Yacht Rock

Infobox Television
show_name = Yacht Rock


caption = Title screen of the first episode of "Yacht Rock".
genre = mockumentary
creator = J. D. Ryznar and Hunter D. Stair
developer =
presenter = Steve Huey
starring = J. D. Ryznar, Hunter D. Stair
voices =
narrated =
theme_music_composer =
opentheme = "Sweet Freedom" by Michael McDonald
endtheme =
composer =
country = USA
language = English
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 11
list_episodes =
producer =
executive_producer =
location = Los Angeles, CA
camera =
runtime =
network = Channel 101
picture_format =
audio_format =
first_run = June 26, 2005 - June 25, 2006
first_aired =
last_aired = January 27, 2008
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website = http://www.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=152
imdb_id = 1047801
tv_com_id =

"Yacht Rock" was an online video series following the fictionalized lives and careers of American soft rock stars of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The show

J. D. Ryznar and Hunter D. Stair devised the series after noticing the incestuous recording careers of such bands as Steely Dan, Toto, and The Doobie Brothers and the singer-songwriters Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. For example, McDonald co-wrote Loggins' "This Is It" and The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" and also performed backing vocals for several other 'yacht rock' artists, including Steely Dan and Christopher Cross. "Yacht Rock"'s episodes were "hosted" by "Hollywood" Steve Huey, a legitimate music critic for Allmusic.

Ryznar admits to having a fascination with the music of the period.Ryznar explains, "Getting into Steely Dan really started this for me. As did the ability to buy dollar records at Amoeba and put them on tapes for my car. Kenny Loggins has made his way into all the pilots I've been involved with except [one] ." [cite web
url= http://channel101.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=54719#54719 |title= Yacht Rock, Ep. 2 |accessdate = 2006-10-09 |last= Ryznar |first= J.D. |authorlink= J.D. Ryznar |date= 2005-07-27 |work= Channel 101 Public Forum |publisher= Channel 101] As Ryznar told Reuters contributor Andy Sullivan, "I'm making fun of the songwriting process, but the music is generally treated pretty lovingly." [Cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Andy|title=Web TV Helps Comedy Writers Find Audience|work=Reuters|publisher=Fox News|date=2005-12-13|accessdate=2008-10-07|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,178467,00.html]

The series depicted some realistic aspects of the music, but builds exaggerated storylines around them. For example, the series' presentation of Hall & Oates, in which John Oates, a clear junior partner given his paucity of lead vocals or songwriting credits, rules over partner Daryl Hall in quasi-abusive fashion, is unrealistic. Michael Jackson is depicted as a hard-rock enthusiast who believes his partnership with guitarist Eddie Van Halen will lead to an endless parade of female sexual conquests. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, the Doobie Brothers' lead guitarist, is often seen pressuring central figure Michael McDonald to write the Doobies another hit. The real Baxter did bring McDonald into the band but he quit himself after achieving their greatest commercial success because of his displeasure with their new commercial attitude. The Eagles and Steely Dan really did insert lyrical references to each other in their music, as depicted in the show, but these were actually friendly in nature, not part of a longtime grudge involving baseball bats and lunch-money shakedowns. [Cite news| last = Powers | first = Ann | title = Hall & Oates redeem their cool cred | work = Chicago Tribune | accessdate = 2008-06-22 | date = 2008-05-27 | url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-hall-oates-0527may27,0,6549277.story ]

The series was written, directed, and produced by Ryznar, co-produced by David Lyons and Hunter Stair, and edited by Lane Farnham. The production has a "bad-on-purpose aesthetic".cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/02/AR2007020200358_pf.html |first=Ann |last=Hornaday |title=Rules for YouTube: Make Art, Not Bore |date=2007-02-04|publisher=Washington Post |accessdate=2008-07-29 ]

"Yacht Rock" debuted at Channel 101's June 2005 screening. It placed in the top five at subsequent screenings until the June 2006 screening of its tenth episode, where it placed seventh and was canceled.

