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Keep your big beats, your guttural vocals, and your heavy riffing; the real hardcore men go for soft rock. The limper the sound, the more erect the hard-on. By that criteria, there is no one harder than JD Ryznar, the director, writer, and star of the hee-larious series of shorts called Yacht Rock, currently blowing minds and bladders on Channel101.com.
Yacht Rock is a particular high point in the development of soft rock, or the smooth sound, as Ryznar likes to call it. That sound is epitomized in the smooth vocal stylings of Michael McDonald, played to bearded perfection by Ryznar. Of course, The Doobie Brothers make an appearance, as does Kenny Loggins, and these mellow men of music find their perfect foil in the bombastic pop of Hall & Oates.
The series is up to its eighth installment, mixing a VH-1 Behind the Music motif with an almost operatic dramatic arc that is the funniest thing the Internet has ever produced. Period. Log onto Channel101.com and get yourself a musical and comic education, but first take a moment to read the wisdom of Ryznar as he pontificates on the smooth ladies of Yacht Rock, the sexy fashions of the era, and why the series has yet to show any skin.
Yacht Rock is a particular high point in the development of soft rock, or the smooth sound, as Ryznar likes to call it. That sound is epitomized in the smooth vocal stylings of Michael McDonald, played to bearded perfection by Ryznar. Of course, The Doobie Brothers make an appearance, as does Kenny Loggins, and these mellow men of music find their perfect foil in the bombastic pop of Hall & Oates.
The series is up to its eighth installment, mixing a VH-1 Behind the Music motif with an almost operatic dramatic arc that is the funniest thing the Internet has ever produced. Period. Log onto Channel101.com and get yourself a musical and comic education, but first take a moment to read the wisdom of Ryznar as he pontificates on the smooth ladies of Yacht Rock, the sexy fashions of the era, and why the series has yet to show any skin.
When did you first get into the smooth sound?I had always resisted Steely Dan, until I was about twenty-two and living in New York City and starting to get jaded. I decided to finally give them a try and bought Pretzel Logic off a dude on a street corner. It only took a couple listens before it hooked me. And once you're into Steely Dan, you can't help but be mesmerized my Michael McDonald's vocal appearances. McDonald's background vocals defined the sound of the decade, in my opinion.
What brought about documenting the untold history of Yacht Rock on Channel101.com?
Hunter (Loggins) Stair and David (Koko) Lyons had ideas to do a Channel 101 pilot about characters who lived on a houseboat and listened to this kind of music, or this kind of music was just used as the score. That didn't thrill me; then it hit me that if we do a show about this music, it would be a much more interesting show if it were about Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins writing songs together.
Yacht Rock seems predominately male dominated; so who are the sexy sirens of the smooth sound?
Carly Simon, Toni Tennille, Bonnie Raitt. I don't know. Is Michael McDonald singing backup on their albums? Is a Porcaro brother playing on them? They're ladies of Yacht Rock.
How are you "taking it to the streets," as in continuing the juggernaut that is Yacht Rock?
We'll keep Yacht Rock going as long as the audience at Channel 101 keeps voting us back. Or until we break the record for longest-running show, which I think is twelve episodes.
There have been lots of retro trends in music, from rediscovering punk to the current '80s fetish, but soft rock may forever be un-hip. Do you see yourself at the forefront of championing a soft-, smooth-, yacht- (whatever you want to call it) rock revolution?
Sort of, but most retro trends start with a sexy rock band or a fashion designer. I have no rich or famous friends, no connections. I've never been a part of any sexy scene. I'm twenty-eight years old, afraid of girls, I eat macaroni and cheese every day and drive a 1995 Ford Aspire. No one is looking at what I'm into as a source of the next big thing.
That being said, I have noticed that big-city DJs have been hosting Yacht Rock-inspired nights. I'm pretty sure smooth music will never be "hip" but will continue to be enjoyed with a heavy dose of irony. However, those who are lucky enough to realize how great the music is and how awesome the fashion and attitude are, and start living that lifestyle, are going to be some very happy people.
You also refer to yourself as a very fashion-conscious individual. Do you miss the tube tops and Frye Boots of days gone by?
The other day, I watched The Jazz Singer starring Neil Diamond. There's a very minor character that was supposed to be a sexy young dude. He had no muscle definition, wore tiny shorts, a neckerchief, and had a hairy back. I miss the days a dude like that could be considered a fox.
Girls will always be awesome no matter what they wear. Tube top or turtleneck, I'm into it.
When you log onto MrSkin.com, which actresses that we profile are part of the grand history of Yacht Rock?
I'm sure you have a lot of Rosanna Arquette (Picture: 1 - 2) stuff. She was a character in episode four.
Are there any movies that capture that glorious era?
FM. It's about a "rebel" radio station that hijacks a Linda Ronstadt concert from another radio station. Steely Dan does the theme song. "No static at all ... "
Do you recall the first nude scene you saw in a mainstream movie?
I want to say Lacey Underall [Cindy Morgan (Picture: 1)] in Caddyshack, but I think it was the butt in Cocoon (Picture: 1), or the butt in Splash (Picture: 1). I'm not sure.
Why haven't you put any nudity into your Yacht Rock series?
Hasn't called for it.
What else are you working on?
Big Hollywood stuff that I can't talk about.
Is there a smooth-rock tune that you can end this interview with, something that maybe captures the smooth stylings of Mr. Skin?
If there was a Yacht Rock song called "I Got a Boner from Looking at Nude Scenes in Movies," I would recommend that one.
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