Donald Fagen knows himself well. He also is pretty confident that fans who liked his former band, Steely Dan, are going to defend him until the literal ends of the earth. If you liked Steely Dan, you were smart, and if you didn't, you weren't. That is how many Steely Dan fans feel, it seems.
To others, the Dan was might come across as a bit too machine-like with their precise musicianship and songs about...well, whatever. Oddly, for a fan of jazz like Fagen, Steely Dan did not leave much room for improvisation on its records. Not in a true way, though, such as with true jazz greats Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
Fagen did not appreciate rock much at all, even though the band's tracks were played on the same radio stations that played bands such as the Allman Brothers. The recording industry is going to pigeonhole someone whether they want to be or not. If you wanted to make a good living playing music, you might sell out a bit and allow yourself to be pigeonholed.
Steely Dan's Donald Fagen clearly does not appreciate Nirvana and the Talking Heads
Where Fagen goes astray in his arrogance of how he sees his music versus other peoples is that just because others play a completely different type of sound that does not mean the integrity of the other performer should be questioned. In his 2013 memoir, Eminent Hipster, Fagen implies that Kurt Cobain of Nirvana is a "fascist" because Cobain and his mates play loud rock music.
Fagen wrote, "I don’t like rock music, to be frank. I know David Byrne, and I once heard Nirvana, I think. But anthemic rock music is inherently fascist - anything intended to move huge masses of people is politically offensive to me."
Fagen's biting remark about once hearing Nirvana is his issue. He might not like the music, but that does not mean others shouldn't as well. Plus, his assuming that Cobain created music to "move huge masses of people" - whatever that truly means - rings hollow. Cobain created the music he wanted to and there was no original intent to be as big as Nirvana was.
The band's unexpected popularity is partly what led to Cobain's mental health issues. Seen that way, Fagen's comments are somewhat cruel.
If Fagen meant that a band finding a large audience is wrong that smacks of jealousy. Steely Dan certainly has a loyal following, but the size of the audience pales in comparison to Nirvana. In other words, Fagen shouldn't be such a hater, and might find value in music he doesn't normally like if the songs are well-made.