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Finally, someone takes the time to define yacht rock. It’s a musical genre that is closely, but not entirely, aligned with aging hipsters, of which I’m one.

A new dockumentary on MAX delves into this musical genre to explain its origins and appeal. The term “yacht rock” was coined by J.D. Ryznar, Hunter D. Stair, Lane Farnham, the co-creators, and Steve Huey, host of the original Yacht Rock web series. Ryznar and gang have gone so far as to define the characteristics of yacht rock, and compile a spreadsheet of songs considered for yacht rock accepted songs. The spreadsheet is bullshit in my opinion.

The dockumentary interviews Ryznar and Huey, along with numerous recordings artists whose songs make the official yacht rock spreadsheet. We’re talking Christopher Cross (perhaps the most yacht rock album of all time, Christopher Cross), Michael McDonald, writer and signer of the Doobie Brothers starboard turn into yacht rock territory, Toto (especially their album Toto IV), and Kenny Loggins (after Messina, which I think is bullshit). Perhaps the most influential yacht rock music was written and performed by Steely Dan, from which McDonald and many other musicians passed through on their way to many albums that significantly contributed to the yacht rock genre.

The music of Steely Dan is front and center in the documentary, dissected and analyzed for influences, yet surviving Steely Dan founder Donald Fagen refused to be interviewed for the film, saying to “fuck off” and hanging up on Director Garret Price. While Fagen refused to participate, he approved the use of several Steely Dan songs in the film.

Price offers up a very entertaining film, those who enjoy classic rock, soft rock or pop-rock will love this experience. Price also directed the multi-part Woodstock 99, a totally different musical experience.

“Some people think it’s hilarious,” Price said in an interview with Forbes, about the term ‘yacht rock’. “Some people have had a hard time accepting it, and others absolutely despise it.”

However, this documentary fanned the ire of musician and YouTube influencer Rick Beato who dismisses the yacht rock term in his new video blog.

Beato isn’t debating the quality of the documentary, he raises issues with a made-up genre and how it dismisses other music by the same artists that clear doesn’t meet the yacht rock creators own definition. He also asserts that the filmmaker failed to interview key musicians (Bernard Purdie, Michael Omartian, Larry Carlton, Chuck Rainey) who played on some of the songs highlighted in the documentary. Beato has interviewed those musicians, along with McDonald, Cross, members of Toto and others referenced in the documentary, including snippets of those interviews in his YouTube video.

The documentary was fun to watch, but it certainly raised issues with me, Beato and many others about whether the yacht rock term is accurate or is damaging, because it pigeonholes artists whose work is far broader in styles and touches other audiences.

My advice: watch the documentary, enjoy the music, and make your own decisions.