However, the show remained a popular download on Channel 101, convincing the creators to make an 11th episode independently. This episode, featuring Jason Lee as Kevin Bacon, debuted during a screening at the Knitting Factory in New York City on December 27, 2007. A month later, Channel 101 themselves included it in a screening, and hosted it on their website along with the other episodes on January 28, 2008. [cite news|url=http://www.spinner.com/2008/05/28/yacht-rock-docks-in-sea-of-musical-spoofs/|title='Yacht Rock' Docks in Sea of Musical Spoofs|last=Chiu|first=David |date=2008-05-28|work=Spinner|accessdate=2008-06-22]

Music in the show

"Yacht rock" is a name [cite web |title=Finally, a name for that music: "Yacht Rock" |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2002726917_yachtfix09.html |first=Michael |last=Crumsho |date=2006-01-09 |accessdate=2008-07-29 |publisher=The Seattle Times ] [cite web |url=http://www.observer.com/node/52629 |publisher=The New York Observer |title=Yacht Rock Docks in New York |first=William |last=Berlind |date=2006-08-27 |accessdate=2008-07-29 |quote="yacht rock" is now a legitimate subgenre of music criticism ] for the popular soft rock that peaked between the years of 1976 and 1984. Significant "yacht rockers" include Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, and Toto. While the music has existed for years, popular usage of the term "yacht rock" is relatively new, coming into circulation through the online comedy series of the same name.

In the musical sense, yacht rock refers to the highly polished brand of soft rock that emanated from Southern California during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In part, the term relates to the stereotype of the yuppie yacht owner, enjoying champagne and smooth music while out for a sail. Additionally, since sailing was a popular leisure activity in Southern California, many "yacht rockers" made nautical references in their lyrics, videos, and album artwork, particularly the anthemic track "Sailing" by Christopher Cross.

The foundation of the yacht rock scene was a local pool of versatile session musicians who frequently played on each other's records. This professionalism often gave yacht rock recordings a high level of sophistication in musical areas such as composition, arrangement, and instrumental skill.

The most popular yacht rock artists enjoyed massive commercial success. During its peak years, yacht rock dominated the Grammy Awards, with Christopher Cross and Toto sweeping the major awards in 1981 and 1983 respectively, feats consistently derided by Grammy prognosticators. [cite web |url= http://archives.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/23/grammy.albums/index.html
title= Grammys play catch-up -- again |accessdate= 2006-10-09 |date= 2001-02-23 |publisher= CNN.com] However, yacht rock was not a hit with most rock critics at the time, who dismissed it as being corporate rock that was overproduced, generic, and middle of the road, favoring such acts as The Clash, Patti Smith, and Elvis Costello instead. [cite web |url= http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_popmachine/2006/02/u2_vs_kanye_rev.html |title= U2 vs. Kanye revisited |accessdate= 2006-10-09 |last= Caro |first= Mark |authorlink= Mark Caro |date= 2006-02-13 |work= Pop Machine |publisher= Chicago Tribune] (See Rockism.)

In developing the show "Yacht Rock", creator J. D. Ryznar commented that the term was intended to describe the "more elite studio artists" of the period, such as Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. [cite web |url= http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/0549/051207_music_talktalk.php |title= Talk Talk: J.D. Ryznar |accessdate= 2006-10-09 |last= Matos
first= Michaelangelo |date= 2005-12-07 |work= Seattle Weekly] David B. Lyons, who co-produced the show and played Koko Goldstein, noted that a friend of his devised the term "marina rock" in college to describe a more "working-class" group of artists that didn't achieve the same high profile, such as Seals and Crofts, Rupert Holmes, and Looking Glass. [cite web |url= http://channel101.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=69553#69553 |title= yacht rock #5 |accessdate= 2006-10-09 |author= "GuyCharisma" [David Lyons]
date= 2005-12-04 |work= Channel 101 Public Forum |publisher= Channel 101] However, despite the show's intentions, music journalists have begun using the term yacht rock to describe all of the similar-sounding music of the period, including bands such as Ambrosia, 10cc, Pablo Cruise, Firefall, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Orleans, Ace, and Player. [cite web |url= http://music.ign.com/articles/710/710545p1.html |title= Top 10 Yacht Rock Songs Of All Time |accessdate= 2006-10-09 |author= Spence D. |coauthors= Brian Linder |date= 2006-05-30 |publisher= IGN]

