david lyons yacht rock

Sail Away: The Oral History of ‘Yacht Rock’

By Drew Toal

This story was originally published on June 26, 2015

I n the late 1970s and early 1980s, musical artists like Kenny Loggins , Michael McDonald , Steely Dan , Toto , Hall and Oates , and dozens of others regularly popped up on each other’s records, creating a golden era of smooth-music collaboration.

And on June 26th, 2005, an internet phenomenon was born. In 12 short but memorable episodes — first via the the short-film series Channel 101 and then online — JD Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons, Lane Farnham and their friends redefined an era and coined a term for the sultry croonings of McDonald, Fagen, et al.: “yacht rock.”

As “Hollywood” Steve might say, these guys docked a fleet of remarkable hits. This is the story of Yacht Rock, told from stem to stern — a reimagining of a bygone soft-rock renaissance, courtesy of hipsters with fake mustaches, impeccable record collections and a love of smoothness. Long may it sail.

Dave Lyons (“Koko”): You know how, in the Seventies, these big bands started playing arena rock? We liked the idea of these smooth bands playing “Marina Rock.” I thought it was a better name.

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Lane Farnham (editor, “Jimmy Messina”): JD and I had talked about Journey for a year before we did Yacht Rock. In the third episode, that whole “you need to fly like a pilot” bit? Those are direct lines from Steve Perry in this crazy documentary we found. He’s coked to the gills, in the Eighties, just blabbering about who knows what. We got a kick out of that stuff. 

Ryznar: My musical tastes are not that interesting, and they never were.

Huey: I turned 30 right before we started doing the series, and I thought, well, this is a nice round number. What do 30-year-olds do? I feel like it’s time I get into Steely Dan. I bought most of the catalogue and was like, This is my new identity. I’m gonna unwind, start listening to Steely Dan, and leave parties early.

Ryznar : It was a cool scene at the time: Justin Roiland had [Channel 101 series] House of Cosbys, Dan Harmon had Laser Fart. Our friends Drew Hancock and Wade Randolph, who would go on to play Hall and Oates, they had a show about a regular guy who got angry, and turned into a smaller, shirtless weaker guy who didn’t turn green or anything.

Drew Hancock (“Oates”): That was called “Man to Man: Metamorphosis Ultra.” It was the lowest stakes Incredible Hulk show you could possibly have.

Justin Roiland (co-creator of Rick & Morty and House of Cosbys, “Christopher Cross”): Every single month you’re making something, and then you’re testing it in front of a live audience. You see what works, what doesn’t work.

Ryznar : It was a January 2005 screening where we started the school of Channel 101, where you’re showing the stuff you made in front of 200, maybe 300 people. And then they put it on the “internet,” which was very hard to do back then. There was no “YouTube.” Listen to Old Man Ryznar here.

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Lyons: Two paddles and a ball that you hit back and forth on the beach. We turned it into a soap opera .

Stair : We started playing Kenny Loggins’ “Playing With the Boys” [from Top Gun ] on repeat as we drove a convertible around Playa del Rey. Just to get in the mood.

Ryznar : There were some Phil Collins music cues, I think. A lot of sports music from Eighties movies — “You’re the Best Around” and whatnot. We used a great Kenny Loggins song for the climax. It’s from Caddyshack II . . .

Christening the Ship Ryznar : Hunter and Dave Lyons came up with an idea for a show about a couple of jewel thieves who lived on a yacht and listened to that music.

Stair : That was actually called Steal Away.

Lyons: I believe Hunter and I were talking about a private eye detective team called Loggins & Loggins that lived on a houseboat and solved mysteries — like Simon & Simon.

Ryznar : I said: How about we play Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald as they co-write “What a Fool Believes” together? We had Stevie Nicks in there originally, for some reason. And then Drew Hancock and Wade Randolph said, we want to be Hall and Oates. I had gotten into the H&O song “Portable Radio” pretty hard. I needed to introduce it to the world. That was very important to me.

Stair : The seed of Koko the manager is . . . there’s a Doobie Brothers album that has a sweet looking manager dude on it. I remember sitting there with JD and being like, look how awesome this guy is.

Ryznar : Dave Lyons invented the Koko character while out drinking with Hunter one night. He just put on a bunch of garbage Seventies clothes he had around the house, and had a little stupid whistle around his neck. All these little touches — that’s what Dave is so great at.

Lyons: No, [Dan Harmon] wasn’t an immediate fan. That’s because he doesn’t get music. Just listen to the theme song for  Community — it’s terrible. Dan looks at things differently than most people, and I don’t think he loves music the way we do. But he came around. He came to really enjoy it. [Harmon would eventually play record producer Ted Templeman in two episodes.]

Huey: I was a published music writer, and that lent me a voice of authority that I might not have otherwise had amongst a hardcore group of music nerds. “Oh this guy’s viewpoint has to be legitimate! He’s published.”

Steve Agee (“Steve Porcaro”): Channel 101 at that point in time was really known for people making videos kind of purposely shitty. So we couldn’t tell if it was made to look bad on purpose.

