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View Full Version : What kind of people listen to Yanni?


stevegong
2006-01-28, 09:37
I think I first head of Yanni when I was 7, so it seems like he's quite famous, but never have I met a Yanni fan.

So...what kind of people listen to Yanni? It seems that a lot of pop culture likes to make fun of him, but he must have a lot of followers to throw those big concerts.

So what's the verdict?

Moogs
2006-01-28, 09:58
Being old enough to remember when he was the uh... man... let me see if I can write some prose for the history books.

Yanni was this huge presence in the adult (and I don't mean adult as in pRon, though he was certainly cheezy like pRon) music industry, mostly during the Miami Vice era. He was like the long haired, sensitive version of Don Johnson, only with a synthesizer instead of a Ferrari. He even wore t-shirts with suit jackets if I remember right. :D

He would have these huge concerts in outdoor amphitheaters, women swooned, blah blah. I remember my ex-sister-in-law totally dug the guy. I think his biggest following was among 30-something women. She always said women liked him because he was this mysterious musical romance guy. I look back and he almost seems like a character out of a bad romance novel. Fabio without the steroids and bleach job.

As proof of the same, he had this "torrid love affair" with Linda Evans (back when she was something to look at and was in the center of the public eye), she would tell Barbara Wa-Wah how wonderful he was, blah blah. So that's who his persona was. This mysterious Greek musician guy that nobody ever heard from, except peripherally from the various women who wished to be his love slave.

As for his music, it almost universally sucks, however there was one CD (maybe the one that made him really popular) that actually had some Jan Hammer meets Tangerine Dream hardcore synth stuff in it. Roaring drum crescendos, banging on the keyboard (not literally of course :D )... all that stuff the 80s was known for. I was only about 12 at the time and new fuck-all about music, so I can be excused for having listened to it enough to remember such things. At the very least it wasn't sissy music in that particular case. Although nearly every other thing the guy did was a crime against humanity.

And that my friends, is the myth of Yanni. His reign came down with a thud when 7-up spoofed him about 10 years after he had dropped off the radar, showing a middle eastern guy with long hair and tight pants (which actually was the opposite since Yanni was all about the Don Johnson look), named "Yablo". :lol:

murbot
2006-01-28, 10:32
Steve, I can totally see you being a big Yanni fan for some reason.

Matvei
2006-01-28, 10:39
I used to work in a record store back at the hight point of his career ("Live at the Acropolis!") and I can tell you that his fans, at our store, were 30-50 year old jewish rich women (and their daughters!).

Like someone said, he was fabio crossed with John tesh with a little Mike Oldfield tossed in.

Moogs
2006-01-28, 13:21
Yanni was a disgrace but John Tesh qualifies for a whole other realm of musical horrors. Even on a personal level John Tesh just needs to be beaten. As for Grand Master Y, I still like my Miami Vice analogies. The Don Johnson look with long hair, and sensitive, Jan Hammer-styled music. Oh the humanity! :D

You're right about the women, and gentiles definitely were in the mix. His brand of romance-novel-inspired, audio masturbation crossed all religious and cultural barriers, to the extent that nearly every bored housewife in America wanted to earn a big "Y" Tattoo above their love biscuit.

We can only hope he didn't procreate too often.

FFL
2006-01-28, 13:32
My step-mom - she's 66, and also loves to listen to Streisand and Mannheim Steamroller.

Wrao
2006-01-28, 14:12
Since this thread is fringe related to smooth jazz and adult contemporary, I will use it to relay a funny story.

I went and got a burrito at a local burrito place, it's a fantastic burrito place some of the best I've ever had, but they almost always play the shittiest muzak. So I'm standing there waiting for my order and I pick up on the muzak and I think.. "dang... this sounds way familiar" (since muzak tunes are often popular songs that have been sterilized). So I'm sitting there thinking about it then I realize what it is.

It's a muzak version of Dave Brubeck's "take 5"... the only thing is... it's in 4!!

I was laughing my ass off.


That's all.

Brave Ulysses
2006-01-28, 14:14
I actually like Yanni. Wouldn't say I'm an avid fan or that I even listen to him much at all but his live performances were very good and the Live at the Acropolis album was extremely good. His band was terrific, especially his bassist (can't remember his name).

