YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY (2024)
Featuring Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Gary Katz, Jay Graydon, David Pack, Brenda Russell, Tom Scott, Steve Huey, J.D. Ryznar, Questlove, Fred Armisen, Mac DeMarco, Thundercat, Prince Paul, Brian Robert Jones, Bethany Cosento, Molly Lambert, Rob Tannenbaum, Amanda Petrusich, Steven Hyden, Alex Pappademas, Jason King and Garret Price.
Directed by Garret Price.
Distributed by MAX Films. 95 minutes. Rated TV-MA.
I truly hate the term “Yacht Rock” and the whole concept behind it. It’s just a snarky and mocking term, made up long after the fact, which tries to mash together some vaguely similar musicians in a way that makes the music look funny, out of touch and just a bit cheesy. You can even see the jeering in the subtitle of this documentary – a “dockumentary,” indeed.
That said, I unapologetically love much of the music which is considered yacht rock. Much of the music and many of the artists covered in this film are fantastic. Because of that this film is definitely worth watching. And, for better or worse, the popularity of the yacht rock format has brought a lot of very worthy artists and songs back to the public consciousness.
Of course, there seems to be a lot of disagreement as to what constitutes yacht rock. For example, in this documentary one of the architects of the term tries to explain why, in his opinion, The Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross and Toto are yacht rock, and yet Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac and Eagles are “nyacht” rock. You just want to punch the dude in his smug, glib, self-satisfied face.
However, even if it is for the wrong reasons, it is obvious that the creators of yacht rock – which came to be after a group of comedians made a web series in the early 2000s which both celebrated and simultaneously made fun of the music – do have an appreciation for the makers of the songs they have championed. And if the affectations of yacht rock – the plummy upper-class accents, the captain’s hats, the yachts themselves – really have little to do with the music or the artists, it is getting the songs out there.
That’s not nothing.
So, even if it is not taken all that seriously, the Yacht Rock documentary shares some fascinating insights from such artists as Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, members of Toto, members of Steely Dan and many others. These interviews are rarely less than fascinating, and do take the music seriously, even if the made-up “genre” doesn’t really.
Lots of the artists who are considered yacht rock have complicated opinions about the “genre.” David Pack of Ambrosia considered it a bit of a back-handed insult. Christopher Cross originally was uncomfortable with the term but has realized that being connected with it has helped his sales and his career, so he’s made peace with the term. Michael McDonald on the other hand has just taken it with good-natured amusement from the very beginning.
Still, the basic idea of the importance of yacht rock is best exemplified during a brief audio discussion with Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen at the end of the documentary.
The music is pretty amazing, though, and Yacht Rock: A Documentary does entertain royally, even if you don’t buy into the basic concept.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: November 29, 2024.
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