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February 28, 2008

Michael McDonald On Yachts, Rock

You'll remember we joined most of the online music community in welcoming back that inimitable imitation of '70s smooth sounds and the folks that made them, Yacht Rock. Although Hall, Oates, Kenny Loggins, James Ingram, and even Kevin Bacon figure into the softsational character constellation, Yacht's anchor has always been the prematurely gray grace of Michael McDonald. Michael's playing Blue Note in NYC this week, and Time Out New York asked him some hard hitting Qs relating to the image cultivated by Channel 101's sketch show:

TONY: Have you ever owned a yacht?

MICHAEL MCDONALD: No, but 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.

TONY: Have you at least lived near a marina?

MICHAEL MCDONALD: No, I never did. Although a couple summers ago, when I opened for Steely Dan, I'd do the encore with them and come out in a little captain's hat, like Alan Hale Jr. We all wore them onstage.

TONY: And not one of you owns a yacht?

MICHAEL MCDONALD: Not that I know of. Well, David Crosby owns a sailboat. But I'm not sure he counts.

TONY: Okay. So what's the craziest thing you ever did with Kenny Loggins?

MICHAEL MCDONALD: We mostly worked a lot when we would get together. Kenny, he's one of those guys who was a more serious artist; I was just a schlub. He was like, "C'mon, let's get this right," and I was like, "Got any beer?"

Which of course makes JD Ryznar a picture perfect impressionist. Read the rest at Time Out New York.

Posted at 2:04 PM
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7 Comments

"Devastating character piece, showcasing pop superstar Michael McDonald. Written & directed by ZZalgern0n & Josh Fadem"

Posted by: MyLittleUnderground at 02/28/08 2:24 PM | Reply
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Nothing against Michael McDonald, but if I hear "Yah Mo B There" one more time, I'm going to "Yah Mo" burn this place to the ground.

Posted by: TW at 02/28/08 2:25 PM | Reply
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Jo_na Bech_tolt rocks.

Posted by: juno©you know at 02/28/08 2:32 PM | Reply
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James Ingram: Yah mo murdered a lot of people.

Michael McDonald: Those aren't people, James Ingram, they're Jimmy Buffet Fans.

Hilarious.

Posted by: Greg at 02/28/08 3:09 PM | Reply
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"Nothing against Michael McDonald, but if I hear "Yah Mo B There" one more time, I'm going to "Yah Mo" burn this place to the ground."

The proper "Yah Mo" grammar structure would be:

"...if I hear "Yah Mo B There" one more time, Yah Mo burn this place to the ground."

Posted by: Nathan Smart at 02/28/08 3:56 PM | Reply
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Seriously though, McDonald was the absolute shit when he was with Steely Dan. "Showbiz Kids" anyone? Anyone?

Posted by: Donter at 02/28/08 4:36 PM | Reply
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For those livin' or hangin' in Chicago later in March...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e295/baldeaglechicago/stay_smooth_VII.jpg

Posted by: Bald Eagle at 02/28/08 5:24 PM | Reply
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