His studio albums always bored me, but live he was entertaining and different.

sunrain
2006-01-28, 14:57
It's a muzak version of Dave Brubeck's "take 5"... the only thing is... it's in 4!!

Man, that's so...

http://www.davidlegatt.com/images/albums/userpics/10002/effective_rosette_63.gif

psmith2.0
2006-01-28, 15:07
Years ago, his big concerts were always the things played during the PBS pledge drives. Then it became that Riverdance stuff (did Yanni fell out of favor?). Now it's those various doo-wop and oldies concerts.

My only real concrete mental image of Yanni is him standing at a bank of keyboards, with a white, flowing Harlequin Romance shirt on, throwing his head back (making his hair toss and flip all around) and acting all "into it" and playing some overwrought music inside some huge stone amphitheater in God knows where...

Wrao
2006-01-28, 15:27
Man, that's so...

http://www.davidlegatt.com/images/albums/userpics/10002/effective_rosette_63.gif

I dunno, I mean, it's kinda a bold statement, pretty ballsy thing to do. Just... not in teh muzak setting. I could see some post-punk noise band doing take 5 in 4 and it would actually be rad. What am I saying, I'm so

http://www.davidlegatt.com/images/albums/userpics/10002/effective_rosette_63.gif

Moogs
2006-01-28, 15:32
I actually like Yanni. Wouldn't say I'm an avid fan...

Surrre! There's no such thing as a casual Yanni fan. We know you got the Yanni Trapper-Keeper from high school stashed away somewhere. Just come clean now before it's too late. ;)

His studio albums always bored me, but live he was entertaining and different.

I found the name of that album that had a couple of those Hammer-like synth orgies. It's called out of silence. The best part was his CD artwork. Cheeziest "dolphin swimming in a purple sea under the ring-world fluff" you've ever seen.

Oh btw...
http://members.aol.com/petdept/yanni.jpg
"hi, I'm a direct descendant of Narcissus; milfs dig me."


and


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000000IK.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
...this was the relatively normal album cover. Be afraid... because then there was


http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000000IB.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


:lol:


This thread rules ™.

SledgeHammer
2006-01-28, 23:13
My mom had a couple of Yanni CDs. I used to listen to "Live at the Acropolis" all the time when I was younger. I loved it then, but it's been years since I heard it and since I also enjoyed the mostly synthesizer "Classical for Baby Boomers" CDs she had, I cannot comment on how I'd feel about Yanni today.

stevegong
2006-01-29, 01:47
Steve, I can totally see you being a big Yanni fan for some reason.

He's a bit too modern for my taste.

Moogs
2006-01-29, 08:47
He inspired this thread and that's all that matters. It will be his greatest accomplishment in years!

stevegong
2006-01-29, 14:23
He inspired this thread and that's all that matters. It will be his greatest accomplishment in years!

This man is the very definition of inspiration.

http://www.wvi.com/~celinec/portland/mvc-003f.jpg

http://graphics.jsonline.com/graphics/owlive/img/feb05/yanni0210_big.jpg

http://www.accessatlanta.com/music/photos/yanni/1.jpg

http://www.toronto.ca/you-belong/images/feb2005/yanni-feb.jpg

Luca
2006-01-29, 14:26
He looks like a muppet, especially in that overexposed picture.

Moogs
2006-01-29, 14:29
Notice how he hangs his head with such feeling and emotion. They ought to rename a Canadian province in his honor or something. Yannitoba.

It begs the question: what does Chuck Norris think? If anyone gets as much milf-love as Chuck, surely it's Yanni!

Wrao
2006-01-29, 15:33
It begs the question: what does Chuck Norris think? If anyone gets as much milf-love as Chuck, surely it's Yanni!

Chuck Norris actually created yanni to split the load, realizing his mistake, he roundhouse kicked himself in the face, knowing that no one can survive a roundhouse kick to the face, he inadvertently stumbled upon a spacetime anomaly that opened a pan-dimensional rift in the fabric of existence. Displeased with this illogical mess, Chuck Norris punched his way through physics, solved the problem and went back to the tedious milf-loving.