Hancock: When Wade and I saw the first episode, we were like, eh, this isn’t very good. We didn’t like it. I didn’t understand it. So when it had this meteoric response, I was very surprised.

Ryznar : So Yacht Rock got screened, we were very nervous, and it went over like gangbusters. Just bona fide love from beginning to end from the audience. And we got voted number one on our first try, which hadn’t been done too often on Channel 101.

Stair : It got the biggest laugh of the night. As soon as it was over, we knew we were in. We weren’t totally sure it was going to be number one, but we knew we’d be up there.

Ryznar : A lot of people wanted parts. People had ideas. So we got to work with people we wanted to work with. Before we even knew we were picked up for a second episode, Hunter came up to me and said, “Uh, just talking to Doug Benson. I told him he could play Peter Cetera in the next episode.”

Lyons: The thing about the Channel 101 screenings, they’re always at a place that serves lots of alcohol. And after we saw how well it went over, we’re all drinking at the bar; Dan Harmon is doing a show with Sarah Silverman [ The Sarah Silverman Program ] at the time, and Doug was there with her. Yes, Hunter promised him the role of Peter Cetera. Which is great casting. 

Episode Two: The Songwriting Contest In the second episode, Hall and Oates challenge Loggins and Messina to songwriting contest. It ends with the creation of some of the greatest smooth music ever.

Ryznar : I mean, imagine if you saw Hall and Oates where Oates, with all that hair and the mustache, was the top, and Hall was the bottom? They were sort of the opposite of the smooth California scene. So they sort of made the perfect antagonists.

Huey: The only reason they were picked as antagonists is because they’re from Philadelphia, which is a mean place.

Wade Randolph (“Daryl Hall”): The Hall wig is named the De Carlo. I don’t know why.

Hancock: I remember for the mustache, I think I tried a regular handlebar mustache but it just wasn’t thick enough. So I just ended up taking a lock of the wig and fashioning a mustache out of that.

Stair : And Justin Roiland coming in, doing “Sailing.” The way the whole thing flowed, it’s so fast and perfect. I think that was Yacht Rock ‘s the finest hour.

Roiland: JD asked me, would you play Christopher Cross? I’d never heard “Sailing” before, believe it or not. I remember the first few listens going I don’t get the appeal of this fucking song. It’s an acquired taste.

Huey: We didn’t quite know what we had at that point, and so you kind of had to establish the value system. Smoothness is the main value in this world. The second episode, when that screened for the live audience, I’ve never seen a Channel 101 audience go that apeshit for anything. I remember walking out of the screening going, we’re rock stars! Granted, it’s only this one room, with like 300 people in it, but in that one room of 300 people, I think we might be rock stars.

Koko Makes His Final Voyage Lyons: As soon as we got in for the first one, JD called me and said here’s the idea for the second one: I’m gonna kill off Koko. Well, thanks a pantload, JD. He’s like, no it’ll be great. You’ll come back later as a ghost or something.

Stair : So JD wanted this guy Koko to have this totem at this fight; I suggested a trident, since it’s more nautical. But Anchorman had come out, and they had the fight scene with the trident. We still needed something, so we settled on a harpoon.

Stair : You can’t kill Loggins. You can’t kill McDonald. These are real people. Koko had to die.

Lyons: My thought is that Koko fell on his own harpoon and martyred himself. I like to think that Koko was the Jesus Christ of Yacht Rock. [ Pause ] That’s going to sound arrogant. How about: Koko died to deliver smooth music to the rest of the musicians.

Huey: I don’t think it was ever decided who killed Koko until the very end. The important thing is, like Jesus, he died for a cause. Which, in this case, was smooth music. But you know what’s gonna happen if you’re in the middle of a melée with a bunch of guys from the mean streets of Philadelphia. You’re going to die of a harpoon injury. That’s why they call it the city of harpoon murders.

Randolph: I always assumed it was Oates.

Wyatt Cenac (“James Ingram”): Who killed Koko? You know, very good question. If I had to go with anybody… I’d say maybe Loggins and McDonald together. That’s the secret twist. I think they’d been slowly poisoning him for years, and the harpoon was just to throw people of their scent.

Ryznar : I don’t know. Is Tony Soprano dead? Hollywood Steve took the “Koko” answer to his grave.

Stair : I would never name names. Only Hollywood Steve knows for sure, and someone would have to give him big Hollywood dollars to spill.

Any Port in a Storm After 10 stellar installments, including a guest appearance by “Cleveland” Drew Carey ,  a case for Jethro Tull (the 18th century farmer, not the band) to be considered smooth and a primer on how Michael McDonald influenced Nineties G-Funk , Yacht Rock was canceled by Channel 101 after “FM” — about a gang war between the Eagles and Steely Dan. But help was on the horizon.

Ryznar : The record at the time was 12. We really wanted to beat it — but we didn’t. There might have been Yacht Rock fatigue in the audience.

Lyons: It’s not one of my favorites. I’m not a fan of the Eagles, and not a lot of people get Steely Dan.

Ryznar : It was heartbreaking, man. Because the great thing about Channel 101 is, you can feel when the audience isn’t into it. And the audience was not into this. I knew the 101 days were over as soon as the screening was done.

