After decades of prolific parodying and lyrical lampooning, Weird Al Yankovic has
become synonymous with spoof songs. But he hasn't been in the spotlight as much lately.
If you're wondering what he's been up to, here's why you haven't heard from Weird Al in a while.
From an early age, it was clear that Alfred Matthew Yankovic didn't quite fit the mold. He
was a nerdy kid who delighted in comedy, TV, and magazines that showcased an absurd sense of humor.
He also had an accordion that his parents bought for him from a traveling salesman.
"It's not the babe magnet that you think it would be."
Yankovic didn't always think that he'd eventually make a living off comedy music.
Instead, he studied architecture at California Polytechnic State University,
a pursuit he lost interest in after three years.
"Weird Al" was initially a derogatory nickname his fellow dorm residents gave him.
He had a hard time fitting in with his peers, but he eventually struck up a lifelong friendship with
his dormmate Joel Miller. And his knack for comedic songwriting was clear to Dr. Demento,
the DJ he idolized as a teenager. In fact, Weird Al wrote a song about the Yankovic family car that
Dr. Demento immediately played on his show. But it was "My Bologna," a parody of The Knack's 1979 hit
"My Sharona," which he recorded inside a restroom, that really kick-started his career.
It was the biggest hit song on Dr. Demento's show, and it also
led to Yankovic signing his first-ever record contract with Capitol Records.
Yankovic's subsequent hits, particularly 1984's
"Eat It," propelled his rise to stardom as a parodist specializing in wholesome
and food-related tunes. This also paved the way for him to co-write and star in the 1989 movie
UHF, which lampooned local cable-access TV. Unfortunately, a combination of mixed
critical reception and strong competition in the form of movies like Batman and Ghostbusters II
turned it into a commercial failure, although it's since become a cult classic.
This resulted in an early 90s career slump for Yankovic. In an attempt to bounce back,
he thought about writing a food-based parody of Michael Jackson's "Black or White."
But the pop superstar refused to grant Yankovic permission, and while this felt
like a setback at first, it ultimately became the catalyst for a career revival.
At the time, the alternative rock scene was set to explode with the arrival of Nirvana,
and Yankovic hit upon the idea of parodying their hit song "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
When he called frontman Kurt Cobain to ask for permission, Cobain asked what it would be about.
When Yankovic told him he'd poke fun at their unintelligible lyrics, Cobain thought it sounded
funny and gave him the go-ahead. "Smells Like Nirvana" ended up earning Yankovic
a spot on the Top 40, a gold certification for his album, and even a Grammy nomination.
One notable thing about Weird Al is that he secures permissions from the
artists before he parodies. This isn't legally necessary, as parody songs fall under fair use,
but Yankovic prefers to have his inspirations in on the joke instead
of giving them the impression that he's making fun of them.
Unsurprisingly then, he's established a reputation as one of the nicest people in the industry.
"I don't necessarily have to legally, but, you know,
that's one of the reasons I think I've been able to hang around as long as I have,
'cause I don't burn bridges, and I want to make sure they're, like, in on the joke."
If you think the real Weird Al is as rambunctious
as his onstage persona, think again. In a 2020 article in The New York Times,
his wife Suzanne shared a story about how they almost didn't meet because of this misperception.
She was a high-ranking film executive at the time who mistakenly believed that Yankovic
didn't have an "off" switch. But as it turned out, the introverted Yankovic was, and still is,
quiet, reserved, and incredibly courteous. He also has a reputation for never losing
his temper. Furthermore, he steers clear of drugs and alcohol and never even swears.
As he told OnMilwaukee, since 1992 he's been sticking to a mostly vegetarian diet, with the
occasional cheat meal here and there. So in many ways, he's just a regular, not-all-that-weird Al.
A major personal tragedy befell Al Yankovic on April 9, 2004. At the time,
he was touring in support of a new album when his parents Nick and Mary Yankovic passed away from
carbon monoxide poisoning inside their home. Al put out an official statement for his fans
in which he explained that it resulted from accidentally leaving the flue closed
while they were using their fireplace. He also shared that he'd learned the
news from his wife before any news agencies could pick up the story.
Despite this tragedy, Yankovic decided to continue the tour, though he canceled all of his interview
commitments and meet-and-greets with fans. He felt that since his music had brought so
much joy to his listeners, continuing to perform could help him get through this as well. He paid
tribute to his parents during one performance with a dedication projected on the screens at
the back of the stage. In a 2014 interview with Dan Rather, Yankovic admitted that he'd certainly
expected that he would outlive his parents but he didn't think they would pass away at the
same time. He also noted that he continues to feel the pain of the loss years later.
Among the handful of artists who have refused Weird Al's parody requests,
the most infamous was perhaps the late Prince. During a 2016 appearance on The Howard Stern Show,
Yankovic revealed that despite multiple attempts to ask for permission, Prince always refused,
without offering any reason. Prince's office even once wrote to him to tell him not to make
eye contact with the performer during an awards night where they'd be seated near each other.
"The only person that's really consisted said no has been Prince."
