An Ode To Al

bwfcusa16 writes "The Boston Globe has up a feature story on Weird Al in its Sunday edition. The article refers to his staying power as prince of the parody. It's an ode to his determination, talent, and relevance ... and, of course, the funny." From the article: "Novelty artists--and he is one--have a notoriously short lifespan. They age badly, they run out of gags. But Al, by simply refusing to stop, has turned himself into a sort of cultural Geiger counter, ticking and squawking around the hot zones. The oddity of a humorist titling himself like a pro wrestler (there's no "Funny Jerry" Seinfeld) has long since worn off--he's the champ, and he's earned it.

Moo

Nice that he got an article, but....

it isn't comprehensive in the slightest.

doesn't mention Al-TV "taking over" M-TV for a half-hour.

doesn't mention the problems he's had except one album.

Must be slow news day.

Perhaps this will make you feel better:

From Al on MySpace: (no, I can't be bothered formatting it)

Hey everybody, Apparently there is some creep out there pretending to be me, and he has been spamming my MySpace friends list with offers to see me in Las Vegas if people sign up for a lot of garbage online. Just to be clear, this is definitely NOT ME. This is an IMPOSTOR, and we are looking into having his MySpace account yanked, after which he will hopefully be flogged and tortured. I'm very sorry if any of you were inconvenienced by this. Really, I don't suck. Thanks, Al Yankovic


I never actually got the invite, though I did get a very similar-sounding one supposedly from the Goo Goo Dolls. I guess that was a dud too.

Is this what passes for a story nowadays?

I mean, come on; I like Al just as much as the next guy, but wow.... a front page story to this story, which has very little on Al or his career? Given, it does have some highlights. ...

I'm going to bed.

Article summary:

"Pretty fly for a weird guy."

Nothing to see here, please move along

Seriously, there is nothing in that article worth reading for anyone with a passing aquaintance to Weird Al. Why don't you spend your time by going to iTunes or the record store and picking up his new CD (he has said he makes vastly more money from the CD sales, if that makes your decision easier). "White and Nerdy" is one of the funniest songs I have ever heard, and I've all but adopted it as my personal anthem.

Re:Nothing to see here, please move along

Code Monkey [jonathancoulton.com] is a close second.

Re:DRM?

FWIW, to my knowledge there's nothing on the disc that prevents it from being copied. As I always do with my CDs, I ripped the disc to my computer and put the CD on the shelf. After looking at the videos on the other side that is. I suppose I might have watched the DVD half more if it had the "White and Nerdy" video on it, but the animations aren't terrible and the album itself doesn't disappoint this long-time Al fan. For those who care, which excludes myself, there are enhanced stereo and surround versions on the DVD side as well. Anyway, White & Nerdy, Canadian Idiot and Trapped in the Drive-Thru (a great sendup of Trapped in the Closet) were the album's high points for me. Even "Don't download this song" has enough sarcasm to make it funny, in a "We are the world" parody sort of way.

Horror of DualDisc

As one poster has pointed out, the disc is a DualDisc format. This is not copy protection, but a 'clever' way of having DVD and CD content on one CD. And you know what? It sucks. So much so that I ebayed my DualDisc version and bought the Australian version which, while not having the Karaeoke option of the US DVD, actually does run on a PC. Then I sold the DualDisc version on E-Bay and I sure as hell won't ever be buying a dualdisc version again. The only way I could get the DualDisc version onto my MP3 player was to make a copy of the CD, then put that copy in the computer. The disc completely failed to either play on my Apple Mac Mini or my PC, and could only be read by one particular laptop I tried. It may not be actual copy protection, but it sure as hell worked like it, well, until I found a laptop it worked on.

This guy has staying power!

White and Nerdy [saynotocrack.com] - need I say more?

There's no doubt that Weird Al is seriously funny. How many comedians or comedic singers are around for 25 years, and have people remember their songs? I doubt even funnymen like Adam Sandler will have followings like him in another 10-15 years. My personal favorite song ... 'This is the Life', probably released in 1985 or so. I eat filet mignon seven times a day, my bathtub's filled with perrier and I have women lined up outside my door, they've been waiting there since the week before, who can ask for more, this is the life. Genius =).