Stair : Nowadays, things have two- or three-year runs at Channel 101. Back then, 10 episodes was a lot.

Ryznar : Not even two weeks after we were canceled, I got an email from someone who booked a bar in Chicago — The Empty Bottle — and wanted to screen all the Yacht Rocks. I forget if they flew us out or if we just happened to be there, but we screened all the episodes back to back. There was a line down the block; the place was filled to capacity. People were quoting lines.

Huey: The show had started to go viral. Working lower level jobs in reality television, and then walking into a bar and being the most famous person in that room didn’t match up with my everyday experience at all.

Cast Off . . . Again After successfully touring the country, JD & co. starting making new episodes, beginning with Footloose. Featuring the likes of Jason Lee and Wyatt Cenac, it tells the story of how Loggins being kidnapped by Jimmy Buffett led to one of the Eighties’ most rockin’ soundtracks.

Huey: Yeah I was really excited to get back into it, because I didn’t really have too much else going on at that point. Let’s do that thing that made me semi-famous again!

Ryznar : We did the Footloose episode. And it turned out even better than I could have imagined. It was nice, since we weren’t limited to five minutes, even though we tried to keep it close: one of the keys to Yacht Rock is jamming everything into five minutes. I had done some work with Jason Lee, who would quote lines every time I saw him. So I asked if he’d play Kevin Bacon, and he was throwing chairs around.

Ryznar : We portrayed parrotheads being brainwashed idiots. You kind of have to be if you’re into Jimmy Buffett. Or just want to be so tuned out of life, that like hey, whatever — kick back with flip flops, drink some margs, listen to some sweet Jimmy Buffett music and let him paint a rosy picture of a reality that does not exist.

Lyons: I always like that artists like Bertie Higgins, Rupert Holmes and Andy Kim have an authentic longing in their music. Buffett is a rich dude getting richer off of the lack of taste of the poor and stupid. He represents the lowest common denominator in music, even worse than country singers profiting off of 9/11. To summarize: I’m not really a fan.

Ryznar : You might be able to argue that Jimmy Buffett music is about escaping from a dark place, but there’s no soul in there. So we just wanted to make him an absolute idiot. Our good friend Vatche Panos, who is super funny, really hit a home run with that one.

Cenac: I remember when we were shooting that, I had no idea there was a song called “Cheeseburgers in Paradise.” Much less that people actually listened to it and liked it.

Ryznar : I hope he doesn’t mind me telling this story, but Wyatt Cenac had just auditioned for The Daily Show , and he was flat broke.

Cenac: Yeah, I was definitely very broke. That isn’t why I did it. I did enjoy it. But there was also a part of being broke where you’ll do anything.

Ryznar : And then a month later, he becomes Wyatt Cenac, the international sensation.

Huey : We did one more, and I didn’t feel like the last episode came together as well as it could have for whatever reason. I think Footloose was a more cohesive episode. Also the original idea for the finale was Gene Balboa was going to kidnap all these people from the “We Are the World” session , take them to an island, and force them to write soundtrack hits for him. Anyone who tried to escape would get hunted down like in The Most Dangerous Game.

Ryznar : That was a hard one to write — the space battle, Hall and Oates shooting lasers, Loggins starting his soundtrack phase. I’m proud of killing off Hollywood Steve and making it a pain drug-induced hallucination. I think that let us go nuts with it. The “We Are the World” part was a fun shoot. You just look around and go, wow, I know so many talented people that are bringing so much to this thing.

Stair : The Hollywood Steve “character” was on morphine, not Huey. Well, he might have been on morphine, I don’t know. That’d be an awesome salacious story about Yacht Rock. Just write that, it’s even better.

Huey : When I was using, it did get increasingly harder to tell where the character stopped and I began. Once you’ve been on VH1’s “100 Greatest Songs of the Nineties,” the public expects you to maintain a certain image, and I guess I got caught up in a myth. [ Pause ] I’m kidding. But I did murder a homeless woman. Just to see what it felt like.

Farnham: One of my favorite moments of all of Yacht Rock is when Giorgio Moroder is whispering into Kenny Loggins’ ear about “the Danger Zone.” I love that. It’s such a good moment.

Ryznar : Loggins going soundtrack is kind of like the end of Yacht Rock. If “Sailing” is one of the greatest yacht-rock songs ever, and that’s in Episode Two, it’s all death from then on. “Danger Zone” — there’s just nothing smooth about that song at all. By 1985, Michael McDonald had released his last great album. The Doobie Brothers were done. Toto didn’t have any more good songs in them. Steely Dan was broken up. It was over.

Ryznar : People actually contacted me and wanted to see if I wanted tickets to [their] shows at the Hollywood Bowl. We went backstage and met Hall and Oates. There’s a picture out there somewhere of Drew Hancock and Wade Randolph with Hall and Oates — and it’s awesome.

Randolph: I don’t know who contacted who, but Oates had seen the show and was apparently a fan of it. Hall didn’t give a fuck about us at all. He was just like whatever.

Hancock: Oates actually understood what we were doing. First of all, he’s the shortest dude on the planet. I’m 5’8, and he looked at me and said, man you’re way too tall to play me. I think he’s 5’4 and had thick heels on too.