While Ryznar and the show popularized the term "yacht rock," but it had existed previously. Its earliest-known appearance came in 1990 from Dave Larsen, popular music critic for the Dayton Daily News, describing an upcoming Jimmy Buffet concert in Cincinnati. [Cite news
pages = 8C
last = Larson
first = Dave
title = PARROT HEAD FANS SPELL SUCCESS FOR JIMMY BUFFETT'S OHIO VISIT
work = Dayton Daily News
accessdate = 2008-06-22
date = 1990-07-14
url = http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0F4FB10738B8C7EB&p_docnum=1]

"Yacht Rock" episode list

# "What a Fool Believes"
#: In the pilot episode, Kenny Loggins, under the guidance of Koko Goldstein, reaches out to a struggling Michael McDonald, who's having trouble writing a smooth hit for his band the Doobie Brothers.
# "Keep the Fire"
#: Loggins and McDonald pair up against the duo Hall & Oates for a songwriting competition. Koko is impaled by his lucky harpoon, but is at peace before his death by hearing the smoothest song ever sung by a young Christopher Cross.
# "I'm Alright"
#: An entertainment executive behind the movie "Caddyshack" demands that the movie's director, Harold Ramis, obtain Kenny Loggins' talents to write the movie's theme song.
# "Rosanna"
#: Steve Porcaro (Steve Agee), the keyboard player of the band Toto, is encouraged by his girlfriend, Rosanna Arquette, to write a song about her, and she wants him to have Michael McDonald sing on the track. Porcaro devises a three-step plan to make it happen.
# "Believe in It"
#: Toto has been commissioned to write a smooth song for Michael Jackson's "Thriller", but Jackson rejects the band, believing after working with Eddie Van Halen on Beat It that such material is in his past. Fearing that Jackson will destroy "smooth music" for a decade, Porcaro turns to McDonald, Vincent Price (James Adomian), and Koko's ghost for help writing Human Nature.
# "The Seed Drill"
#: "Hollywood" Steve's father demands that Steve stop wasting his time on "Yacht Rock", and regales a historic tale of Jethro Tull.
# "I Keep Forgettin'"
#: McDonald and Loggins make a bet about McDonald's new song, "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)", that takes a decade to resolve. In the future, Long Beach-based rappers Warren G and Nate Dogg struggle with creating smooth rap (yacht rap), and only when they kidnap McDonald, is there a solution to everyone's problems and bets.
# "Gino (the Manager)"
#: "Hollywood" Steve returns to the very beginning, where Doobie Brothers producer Ted Templeman explains his dream about the origin of "the smoothest rock [he's] ever heard."
# "Runnin' with the Devil"
#: Van Halen puts a curse on Ted Templeman to force him to produce their hard rock song. Comedian Drew Carey makes a cameo appearance.
# "FM"
#: Steely Dan and the Eagles settle a long-time feud with a hit song.
# "Footloose"
#: Jimmy Buffett is convinced by Kevin Bacon to trick Loggins into making yet another movie song. Jason Lee makes a guest appearance as Bacon.

Real people portrayed in "Yacht Rock"

">
*Ian Anderson
*Michael Anthony(referred to as 'the other guy')
*Rosanna Arquette
*Kevin Bacon
*Jeff "Skunk" Baxter
*Walter Becker
*Jimmy Buffett
*Peter Cetera
*Christopher Cross
*Nate Dogg
*Daryl Dragon
*Dr. Dre
*Donald Fagen
*Glenn Frey
*Warren G
*Daryl Hall
*Don Henley
*David Hungate
*James Ingram
*Michael Jackson
*Kenny Loggins
*Steve Lukather
*Michael McDonald
*Jim Messina
*John Oates
*David Paich
*Steve Perry
*Jeff Porcaro
*Steve Porcaro
*Vincent Price
*Harold Ramis
*David Lee Roth
*Tom Savarese
*Patrick Simmons
*Ted Templeman
*Toni Tennille
*Charles, Lord Townshend
*Jethro Tull
*Alex Van Halen
*Eddie Van Halen

References

External links

* [http://www.yachtrock.com/ Official Website]
* [http://www.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=152 Channel 101: Yacht Rock]
* [http://www.channel101.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3819 List of songs used in "Yacht Rock" episodes]
* [http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/10/this_post_conce.html Have You Heard About The Lonesome Losers?]
* [http://www.reallysmoothmusic.com Really Smooth Music]
* [http://www.knightsofmontecarlo.com Knights of Monte Carlo]