While he had more duds than hits over the past 10 years, it seems like he's had some resurgance ... particularly over the past 2 years. Note: the link above is to a work-appropriate humor site I contribute to ... I couldn't resist, hopefully I don't get flamed too hard, I'm a die-hard fan.

Re:This guy has staying power!

I wonder what the chances of getting a slashdot interview with him would be.

Addicted to Love - Miscredited

"Addicted to Love" was done by Robert Palmer not Robert Plant. Duh.

Self-Deprecating Humour is the Key

As a foreigner living here, I find that American culture often needs a little help to laugh at itself. Parker and Stone may have made doing so mainstream, but Al was ahead of the curve when he started it.

Aside from that, the simple fact is that using different words matching the same rhythm and rhyme of well known music is simply intrinsically funny, and he does a very good job of it - he also has a decent amount of musical talent, and he has shown superb diversity in keeping up with the times and parodying whatever is currently hip.

In short, Al is a key contributor to American culture, and deserves to be lauded for it.

Re:Self-Deprecating Humour is the Key

As a foreigner living here, I find that American culture often needs a little help to laugh at itself.

That's not funny!

Al's greatest work

If you want proof of Al's talent, look no further than "Bob," a brilliant tribute to the lyrical stylings of Bob Dylan. A parody of Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues," "Bob" is done entirely in palindromes while still retaining the lyrical absurdities of the original song. Al also interjects several completely unnecessary 1-second harmonica rifts in the song, poking fun at Dylan's use of the instrument. I'm a huge Dylan fan and this was by far one of the most original tributes to the man. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Nej4xJe4Tdg [youtube.com]

Ode to AI? ( I and l and |

We really need to have fonts distinguish between I and l and | (as used in subject ).

Twenty years from now...

I wonder what Weird Al will be like 20 years from now... will he be remembered as one of the "greats" of comedy, a name living long after everyone forgets the jokes? What will his parodies (and polkas) be like? Will he continue to be the pop culture barometer that we've come to know and love? Regardless, all of his songs have been a constant companion on my playlists and CD jackets and tapedecks, and I think I remember his songs with more clarity than the originals. Maybe he will be known as the last successful accordion artist. *grin*

Re:Twenty years from now...

I saw a quote in a signature file or blog entry or something that went something like:

"If someone had told you in 1984 that in 2006 Michael Jackson = flameout and Weird Al = still relevant, you would have laughed your head off."

It's just so true.

No Funny Jerry

(there's no "Funny Jerry" Seinfeld) This article makes a good point. X3

Curse Sans-Serif

I was just thinking, "Yeah, if they'd only cut off the last half-hour and the whole reviving his mother so he could say goodbye, it would have been a pretty awesome movie. JUst leave him trapped under the ferris wheel."

Put then I realized it was "An Ode to AL" and not "An Ode to AI". Whoever originated the Sans-Serif L should be shot ;).

About to buy my first CD in months..!

Just listened to DDTS from the link above and it's a cracker. So is white & nerdy.
So I am about to purchase my first album in several months! :)
I listen to di.fm as a paying customer from work - incidentally my ISP offers all their channels for free.
F*ck the MPAA dudes. I used to buy CDs by the dozens before they started all their virus infesting thingies, I actually find it safer to download my music now.

Not that I really care to do do - quality out there is hard to get at. Just look at how the only Australian Idol contestant of any worth (Bobby Flynn; highly interesting) got voted out over an incompetent but cute little schoolgirls.

There is no lack of material

The first thing to do is forget about writing original material. You are surrounded by material. Just look around. The things the rich and famous do ... you can't make that kind of thing up. All Weird Al has to do is just give up trying to be creative; all he has to do is be a bit observant. His stuff will practically write itself.

A similar example is the Simpsons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons#Storylin es [wikipedia.org] The Simpsons are American culture lite. The Simpsons have referenced everything important about American culture that has happened in the last half century. Example: How do my kids know about 'A Streetcar Named Desire'? They saw it on the Simpsons. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701048/ [imdb.com] The Simpsons parody everything. Another example: Marge on the Lam is a parody of Thelma and Louise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thelma_and_Louise [wikipedia.org]

I'm not surprised that Weird Al has lasted so long; I'm surprised that more people don't do the same. Maybe Weird Al and the Simpsons just do it better than anyone else.