Cenac: Oates is the unsung hero in that group. The moment he decides to turn the jets on, watch out.

Lyons: The only negative thing I’ve ever heard from any of the actual people we’ve portrayed was that Kenny Loggins wasn’t a huge fan. My wife met him once, and said my husband played Koko in Yacht Rock. He just got all, huh. Not mean, not nasty. Just: Huh.

Stair : I’m not sure Loggins liked it, [but] I know his son did. A lot of the kids of the guys in the show like. You know, some serious artists. Michael McDonald, I’m pretty sure he liked it.

“I met Steve Porcaro at a book-release party, and he asked, ‘Do you guys hate us?’ We’re writing a love letter to this music and we meant no ill will toward anybody. Except for Jimmy Buffett.”

Michael McDonald (speaking to Time Out New York in 2008): “I thought Yacht Rock was hilarious. And uncannily, you know, those things always have a little bit of truth to them. It’s kind of like when you get a letter from a stalker who’s never met you. They somehow hit on something, and you have to admit they’re pretty intuitive.”

Agee: About a year ago, I was at Largo, and one of the guys that works there is married to Steve Porcaro’s daughter. He was like, yeah, Steve is actually here tonight; he loves Yacht Rock, and said he wanted to meet me. I cut out early because I was honestly too nervous.

Stair : I met Steve Porcaro at a book-release party, and he kind of pulled me aside and asked, “Do you guys hate us?” And I was like, oh no, I hope that’s not the impression we gave anybody. We’re writing a love letter to this music and we meant no ill will toward anybody. Except for Jimmy Buffett.

Farnham: I actually worked with an editor who was good friends with the Toto folks, and they said it’s uncanny how close some of these stories are. Apparently there’s a lot more truth than we know.

Agee: So I can see how bands would be like, oh, they’re making fun of us. But I’ve known JD for awhile now, and I know for a fact that he loves that music. I don’t think someone who hated what’s now called yacht rock . . they wouldn’t spend so much time making videos about it.

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Lyons: I felt we always treated the music lovingly. It was always treated with respect; what we were trying to make fun of was all these guys hanging out and the ridiculous things they were into. I heard a story that Kenny Loggins got married in the nude. I don’t know if it’s true or not. But that’s the kind of late Seventies/early Eighties Southern California horse shit that is so delightful about Yacht Rock. Like wanting to find out what your root chakra is. That’s what’s funny about it. [ Pause ] I mean of course Kenny Loggins and Steve Perry are going to be into karate!

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That '70s Week: Yacht Rock

Talia Schlanger

Donald Fagen (left) and Walter Becker of Steely Dan. Danny Clinch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Donald Fagen (left) and Walter Becker of Steely Dan.

• The Doobie Brothers, "What A Fool Believes"
• Christopher Cross, "Sailing"
• Sade, "Smooth Operator"
• Nielsen/Pearson, "If You Should Sail"
• Ned Doheny, "Get It Up For Love"
• Iron & Wine, "Desert Babbler"
• Young Gun Silver Fox, "You Can Feel It"

What's the best way to become the unchallenged expert on a particular genre of music? Invent it. Enter JD Ryznar, Hunter Stair, David B. Lyons and Steve Huey: coiners of the description "yacht rock," creators of a hilarious web series of the same name and now de facto captains of the genre. Broadly speaking, yacht rock is an ocean of smooth, soft-listening music made in the late '70s and early '80s by artists like Toto, Hall & Oates and Kenny Loggins — music you can sail to. But as David and Talia learn in this conversation with the arbiters of Yacht Rock , the waters are much murkier than that.

For example, according to Ryznar, "There's also a common misconception that just because it's about a boat, or the ocean, or sailing, that it's yacht rock. That is most definitely nyacht true." Thankfully, on their Beyond Yacht Rock podcast, our guests have developed a sound system of logical criteria to define what is "Yacht" and what is "Nyacht." They employ their patented "Yachtzee scale" to examine a song's "Yachtness" based on a number of factors, including its personnel (is there a Doobie Brother in there?), amount of jazz and R&B influence, geographic origin (Southern California is a plus) and lyrical obtuseness.

Listen as Ryznar and Lyons steer us towards the musical marina with a buoyant "Yacht or Nyacht" debate that includes Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Sade and the most serious discussion you can have about the proper soundtrack for standing shirtless on a deck wearing boat shoes and a sailor cap. Dive on in --the water's great.

Listen: JD Ryznar's Yacht Rock Primer

Episode playlist.

• Hall & Oates
• Michael McDonald

If the Yacht Is a Rockin': Riding the Yacht Rock Nostalgia Wave

It’s not often that an entire genre of music gets retconned into existence after being parodied by a web series, but that’s exactly what happened after writer, director, and producer J.D. Ryznar and producers David B. Lyons and Hunter D. Stair launched the Channel 101 web series Yacht Rock in 2005. Hosted by former AllMusic editor “Hollywood” Steve Huey, the series was a loving sendup of the late '70s/early '80s smooth jams to which many Millennials and late period Gen-Xers were likely conceived.

