are clear and elegant. The protagonist is a wannabe bohemian who has come to believe (at least he says he does–whether he actually ever gets the nerve to act on it is another matter) in the supposed romance of life on the fringes. The song in no way glamorizes his decision. Are Becker and Fagen simply describing him and leaving judgment to the listener, or are they openly contemptuous of him? You can make the case either way.