Yacht Rock (web series)
Yacht Rock is an online video series following the fictionalized lives and careers of American soft rock stars of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The series debuted on Channel 101 at the June 26, 2005 screening. It placed in the top five at subsequent screenings until the June 25, 2006 screening, where it placed seventh and was canceled. The show remained a popular download on Channel 101, convincing the creators to make two additional episodes independently. The 11th episode, featuring Jason Lee as Kevin Bacon, debuted during a screening at the Knitting Factory in New  York City on December 27, 2007, and was later included with the other episodes on Channel 101. On May 5, 2010, the 12th and final episode of "Yacht Rock" was released onto YouTube and Channel 101. The series inspired the term "yacht rock" as a musical descriptor for the songs and artists it features. Creation and inspiration. The series was written, directed, and produced by J. D. Ryznar, co-produced by David Lyons and Hunter D. Stair, and edited by Lane Farnham. The production has a "bad-on-purpose aesthetic". Ryznar and Stair devised the series after noticing the converging  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 Loggins co-wrote McDonald's hit, "What a Fool Believes," for his band The Doobie Brothers. McDonald also performed backing vocals for several other 'yacht rock' artists, including Steely Dan, Toto and Christopher Cross. Ryznar admits to having a fascination with the music of the period. As he explained, "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]." As Ryznar told Reuters contributor Andy Sullivan, "I'm making fun of the songwriting process, but the music is generally treated pretty lovingly." Synopsis. "Yacht Rock"'s episodes are "hosted" by "Hollywood" Steve Huey, a music critic for AllMusic. The term "Yacht Rock" is never used throughout the series by any characters, except for Huey during his introductions; instead, it is always referred to as "smooth music". The series depicts some realistic aspects of the  music, but builds exaggerated storylines around them. For example, main protagonists Loggins and McDonald receive inspiration from a fictional impresario named Koko Goldstein, whose death in Episode 2 ultimately leads them to go their separate ways musically. Another example is the series' depiction of several real-life characters. McDonald is an idealistic and earnest singer/songwriter, but takes both smooth music and himself far too seriously. Loggins is his easygoing friend and frequent collaborator who eventually abandons smooth music in favor of commercial rock and roll in the 80s, which strains their friendship. The portrayal of John Oates as the  abusive, foulmouthed leader of Hall & Oates, exerting sometimes violent control over the milquetoast Daryl Hall, is clearly different from reality, in which Hall is the main lead vocalist and songwriter with no hint of a rivalry. Christopher Cross, played by Justin Roiland, is depicted as a wide-eyed, timid hayseed whose song "Sailing" is lauded as the "smoothest song ever." Loggins' former partner Jim Messina is a bitter wino who hates Loggins for his success and perceived betrayal. 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 seen threatening to kick McDonald "out of the Doobies" if he doesn't write them another hit. (The real Baxter did bring fellow Steely Dan alumnus McDonald into the band but, as they achieved their greatest commercial success, Baxter left the Doobie Brothers because of his displeasure with their new commercial sound and attitude.) The Eagles (portrayed here as jock-like meatheads) and Steely Dan (portrayed as snarky nerds, with Donald Fagen speaking in an incoherent babble of scat that only the truly smooth can  understand) 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. Reception. John Oates credited "Yacht Rock" in 2007 with rekindling interest in Hall & Oates and lowering the demographic age of the group's fans saying: Michael McDonald commented on "Yacht Rock" in a 2008 interview: In 2015, SiriusXM first broadcast a limited-time "Yacht Rock Radio" channel on satellite from August 21 – September 22. This SXM satellite channel has "popped up" every summer  since, most recently from late May to early October 2021, while also maintaining a year-round dedicated Yacht Rock online streaming channel for the ever-increasing fan base. . Section::::"Beyond Yacht Rock". In 2016, Ryznar, Huey, Stair, and Lyons began a podcast called "Beyond Yacht Rock". This series revolves around top-ten countdowns of genres they have newly invented, as well as episodes built around analyses of the work of musicians such as Steve Perry and Van Halen. The series also includes more commentary on the yacht rock style, such as evaluating songs according to whether or not they fit the  Yacht Rock creators' description of the style (which they call "Yacht or Nyacht").