Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Doobie Brother Jeff Baxter sits atop a new gig
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter has had the kind of music career that most kids jamming in their parents’ garages could only dream of. He was the guitarist for two big rock ’n’ roll bands — Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. He also played in recording sessions for artists such as Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton and Sheryl Crow, and has toured with Elton John and Linda Ronstadt.
He also has security clearances and chairs the Congressional Advisory Board on missile defense.
Baxter answered questions about his unique career.
Q: You were born in the District of Columbia. How often do you come back?
A: I’m here at least half the year, if not more, working with different agencies and companies in different branches of government work.
Q: You’ve had a successful career in music and also have a security clearance and work in defense. How did that come to be?
A: Back in the early ’90s, I wrote a paper on utilizing the Navy platform and a Navy air defense system for theater missile defense based on some knowledge that I had. A few months later I gave it to a congressman friend of mine who then gave it to the vice chairman of the Armed Services Committee. And he said, “Is this guy from Raytheon or Boeing?” and he said, “No, he’s a guitar player for the Doobie Brothers.” Without getting into too much detail, let’s just say that another community had reached out to me. And so next thing I knew, I was strapped to a chair and telling them everything I knew, and then ended up at Lawrence Livermore (National Laboratory) with Department of Energy clearances for nuclear weapons and stuff. So I’ve been doing this for quite a long time, and once you’re in the system and if you can contribute, people seem to want to reach out and avail themselves of whatever talents you have.
Q: You’re self-taught in this field?
A: Oh yeah, absolutely. I was reading about missile defense and other military programs because I was working — and still do work — for a couple of major musical instrument companies, and at that time back in the ’90s, it was sort of the beginning of commercializing digital recording as opposed to analog. The only way I could get the information (about new software) was to read the defense magazines. So I guess something clicked somewhere and I wrote the paper. Next thing I knew I was working for Gen. (Malcolm) O’Neill at the Pentagon.
Q: Is it rare that a musician would have security clearances?
A: No, in fact my old boss at Lawrence Livermore who now is up at the University of Rochester, Mike Campbell, has asked me to reach out to the lead guitar player for Queen, Brian May, because Brian just got his doctorate in astrophysics. And there’s a wonderful guitar manufacturer named Paul Reed Smith who has come up with a brilliant, without getting too specific, underwater detection system that is amazing. So I connected him with the Office of Naval Research and the folks at Northrop Grumman. So it’s not that far out.
Q: Did you ever feel like people didn’t take you seriously because you were a rock star?
A: Of course. But I think it’s an advantage to be underrated. It helps you get through some of the problematics, I guess, of how people accept you and stuff if their expectations aren’t that high.
Q: Were you ever worried your defense work would negatively influence your music career?
A: I try to stay away from the political side of anything, but I think some folks have a tendency to equate national security and politics. They can’t separate them. And they are really separate. So before [the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001], a lot of people thought I was nuts. After, a lot of my friends who were not quite sure what I was doing were coming up to me and saying, “Hey, how can we help?”
Q: You’ve worked with many famous artists. Who influenced you most?
A: I grew up in Mexico City. And the music environment there was very eclectic. I think when I was 10 years old, my dad took me to see the jazz all-stars Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Parker, and it was an incredible experience. My mom started giving me piano lessons when I was 5, and my dad had a great collection of jazz.
Howard Roberts … His first two albums really influenced my guitar playing. And then the rock ’n’ roll stuff. I was a big Ventures fan.
And Winston Churchill was a huge influence on me. He made some mistakes, but he saved the Western world. I mean anybody who can sit naked in a bathtub with a bottle of brandy, smoking a cigar and having a conversation with the president of the United States, is a rock star.