Re:There is no lack of material

I'm not surprised that Weird Al has lasted so long; I'm surprised that more people don't do the same. Maybe Weird Al and the Simpsons just do it better than anyone else.

One of Weird Al's strengths is the fact that he keeps his humor clean, and the Simpsons has remained relatively clean compared to its competitors. There are many other comedians and parody artists who allow vulgarity and low-brow humor to slip into their work which undermines it. No one has a guilty conscience for listening to Weird Al's songs, so his humor is able to reach a larger audience. It also often takes more talent to be funny and clean as you are not relying on the "shock" factor as many "colorful" comedians do. There is something magical about a comedic routine that people of all ages and walks of life can enjoy.

Re:There is no lack of material

What are you talking about? Weird Al's stuff is about as low-brow as it gets

You are correct. I chose the wrong word. I will blame it on lack of sleep. I was trying to refer to the sleeze comedy that is so popular today where the only joke that seems to exist anymore is sex.

Frankly, I prefer Richard Cheese's expletive-laden covers. If that means the songs are off-limits to kids, Christians and other sensitive types then that's their problem, not mine.

It has been in my experience, especially in regard to songs, that if one resorts to the use of bad language, they usually have run out of ideas. As a song writer I can tell you word space is limited in a song. You only have so many syllables to say exactly what you want to say. Swear words waste valuable real estate and generally do not add much to the meaning of the song (there are very few exceptions). Swear words are misused more often than not (not used for the meaning they actually have) and are not as poetic or descriptive as alternate forms. For example, consider "My life smells like sh*t" versus "My life smells like monkeys at the zoo". The second line has much more meaning and is repulsive without being vulgar. It is creative and different (I know the lines are not interchangable in a song, but you can see what I mean about the poetry). Too often those who use vulgarity don't have a whole lot to say or the creativity to say it right. (IMHO)

Regardless of taste, alienating the "kids, Christians and other sensitive types" alienates a very large percentage of the population. In order to remain popular have the kind of following Weird Al has, you need to be able to reach that audience as well. It is what has given him staying power. If you want your art to have vulgarity, innuendo, or nudity, that is fine, but do not complain when it doesn't reach a mass audience.

err

Granted, I have not rtfa, but I'd like to chime in: I've been listening to Weird Al for close to 20 years now. Sure, I love his parodies, but they are NOT what he does best. The attention to detail that he pays in his original music is staggering. He simply does not get enough credit for his fantastic sense of music, style, and composition. His original works come in two main flavors: A parody in a particular style/genre, as well as fully original compositions. His style parodies are AMAZING. Even DEVO (was it Mark Mothersbaugh who said this?) has gone on record saying how much they simply hate Weird Al because Dare To Be Stupid (song, not album) was EXACTLY the kind of sound they had gone for all along. It's a friggin' great song, to boot. His fully original compositions, however, emulate the thoughts and ideas of his self-proclaimed musical influence, the late and great Frank Zappa. Be it Genius In France (featuring Dweezil Zappa, album Poodle Hat, which in and of itself is a direct reference to Zappa regarding the mention of poodles. This is touched upon more in Zappa's Project/Object theory, sorry, no link), or Fun Zone from the UHF OST, the man simply knows how to arrange a piece of music to appeal to the professional musician in all of us. Obviously, though, if really LISTENING to the music isn't your thing, you won't get it. It's like how Wesley Snipes said, in White Men Can't Jump, you can HEAR Jimmi, but you aren't LISTENING to Jimmi. Maybe it was the other way around, it's been a while, but my point should be fairly clear. I consider myself a severe musical snob, even to the point where I egotistically feel I'm being fully objective about why the music I like is so great. Weird Al has always secured himself a place in my musical interest, and although he is generally obligated to cover what's 'popular' at the time (both for economical reasons, as well as pleasing the majority of the listeners, who themselves listen to that kind of music [rap, most recently], it's his original pieces of work that continue to fill my mind with wonder, awe, and sheer admiration for his skills. I would love to keep rambling about why I think Weird Al is a DAMN FINE musician, but then this post would never end. Weird Al, granted you probably won't read this since you spend 12+ hours a day logged into MySpace, muahaha, you share a place in my mind right up there with Zappa, and I feel that your ingenuity as well as your raw talent is quite possibly equal to Zappa in my mind. I will be a fan of yours always, even if I don't listen to particular tracks off of particular albums because the music does not apply to my taste (for the most part, more recent material than anything else). Keep up the amazing work, and I will continue to buy your music as often as you release it. Please, don't ever stop. I won't even get into how aware the man is of technology, as well as world events, and humor. One last note: For the first time ever, you have grossed me out. Weasel Stomping Day is the first piece of work you've ever made that just seemed to catch me off guard. Then again, maybe I just love animals! Of course, I didn't mind it that time you had a wolverine in your underwear, and suddenly the guy behind you starting screaming evything you know is wrong. Again, I will always be an adoring fan.