The yacht rock aesthetic was innovated by a core group of musicians and producers including, but not limited to, Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, Robbie Dupree, Kenny Loggins, Toto, David Foster, and hirsute soft rock titan Michael McDonald, along with scores of veteran session musicians from the Southern California studio scene.

The Yacht Rock web series was perfectly timed to coincide with a contemporary renaissance of smooth music from the late '70s, the kind that was previously considered a guilty pleasure because it fell out of fashion in the mid-'80s and was soon thereafter regarded as dated and square compared to other burgeoning genres, like punk rock and hip-hop.

Yacht Rock's Early Years

The yacht rock era began roughly around 1976, when yacht rock pillar Kenny Loggins split up with songwriting partner Jim Messina to strike out on his own. That same year, fellow yacht rock mainstay Michael McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers. The two titans of the genre joined forces when Loggins co-wrote the definitive yacht rock hit “What a Fool Believes” with McDonald for the Doobies. They collaborated several times during this era, which was par for the course with such an incestuous music scene that was largely comprised of buddies playing on each other’s albums.

"Look at who performed on the album and if they didn’t perform with any other yacht rock hit guys then chances are [it's] ‘nyacht’ rock,” Ryznar said on the  Beyond Yacht Rock podcast, referencing the pejorative term frequently used to describe soft rock songs that just miss the boat.

"The basic things to ask yourself if you want to know if a track is yacht rock are: Was it released from approximately 1976 to 1984? Did musicians on the track play with Steely Dan? Or Toto?," Ryznar said. "Is it a top 40 radio hit or is it on an album meant to feature hits?" And, of course, does the song celebrate a certain breezy, SoCal aesthetic?

Building the Boat

There are certain key ingredients necessary for a track to be considered yacht rock. For starters, it helps (though is not necessary) to have album art or lyrics that specifically reference boating, as with Christopher Cross's landmark 1980 hit “Sailing.” The music itself is usually slickly produced with clean vocals and a focus on melody over beat. But above all else, the sound has to be smooth . That’s what sets yacht rock apart from "nyacht" rock.

"Its base is R&B, yet it’s totally whitewashed," Ryznar explained on  Beyond Yacht Rock . "There [are] jazz elements. There can be complex, challenging melodies; the solos are all cutting-edge and really interesting. There’s always something interesting about a true yacht rock song. It goes left when you expect it to go right."

Yacht rock’s complex musicianship can be attributed, in part, to the session players on each track. Musicians like percussionist Steve Gadd, guitarist and Toto founding member Steve Lukather, and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro don’t have much in the way of name recognition among casual soft rock listeners, but they’re the nails that hold the boat together. Steely Dan, “the primordial ooze from which yacht rock emerged,” according to Ryznar, famously cycled through dozens of session musicians while recording their 1980 seminal yacht rock album Gaucho .

"These musicians were not only these slick, polished professionals, but they were highly trained and able to hop from style to style with ease,” Huey explained on  Beyond Yacht Rock . “Very versatile.”

In Greg Prato’s 2018 tome, The Yacht Rock Book : An Oral History of the Soft, Smooth Sounds of the 70s and 80s , Huey broke down “the three main defining elements of yacht rock,” explaining that it requires “Fusing softer rock with jazz and R&B, very polished production, and kind of being centered around the studio musician culture in southern California … It’s not just soft rock, it’s a specific subset of soft rock that ideally has those elements."

Soft rock untethered

Whereas the music of the late 1970s and early ‘80s is often associated with the anti-establishment music of punk pioneers like the Dead Kennedys and the socially conscious songs being written by early hip-hop innovators like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, yacht rock is the antithesis of the counterculture.

Yacht rock occupies a world that is completely apolitical and untethered to current events. Between the oil crisis, a global recession, and inflation—not to mention the fact that the U.S. was still licking its wounds from the loss of the Vietnam War and the disgrace of Watergate—the late '70s were a dark time for Americans. Yet yacht rock, at its heart, is a tequila sunrise for the soul, whisking the listener away to a world where they have the time, and the means, to idle away the hours sipping piña coladas at sea while decked out in flowy Hawaiian shirts and boat shoes.

Yacht rock was never edgy, nor did it ever feel dangerous. Yacht rock didn’t piss off anyone’s parents and no one ever threatened to send their kid to boot camp for getting caught listening to Kenny Loggins's “This Is It.” Yacht rock tracks are more of a siren song that invite your parents to join in on the chorus anytime they hear Toto’s "Rosanna."

Yacht rock songs are meant to set the soundtrack to a life where the days are always sunny, but as Ryznar pointed out on Beyond Yacht Rock , there’s “an underlying darkness”—just not the kind that’s going to derail a day of sailing to Catalina Island. No, yacht rock has elements of low-stakes heartbreak with sensitive male protagonists lamenting their own foolishness in trying to get back together with exes or hitting on women half their age.

The aspirational aspect of the genre dovetailed nicely with the overarching materialism defining the Reagan era. “Yacht rock was an escape from blunt truths, into the melodic, no-calorie lies of ‘buy now, pay never,’ in which any discord could be neutralized with a Moog beat,” Dan O’Sullivan wrote in Jacobin .

