'Weird Al' Yankovic
Biography
The foremost song parodist of the MTV era, "Weird Al" Yankovic carried the torch of musical humor more proudly and more successfully than any performer since Allan Sherman. In the world of novelty records -- a genre noted for its extensive back catalog of flashes-in-the-pan and one-hit wonders -- Yankovic was king, scoring smash after smash over the course of an enduring career which found him topically mocking everything from new wave to gangsta rap.
Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born October 23, 1959, in Lynwood, CA. An only child, he began playing the accordion at age seven, following in the tradition of polka star Frank Yankovic (no relation); in his early teens he became an avid fan of the Dr. Demento show, drawing inspiration from the parodies of Allan Sherman as well as the musical comedy of Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer, and Stan Freberg. In 1973 Demento spoke at Yankovic's school, where the 13 year old passed the radio host a demo tape of home recordings; three years later, Demento played Yankovic's "Belvedere Cruising" -- an accordion-driven pop song written about the family's Plymouth -- on the air, and his career was launched.
Yankovic quickly emerged as a staple of the Demento play list, recording a prodigious amount of tongue-in-cheek material throughout his high-school career.
Selected Discography
Straight Outta Lynwood
2006
Poodle Hat
2003
Running With Scissors
1999
Bad Hair Day
1996
Off The Deep End
1992
Even Worse
1988
In 3-D
1984
Comedic AND musical genius - a rare combination, but Al hits it perfectly on the head.
Long live Weird Al! |
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He is so funny! Watch the music video for the smells like nirvana. it's so funny!
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OMG I think I wet my pants laughing over "Trigger Happy!" For crying out loud, tristan_bast i l l e , laugh a little, I'm sure the Police did! I'm almost embarrassed to admit I find him almost attractive (dare I say sexy?) without the porn-star mustache & afro.
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The dude is frickin' hilarious, though I don't like the fact that he parodied two Police songs....
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He's "a god", not "the God" (just fooling around; Clerric's comment reminded me of the scene in Groundhog Day)
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In all seriousness, I listen to Weird Al albums in the car all the time, and listening to his parodies gives me a lesson in pop-music of the day. I frequently start listening to the "real" songs after hearing the Weird Al parody first.
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he is awsome!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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wut the...??? i put al in my mix and i got fat bottemed girls by queen!?!?!?
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For crying out loud! MORE Weird Al!!!! Get more albums to pull from, he has been doing this for 35 years! He has more than two albums! I have at least 7 of them, and my mp3 player is full of his music. I would love to have more here so I can share the love at work!
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SO what happens when I add Al to my mix, given he plays all kinds of music?
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awww man. my three favorite songs, 'White and Nerdy', 'Amish Paradise', and 'A Complicated Song' aren't out here! They really need to put more CDs on here
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We need more Weird Al!! At least put in the 3 most recent albums (Running With Scissors, Poodle Hat, Straight Outta Lynnwood).
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