Jonathan Coulton

Is heir apparent to the throne but Al certainly has some life left.

Only one thing to do in the meantime: Collaborative work.

Riot.

Ultimate Proof of his Greatness

For me, the proof that Weird Al really impacted our culture and was relevant was walking into a store and seeing, between "Rock" and "Country" an entire "Weird Al" section. I guess you just can't pin that guy down :)

boom chucka boom

If you'll be my bodyguard, i will be your long lost pal. (do doo do do, do do do do)

i can call you buddy, and buddy when you call me you can call me al!

Prince of parody?

I don't know if I'd go that far. In my not-so-humble AC opinion, that title shall forever belong to Tom Lehrer.

Anyone remember the Fat Video?

They must have run Fat on MTV like once every 10 videos for what seemed to be a year. I thought MTV was pretty awesome back then.

Al deserved it!

Weird Al is truly the prince of parody, he really deserved it!!!
You can see all the videos and the originals he makes fun of here:
http://www.indextube.com/Weird_Al [indextube.com]

Weird Al's college days

In 1980 I was a DJ with Weird Al at KCPR, the radio station at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, California). For some idiotic reason the powers-that-be wanted the station to act like a commercial station, playing mostly the same bland hits that the commercial stations played. Someplace I've saved a hilarious interview in the student paper with Al, in which he says "They can tell me I have to play certain songs, but they never specified at what speed, or what direction to play them in!"

He was a very friendly guy, by the way. Always upbeat and helpful to everyone even though he was already something of a star.

Speed and direction?

Suddenly, everyone under the age of 25 was terribly confused. CDROMs only spin one way, and the read speed doesn't change the playback.

haha

one of the things i love most about Weird Al, is his ability to make a really horrible song, in to a really great song by blessing it with his parodic gift.. for example, I hate the band P.O.D., and I hate Fiddy Cent, and just about any song by any artist he's ever included on one of his Polka Medleys.. I can't help but appreciate, respect, and LOL at the talent he puts forth in making those amazing Polkas.. every album keeps getting amazing.. and i hope that one day he'll let me play tuba on one of his medleys ;D that'd be the shit

On file sharing and leaking videos

Interesting quote from the article:

"His new album, "Straight Outta Lynwood" (Volcano), shot into the Billboard Top 10 upon its release last month--his highest chart placing since he opened his one-man spoof-factory in the early '80s."

So after all of those Internet hackers have been destroying musicians' careers with their file sharing, and leaking videos, and other piratical nonsense...

You make something people want, and it SELLS.

Considering the exposure Weird Al had in the 80s (his videos were in heavy rotation for years, every news organization wanted to talk with him and leech off the Michael Jackson bubble), to be selling even better today speaks volumes.

Slate ran a better Yankovich essay

Slate's Weird Al essay [slate.com] by Sam Anderson is infinitely more insightful and thoughtful than the Globe's coverage: "He's not like them, he's like us. To the millions of us flitting around the edges of hipness, he is our Geek Bard, our Troubadork. Unlike his prey--the rappers and the rockers, the folk-pop shamans and the techno wizards--Weird Al is, in the only meaningful sense of the phrase, keeping it real."

Werid Al as gateway drug to pop music

I think the aspect the article missed was the idea that Weird Al was also a bridge for geeks to mainstream themselves into some appreciation of popular music. I know for me, he was the bridge from "I'm convincing myself I love classical and jazz" to the music of the day.

Something the article missed.