Some Like it Yacht

Although the cult comedy series Yacht Rock ceased production in 2010, the soft rock music revival it launched into the zeitgeist is still going strong. For the past few years, SiriusXM has been running a yacht rock station during prime boating season, or what those of us without bottomless checking accounts refer to as the spring and summer months. Yacht rock tribute acts like Yacht Rock Revue are profitable business endeavors as much as they are fun party bands. There’s also a glut of yacht rock-themed song compilations for sale and a proliferation of questionably curated genre playlists on Spotify.

Whether you believe yacht rock is an exalted art form or the insidious soundtrack to complacency, any music lover would probably agree that even a momentary escape from the blunt truths of life is something we could all use every now and then.

Beyond Yacht Rock

From the guys who brought you Yacht Rock comes a deeper dive into the ocean of arbitrary genres. Hosts Steve Huey, JD Ryznar, David B Lyons, and Hunter Stair invent a new musical genre and count down its top ten songs. Plus, each episode features a bonus Yacht Rock Bone Throw track.

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;} NEW Podcast Alert!

David, JD, Hollywood Steve, and Hunter have 2 new podcasts: Billion Dollar Record Club and The Yacht Or Nyacht Podcast. Subscribe now!

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;} 2021 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Voters' Guide

Dave, Steve, and JD give you yet another final episode of Beyond Yacht Rock. 

www.yachtrock.com

https://www.patreon.com/yachtrock

2020 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Voters' Guide

JD, Steve and Dave tell you who to vote for to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Eugeniuz Yachtski Memorial Society Awards for Excellence in Smooth Music!

Centennial nyacht, blasting a duke, o's a poppin’, low batteries, sax education, peppers and buttholes, seals and crap, misters on backgrounds, major dude calibration, more hearts, to heart, et tu, yachtson, no easy feelin', no bread story, sorry, bread story 2: bread harder, bread story, popular podcasts.

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Beyond Yacht Rock

From the guys who brought you Yacht Rock comes a deeper dive into the ocean of arbitrary genres. Hosts Steve Huey, JD Ryznar, David B Lyons, and Hunter Stair invent a new musical genre and count down its top ten songs. Plus, each episode features a bonus Yacht Rock Bone Throw track.

NEW Podcast Alert!

David, JD, Hollywood Steve, and Hunter have 2 new podcasts: Billion Dollar Record Club and The Yacht Or Nyacht Podcast. Subscribe now!

2021 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Voters' Guide

Dave, Steve, and JD give you yet another final episode of Beyond Yacht Rock.  www.yachtrock.com https://www.patreon.com/yachtrock -

2020 Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Voters' Guide

JD, Steve and Dave tell you who to vote for to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Eugeniuz Yachtski Memorial Society Awards for Excellence in Smooth Music!

Centennial nyacht.

The guys rate listener-submitted songs on the Yachtski Scale, determining whether they are YACHT or NYACHT

Blasting a Duke

In a very special Hunterless minisode, JD, Steve and Dave answer questions.

O's a Poppin’

Hosts & guests, david b lyons, ratings & reviews, smoothest podcast ever.

davinwilcox

The Yacht Rock Gang are raunchy, smarmy, funny as hell and oh, so smooth. I would hang out with these dudes!

Sweet Jesus this podcast is smooth.

Absolutely amazing!

Federico_C_

I can't belive I just found out about all this, the show and the podcast... but so I'm glad I did!! I'm working my way through all podcast episodes religiously. Been a fan of Yatch Rock for decades and this show goes literally beyond that. Lots of information, fun facts, details and more an all genres of music. If you're a music fan this is a must. If you're new to Yacht Rock, watch the Web Series first then go to Episode 1 of the podcast and you'll be hooked. Keep it smooth, guys!

2 Smooth 2 B True

HOLY SMOKES! How am I just discovering this now??? Been a devotee of the Yacht Rock series since episode three, and worshipping at the alter of smooth sounds since childhood. Awesome music aside, the interplay between the lads is hilarious and informative. Top podcast for music and/or laughs. Keep the fire burning.

Information

• Channel Starburns Audio
• Creator Dixon Denim Cutoffs, LLC
• Years Active 2016 - 2023
• Episodes 211
• Rating Explicit
• Copyright © 2023 Dixon Denim Cutoffs, LLC
• Show Website Beyond Yacht Rock

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Africa, Middle East, and India

• Brunei Darussalam
• Burkina Faso
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• Guinea-Bissau
• Niger (English)
• Congo, Republic of
• Saudi Arabia
• Sierra Leone
• South Africa
• Tanzania, United Republic Of
• Turkmenistan
• United Arab Emirates

Asia Pacific

• Indonesia (English)
• Lao People's Democratic Republic
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• New Zealand
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• Philippines
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• United Kingdom

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Beyond Yacht Rock

Jd ryznar, david b lyons, steve huey, hunter stair, feral audio.