Moogs
2006-01-29, 16:10
So it's almost like Yanni is Chuck's evil, non-kicking twin. Clearly he must die.

alcimedes
2006-01-29, 16:47
In honor of this thread, I'm going to listen to some Yanni now. That is all.

psmith2.0
2006-01-29, 20:43
Yanni has a flamenco-based counterpart, I believe. There's this Esteban guy (with the big brimmed hat, sunglasses and a black "I'm a hot, passionate lover from another country where it's hot and humid all the time" shirt) who is always popping up on various home shopping shows and PBS things now too.

:err:

I've detected a pattern/formula: every song is in Em or Am, starts off with him slowly fingerpicking, then the band kicks in and there's a trumpet solo, while Esteban wildly flails away on chords for about 3-4 minutes.

I think Yanni and Charo got together and had a baby...

Wrao
2006-01-29, 20:46
I think esteban is a bit different than yanni in that, esteban primarily exists in the public eye to sell his educational guitar+booklet packages through informercials. Yanni primarily exists to take the load off of chuck norris' milf-hunting.

psmith2.0
2006-01-29, 20:48
Yes, this is probably so.

One is instructional in nature. The other spreads his love to all the women.

I stand corrected.

Moogs
2006-01-29, 20:52
I think Yanni and Charo got together and had a baby...


:lol:

A child of the beast, by proxy. The end is near!

FFL
2006-01-31, 02:09
I love Adult Swim.. and Family Guy rocks.
Peter pretends to play the keyboards and says, "Look at me, Brian, I'm Yanni, sans the attitude." Peter is referring to Yanni (1954-????), the International Greek musician, who is a master at the keyboards and piano and is known for his charisma and his display of emotions while performing at concerts.

http://www.familyguyfiles.com/episodes/viewref.php?id=36&title=The%20Kiss%20Seen%20Around%20the%20World

Moogs
2006-01-31, 08:24
Yanni, master of the heart-felt head-tilt. It's all in the hair. Without the long mane, he would look like any other special olympian when he plays.

psmith2.0
2006-03-07, 09:03
Hate to bump something this old, but it seemed to fit here (as opposed to starting a whole new thread):

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/yanni.arrested.ap/index.html

:eek:

murbot
2006-03-07, 09:10
"These allegations are cruel, false, without merit and baseless," said the statement released by his manager, Danny O'Donovan.

They're also fake, not right, incorrect falsehoods made up by a liar who fakes things and lies.

psmith2.0
2006-03-07, 09:14
...allegedly.

Mac+
2006-03-07, 09:17
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/yanni.arrested.ap/vert.yanni.ap.jpg
Yanni: says finger was hurt in the incident

oldmacfan
2006-03-07, 09:26
Yanni, I could have taken that as a young child of 12.

My parents saw fit to expose me to endless hours of Barry Manilow on eight-track and then there was the Barry Manilow specials on TV and since my parents were one of the first people to own a VCR, they tapped them and played them over and over and over again.


(Warning: The following lyrics might trigger repressed rage from your youth. Please consult your doctor before reading)









At the copa (co!) copacabana (copacabana)
The hottest spot north of havana (here)
At the copa (co!) copacabana
Music and passion were always in fashion
At the copa.... they fell in love

Please someone rip my frigging eyes out...

http://www.planetmaddog.com/mypics/EYEBALL.JPG

I could never understand why because when we would travel to the condo in Alta, Utah they had all sorts of cool music Stones, Beatles, skynard, Crosby-Stills-Nash. But since we were there only for 9-10 days a year it was always a short vacation from the pain.

Moogs
2006-03-07, 20:46
:lol:

I was listening to the radio on the way back to work (from lunch) and the disc jockey goes, "hey what do Tommy Lee and Yanni have in common? Domestic abuse charges... so how does that work? How does Yanni go over the edge? Did his girlfriend steal his hair-straightner? " I don't do it justice but she was pretty funny.

psmith2.0
2006-03-09, 10:35
Ohmigosh...too freaky!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187281,00.html

:err:

What is it with these beloved manly men - and idols to millions - knocking around their womens?

I expect a Dr. Phil arrest any day now.

:\

"Ah told her to get her fat butt in the kitchen and make me a sandwich, and she backtalked me...what was ah 'sposed to do, offi...owwww, don't make them cuffs so tight!"

Mac+
2006-03-09, 10:46
He also starred in the 1980s TV series "Knight Rider," in which his character, Michael Knight, teamed with a talking Pontiac Trans Am sports car to fight crime.:lol: how can you not love that sentence?