Comments by "R" (@rdrrr) on "\"Yacht Rock\" Is Bullsh*t" video.

Whenever I've heard the term "yacht rock" used it was in an affectionate and light-hearted manner. I'm a millennial, there was a stigma about bands like Steely Dan. You didn't wanna like them because they were your Dad's favorite band, which made them uncool. But now we're old and uncool, we're not tastemakers any more - and Gen Z appreciate bands like Toto, they're cool again. Weezer covered them. John Mayer wrote a whole album of 80s-style AOR ballads. I'm afraid Rick's got it all wrong this time.
29
@antondial5326 You know young people like this stuff now, right? Take a deep breath and quit yelling at clouds...
13
@SO-ym3zs Yeah, he's missing the forest for the trees. The documentary is going to lead to more young people rediscovering bands like Steely Dan. A whole bunch of kids are gonna develop an appreciation for it. But no, he's getting pressed over a choice of words. It's not a good look.
10
@seattlebeard Not necessarily. Artists can get persnickety about things that don't really matter. I understand, to a degree. It feels "personal". But the issue is no one's being attacked! Fagen is yelling at clouds. It's Fagen's right to feel any way he wants about it, but it's also perfectly fair to ask if Fagen's response is really warranted. This documentary is going to get more young people into Steely Dan, and by association Fagen's excellent solo material. Should be a cause for celebration, not anger.
9
@zenlandzipline Yeah, it's a snappy title, which is why it's stuck. Same with "grunge"; the bands don't have that much in common besides a "vibe" but it's a much cooler name than "90s alternative rock" or "the Seattle sound". Genre labels are always a bit iffy, you can't sort music neatly into categories without looking past the nuance. But that's okay, because it doesn't really matter. There are bigger things to worry about.
9
I wouldn't say the grouping is unfair, those 70s/80s AOR bands were distinct but did share a certain sound/vibe. It's as legit a term as "grunge" is (coined by Bruce Pavitt for marketing purposes, disliked by many in the "genre" but too useful/catchy to throw away)
7
@Marcusarcusrcus Yeah absolutely, this is not worth getting pressed about. When I was a teen "yacht rock" was deeply uncool. Steely Dan was your Dad's favorite band, you wouldn't be caught dead listening to them. Times have changed. Gen Z don't have the same hangups. Weezer released an album of Toto covers, John Mayer's "Sob Rock" is a heartfelt tribute to 80s AOR ballads. This stuff is cool now. Rick's perceiving hostility that just isn't there.
6
Yeah, as a millennial 70s/80s AOR was deeply uncool when I was a teen because it was your Dad's favorite music - and everything your parents like is uncool, right? Nowadays it's not like that. Weezer put out an album of Toto covers. John Mayer's "Sob Rock" is a heartfelt tribute to 80s AOR balladry. "Yacht rock" is cool again - the kids love it. So rather than see "yacht rock" as offensive, I think it's something to celebrate. The kids are rediscovering the good stuff. What's not to like?
5
@SO-ym3zs Yeah, I suppose you're right. Everyone needs a "hot take" nowadays. As a millennial I remember when 70s/80s AOR was deeply uncool. You'd never admit to liking Toto or Foreigner because they were your Dad's favourite band, and everything your parents like is uncool. How things have changed! Weezer covered Toto's hits. John Mayer wrote an album inspired by 80s AOR ballads. AOR is cool again. Seems like a cause for celebration, not angst. And in response to your last sentence - I listened to Fagen's "The Nightfly" last night - great album. Wonderfully atmospheric.
4
@adameden8722 Comes with getting old, I think.
3
All genre labels are BS to some extent. Bruce Pavitt coined "grunge" as a marketing term. Sire Records executive Seymour Stein borrowed the term "new wave" from French cinema because he thought "punk" was derogatory and implied poor musicianship, while "new wave" implied trendy, forward-thinking, sophisticated Rick has no problem saying "grunge" or "new wave" so why does he balk at "yacht rock"? Because "yacht" implies middle-class, whitebread, "uncool"? Well without denying its compositional virtues, yacht rock is music for ageing baby boomers... no sense getting pressed about it.
2
@BigBobbyBoLo Everyone has to have a "hot take" nowadays because drama = views, and I wonder if that's why Rick is making such a big deal of something that really isn't a big deal...
2
@scott1178 Some people just love getting mad about nothing
1
@gmb858 Rick's overreacting, the documentary is sympathetic to the art. It's not a hit piece. Rick is just chasing views by generating non-troversy.
1
@vaisatchatrucci Honestly I think Rick's trying to make money, so his real problem with copyright claims is they take money out of his pocket. No hate, we all have to make a living, but he doesn't run a charity here.
1
@miketeabag6501 "Grunge" literally makes it sound like waste fluid plus it was coined by Bruce Pavitt as a marketing term - which upset a lot of the defiantly uncommercial artists. So yeah actually it's entirely comparable. And "yacht rock" is a light-hearted description - to flip one's lid over it suggests to me arrogance, a lack of humor.
1
@shayneoneill1506 Pretty much all genres are "wastebasket taxons" invented by journalists. Accept it and move on.
1
All genre labels are BS to some extent. Bruce Pavitt coined "grunge" as a marketing term. Sire Records executive Seymour Stein borrowed the term "new wave" from French cinema because he thought "punk" was derogatory and implied poor musicianship, while "new wave" implied trendy, forward-thinking, sophisticated. "Yacht rock" is a pithy way to say "70s-80s AOR". These bands were distinct but had stuff in common. As a label, it has a use. Rick has no problem saying "grunge" or "new wave" so why does he balk at "yacht rock"? Because "yacht" implies middle-class, whitebread, "uncool"? Well without denying its compositional virtues, which are plain to anyone who knows a little music theory, yacht rock is music for ageing baby boomers... no sense getting pressed about it.
1