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Podcast Overview

From the guys who coined the term Yacht Rock (and brought you the Internet show of the same name) comes a deeper dive into the ocean of arbitrary genres. Every week, J.D. Ryznar, Hunter Stair, "Hollywood" Steve Huey, and David "Koko" Lyons choose a captain to invent a new arbitrary musical genre, and count down the Top Ten songs that define it. And for Yacht Rock fans, every episode also spotlights a bonus Yacht Rock Bone Throw track. Set sail with this crew of music obsessives...there are treasures to be found!

JD Ryznar is a Hollywood writer. He knows very little about music, but enjoys imagining elaborate scenarios inspired by popular songs.

David B Lyons is a Hollywood Location Manager. He knows a little about music, but feels the need to compartmentalize genres, then rank them.

Hollywood Steve Huey is a former staff writer for Allmusic.com, a former talking head for VH1, and currently the only unmarried man on this podcast.

Hunter Stair has a mouth that words come out of.

Podcast Episodes

68 - david lynchcore.

Inspired by the return of Twin Peaks, the guys pick the best dreamy-sounding oldies that David Lynch has not used on a soundtrack...YET.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 33

We finally address the State Cows controversy on this episode of Yacht or Nyacht with other songs by Kiss, Prince and the Climax Blues Band.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 32

Lots o’ Yacht on this episode of Yacht or Nyacht featuring Bob Welch, Starbuck, and Bob Weir.

67 - Moonshots 2000

Hey, you guys remember how much fun Moonshots were? Well JD refuses to do a sequel, so Hunter ruins the genre again by introducing Moonshots Two… THOUSAND. Get ready to be interrupted with moon laughs.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 31

Yacht or Nyacht turns 31 and throws a Yachtski party featuring guests John Denver, Phil Lynott, Rosie Vela and Steve Perry. Bring your party hats.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 30

An attempt to rank songs discussed prior to the discovery of the Yachtski Scale leads to some shocking discoveries, as the fellas partake in a "Speed Round" on this very special 30th mini-sode.

66 - Trump Rock

We were promised the silver lining of the Trump Presidency would be that artists would write better music. The boys count down the best songs about Donald Trump to see if that's true. Comedian Julian McCullough sits in for Hunter.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 29

The guys Yachtski Barry Maniliow, Billy Ocean, and finally assign a number to a Yacht Rock standard.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 28

Tough decisions are made featuring songs by Orleans, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, and the dreaded Eagles.

Yacht or Nyacht, Vol. 27

We listen to crucial songs by Matthew Wilder, Olivia Newton John and more; while evil Steve puts his finger on the scale of destiny.

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Yacht Rock (2005–2010)

David b. lyons: koko goldstein, jack, krelkrelkrelkrelkrelkrel, photos .

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Santa Clara News Online

News in and around santa clara, ca.

Santa Clara 4th of July Celebration at Mission College

By Robert Haugh

The Mission City has a new 4th of July celebration home –  Mission College. 

Because of construction projects at Central Park, the City chose to host the event at the College and forged a partnership with Mission College and California’s Great America. 

Throughout the event, there’s an array of family-friendly festivities such as lawn games and face painting. 

Live entertainment includes performances by Mustache Harbor, Yacht Rock Band, Santa Clara Elite Dance Team, Vanguard Music and Performing Arts, and headliner David Martin’s House Party. 

Several City departments will have info booths such as the Fire Department, Library, Mission Trail Waste Systems, Police Department, Water & Sewer, and Silicon Valley Power. 

Several food trucks will be on site, including: 

• Cousin’s Maine Lobster
• Luv’s Brownies
• Akita Sushi
• Chick N Bros
• Saigon Street Food
• The Cookout Fish & Chips
• Waffle Roost
• Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos

The celebration starts at 4 p.m. and concludes at 10 p.m. 

Free parking is available as space permits in Mission College Lots A through D. Rideshare drop off is at the main entry at 3000 Mission College Blvd. 

Visit SantaClaraca.gov/4thofJuly for more information. 

The event is sponsored by EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure, Silicon Valley Power, Mission College, Enamor Dental, Open Doors to Future Possibilities, City Life Bible Church, and California’s Great America. 

Here’s a list of fireworks shows in the area. 

Share this article

What is the difference between celebrating “Fourth of July” or “Independence Day?”

According to Silicon Valley Der Stürmer under Herr Jed, the Traditional Venue for celebrating Independence Day is dislodged from Central Park—a beloved venue with which us Santa Claras have joined in community spirit—for political reasons.

Der Stürmer states: “Earlier this year, the City announced the change in venue for a MYRIAD of reasons.” Most dictionaries define “myriad” as “a countless or extremely great number.” Yet, Der Stürmer uses this term as a propagandist, and offers only three (3) (!) reasons: (1) costs to use SCUSD fields of Central Elementary School, (2) the Swim Center and new Magical Bridge playground areas, and (3) Safety. Are there any other “countless” reasons to move festivities from Central Park that the Der Stürmer fails to convey to us Santa Clarans???

