During my last road trip with David, we were listening to a “yacht rock” mix CD in the car. Christopher Cross, David Gates, Stephen Bishop, and of course, lots of Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers. What’s remarkable is how many songs McDonald sang background on. He was the busiest session singer in L.A. Ubiquitous. Even songs that he didn’t sing on sometimes sound like he did. It’s as if you can hear him in the mix. We dubbed this phenomenon “The Phantom Doobie Syndrome.”
All this brings to mind one of my favorite ever SCTV skits – where Rick Moranis plays Michael McDonald frantically running between sessions. In case you’ve never seen it, or you just need a laugh, watch it here:
That’s a video party classic, right there!