But above all, Al's lyrics are clean. If they're funny while refraining from toilet humour and nonstop obscenities, then the audience is lauging because the content is funny, rather than because you're making it nervous. Case in point: prison bitch [sing365.com] by Rodney Carrington. Try searching for other songs by Rodney, and you'll find a bunch of very short or unfinished parodies that aren't anywhere near as funny.

If you search your favourite file-sharing network for "Weird Al" you'll find almost as many songs wrongly attributed to Weird Al as there are actual songs by Weird Al. One of my favourite examples is "Asshole Son", parodying "Blackhole Sun". While the lyrics spring from the same sort of "deliberately mishearing something" as the article puts it, they aren't funny in and of themselves.

So while there's a bit of humor in parodying songs that take themselves entirely too seriously and poking fun at bands and cultural icons, that's not all there is to Al. Because his songs are actually *funny* (which is even more apparent in his original works like "Christmas at Ground Zero", or "You don't love me anymore"), they stand up on their own two feet.

Similar Article of Love at Slate

Weird Al: the Troubadork [slate.com]

Weird al contributes success to Youtube

from CNN.com: For his part, Yankovic tends to credit the Internet. "The ("Nerdy") video has gotten a lot of attention, and the proliferation of places like YouTube (has) been a big help," he says. full article http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/10/23/music. yankovic.reut/index.html [cnn.com]here.

No, the cat does not "got my tongue."

"The Boston Globe has up a feature story on Weird Al in its Sunday edition. The article refers to his staying power as prince of the parody. It's an ode to his determination, talent, and relevance ... and, of course, the funny."

And, of course, not teh funny.

Boston Globe Rips Off Slate

Similar article posted to Slate Oct. 19.

What are the odds?

It is funny, as i am reading this i am sitting next to the bathroom where he recorded his first song. What are the odds?

Let's Make Some News

Either a slow news day, or more likely some manager at the Globe just wanted to sell more copies by tying in with his recent Billboard top 10. (BTW, congrats, Al!)

Having been a long-time fan (first by listening to Dr. Demento in the 70's), I have very much liked all his albums...until this last one. Perhaps I'm growing disconnected from the modern music scene, perhaps his muse doesn't like to share, so being married is proving more a distraction than he'd like, perhaps it was just time for a dud; but on first listen, not even one song really grabbed me the way, say "Taco Grande", or "Jerry Springer", or "Hardware Store", or "Fat", or "I Lost On Jeapordy" (etc., etc., etc. There are so many!) did when I first heard them.

The new album, "Straight Outta Lynwood", is on a dual disc, CD one side, DVD with videos on the other. Production value is great; the insert also has some must-see gag photos (check out that monster Stingray he's sitting on, or Pimp Al and his "gals" in the dressing room. Yikes!)

This is the first one in awhile though that doesn't feature an image of his face on the disc itself, with his mouth conveniently where the CD hole would be. Truth to tell, though, the blank disc is probably a jab at burning pirated copies, so works as well.

But the songs... "Trapped In The Drive-Through" in particular, sounded like a diary entry. Hopefully the original, an R. Kelly tune, is not as boring. (This may be the part where I'm growing disconnected from current pop music...)

I will say though that he puts on a great live show, and yes, will certainly continue buying his albums, and of course keep spinning this one in the hopes it grows on me.

Re:Not Artificial Intelligence?

For many dream of a silocone pal Less fake than Pam, more friendly than HAL For others its purpose is clear , to help missiles stear But AI has but one reason d'etre, for a real geek Which is to learn to speak. Not in a robotic and predictable way, But convincing enough for it to say: Jonny can't come to school today.

Re:Quit While You're Ahead

Carlin is funny. Weird Al is just, well weird.
Perhaps. I think Al's funny, but that's pretty much personal taste. What's more difficult to deny is that Al and his band are about the most versatile group of musicians you'll ever run across.

Re:Quit While You're Ahead

Did you just... Was that... a shout out?!

Oh I agree

Carlin's definitely hilarious, even today!

I mean, who can forget his latest "list of stuff that's irritating" or his other "list of annoying people"?

Or how about his "list of language he deliberately misinterprets for mildly amusing consequences"?

Carlin's act died a horrible death when he started playing Vegas 4 nights a week and letting that be his testing ground for new material.

Nothing he's done has been any good since Back In Town. Just lists of crap and his general nihilism.