My commentary: the 49er Five has aims that supersede the citizens of Santa Clara and would rather “leach off” annual fireworks at Great America rather than preserve tradition. And “tradition” is that which the 49er 5 seek to destroy to secure power. As a city councilperson, I would be ashamed to admit personal failures to accept “welfare,” “charity,” or otherwise get a “free ride” from Great America’s fireworks. NOTE: Great America is now sold to Prologis, a San Francisco-based real estate conqueror and destroyer (from a citizen’s viewpoint). Prologis’ acquisition of Great America and its effects on Santa Clara is what Prologis is doing globally. https://www.prologis.com/contact-us/office-locations ……(Ask Jeddy Boy if the 49ers have ZERO connections to the sale of Great America—Given the proximity between LEVI and GREAT AMERICA….. well, the Devil has will have his day.).

Countering the “reasons” for the cataclysmic change to Mission College according to Der Stürmer:

(1) “Costs to use SCUSD fields.” An honorable and diligent seeker of facts might inquire as to the “cost,” unless that Der Stürmer is merely a mouthpiece of Herr Jed. No transparency yet again. Is the “cost” a dollar ($1), or what? Der Stürmer does not inquire as it is a propagandist conduit. Is it more than the inflated salaries of Jovan’s newly-hired henchmen? Yet another failure of Der Stürmer.

(2) Further, the Der Stürmer states that Santa Clara Chief Public Information Officer Janine De la Vega indicates that the closed George F. Haines International Swim Center and the new Magical Bridge Playground presumably injects a “footprint” that reduces ‘safety.’ Historically, NO ONE viewed 4th of July festivities from the swim center or at the area related to the Magical Bridge Playground as that area HAS ALWAYS had obstructed views because of the VAST tree canopies that occlude viewings of fireworks. This reasoning is BULL EXCREMENT.

So, Der Stürmer quotes the above from some numskull—or at least portrays quotes from Ms. Del la Vega as being, well, less informed and communicates accordingly. Where did Santa Clara get the unfortunate circumstances to employ Ms. Del la Vega? Hired Gun city manager Jovan! Ms. Del la Vega has hopped around, doubling her salary from 2018 to 2023!

Do SANTA CLARANS have that opportunity to nearly DOUBLE our income in 5 years? <> w Old Salary: $134,659. (2018) https://padailypost.com/2018/04/17/channel-7-reporter-hired-as-palo-alto-police-spokeswoman/ New Salary: $227,000. (2023) https://santaclaranews.org/2023/12/21/santa-clara-city-manager-adds-two-new-high-salary-staffers-to-his-office/

(3) Safety. More fear-mongering. For 10 to 20 years there may be some minor incidences at Central Park, but nothing like at Great America… and gun violence.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/great-america-shooting-suspect-still-at-large/172011/

Central Park has always been safe. Parking was plentiful among its community. Edicts according to the Der Stürmer: no family pets are allowed and no umbrellas or canopies. Also, all “coolers” will be inspected for contraband. **Likely if you take your family there to Mission College, you are INCREASING risk of harm to your family**! Why else place draconian measures on young families???!? Sounds like gangland. No Thank You!

In the past, Santa Clarans entered Central Park freely and harmoniously without being subjected to jack-boot inspection of belongings. Freedom to enjoy the 4th with your family is now subjugated to the tyrants of the City Council.

Independence Day is MORE than just independence from England—IT MEANS INDEPENDENCE FROM TYRANNY!

No 49er sponsorship??

Jed York only makes money off the backs of Santa Clarans. He doesn’t give back.

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Rolling Stones Deliver Two Tour Debuts at Penultimate Show

The Rolling Stones delivered two tour debuts and a rare cover during the second-last stop on their Hackney Diamonds tour Wednesday night.

Mick Jagger and the band performed a 20-track set at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, which included an airing of “Far Away Eyes” from their 1978 album Some Girls .

The song was a set regular on the year of its release but it’s made only a handful of appearances this century. It was chosen from the regular fan vote list, which had also included “Dead Flowers,” “Let It Bleed” and “Sweet Virginia.”

READ MORE: Will the Rolling Stones Continue to Tour?

Later the band performed “Bite My Head Off” from their latest record Hackney Diamonds  – which features Paul McCartney as a guest on the studio version – marking only the second time they’d ever played it, following one outing last year.

Between those two songs, the Stones revisited their cover of Bob Dylan ’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” which was a frequent feature in the ‘90s but had become rarer in recent times, appearing for only the second time in 2024.

After 19 shows across North America, the last tour stop takes place at the Thunder Ridge Nature Arena, Ridgedale, Missouri, on July 24. The band hasn’t revealed plans for any activities to follow that event.

Watch the Rolling Stones Perform ‘Far Away Eyes’

Watch the Rolling Stones Perform ‘Bite My Head Off’

The Rolling Stones, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, 7/17/24 1. “Start Me Up” 2. “Get Off of My Cloud” 3. “Tumbling Dice” 4. “Angry” 5. “Far Away Eyes” 6. “Like a Rolling Stone” 7. “Bite My Head Off” 8. “Mess It Up” 9. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” 10. “You Got the Silver” 11. “Little T&A” 12. “Before They Make Me Run” 13. “Sympathy for the Devil” 14. “Honky Tonk Women” 15. “Midnight Rambler” 16. “Gimme Shelter” 17. “Paint It Black” 18. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” 19. “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” 20. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”

Rolling Stones Live Albums Ranked

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

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