Another noteworthy instance of an artist refusing to be parodied was Lady Gaga, or so it seemed. In
a 2011 blog post, Yankovic shared a story of how he'd reached out to her camp with an idea for a
"Born This Way" parody, the profits of which would be donated to the Human Rights Campaign. At first,
Gaga's manager said that she didn't grant her permission, but Yankovic decided to simply upload
the song to YouTube so that everyone could enjoy it for free. But as it turned out, Gaga's manager
had lied, as he didn't even bother showing her the parody. She in fact actually liked the song, and
she quickly gave Yankovic the thumbs-up to release a video for it after she assessed it herself.
One reason why Weird Al may seem inactive lately
is because he hasn't released a new album since 2014. In an interview that year with The Guardian,
he talked about how he received no funding from his record label to make the music videos for what
would turn out to be his last album, Mandatory Fun. So he instead tried a different approach,
in which he partnered up with Yahoo, YouTube, Vevo, and other internet portals to release one
platform-exclusive song and video per day in exchange for funding.
Mandatory Fun turned out to be an unprecedented success, as it was Yankovic's first LP to
reach the number one spot on the Billboard 200. Interestingly enough, it was also the first comedy
album to enter the chart immediately at number one, selling 104,000 copies in its first week.
Since the album also marked the end of Yankovic's contract with his record label,
he ultimately decided to forgo the album model and simply release his songs online
immediately upon their completion. While speaking with The Washington Times in 2016,
he also revealed his plans to stick to either a singles or EP format for his new releases.
Back in 2003, Weird Al's fans started campaigning for him to get his own star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame. They formed the Weird Al Star Fund, with the aim of collecting enough money to
pay for the creation and the maintenance of Yankovic's star. When they started,
a star cost only $15,000, but by the time Yankovic was inducted, the price had risen to $40,000.
Yankovic made it to the list of inductees in 2018,
receiving the honor for his accomplishments as a recording artist. According to the Hollywood
Walk of Fame's website, he officially became the 2,643rd recipient of the Walk of Fame star.
At his induction ceremony, he demonstrated his signature humor, as he begged spectators,
"I’m sorry I even have to say this,
I don’t want to even have to ask this, but [...] please don’t pick-ax my star,
okay guys? I know it’s all the rage these days, but that’s not cool, just please don’t do that."
Earlier that year, Donald Trump's star had been vandalized by a man
carrying a pickaxe in a guitar case. In classic Weird Al fashion, though,
Yankovic clarified that spitting and urinating were fair game.
From June to September of 2019, Yankovic and his band performed in various locales across North
America as part of the "Strings Attached" concert series. This was Yankovic's 16th tour since 1983.
According to his official website, he and his band have performed a total of 67 shows in 64 venues.
Referred to as their "biggest and most elaborate tour ever," it featured a live symphony orchestra
at every location and made extensive use of the performer's countless costumes and props.
Additionally, Yankovic performed his older, more well-known parody songs during the tour.
Whereas in his previous tour, the "Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour,"
he had mostly played his lesser-known original tunes. After having played over 1,000 live shows
over the course of his career, Yankovic decided that it was the right time for a hiatus.
As of 2021, he hasn't released any official announcements regarding if
or when he and his bandmates are planning another tour.
Though the general public may not have heard much from Weird Al recently, there's still
a good chance that they've heard his voice in some capacity. As his official website notes,
he's appeared on, quote, "a huge number of podcasts." But what's especially interesting
as far as this particular medium is concerned is the sheer number of podcasts dedicated entirely to
discussing all things Weird Al. There's a weekly show called Dave & Ethan's 2000" Weird Al Podcast,
which has released over 100 episodes' worth of interviews and discussions about the
singer's life. There's also the We're All Yankovics podcast, which discusses every
single Weird Al song one episode at a time. The 'Weird Al' Phabet does the same thing,
but in alphabetical order. And then there's Beer'd Al Yankovic, which is hosted by
two millennial siblings who are passionate about two things: Weird Al songs and beer.
And it's not just the podcasts that are devoted to Weird Al. 2020 saw the release of no less than
three books all about him: Nathan Rabin's The Weird Accordion to Al, Lily Hirsch's Weird Al
Seriously, and Jon "Bermuda” Schwartz's Black & White & Weird All Over. Yankovic promoted each
of the books with his signature dry wit during an interview with Rolling Stone, as he declared,
"I don't know how to describe it, but I just felt a real personal connection with all of them."
Due to Weird Al Yankovic's touring hiatus, it may be a while before his fans see him
in the flesh again. That's not to say that he hasn't been busy, though. For one thing,
he narrated Tiny Tim: King For a Day, a documentary about the famous American
ukulele player that was released in April 2021. Yankovic greatly admired the musician,
and he read out his letters and passages from his diary for the film.
"This guy is very weird. He's a very strange man."
Yankovic also appeared as a talking head in another 2021 music documentary: The Sparks
Brothers, which is about the quirky pop-rock duo Sparks and was directed by Edgar Wright.
As for new parody songs, fans might have to wait a little longer. While talking to Billboard in 2019,
he shared that his songwriting pace has become considerably slower.
But for someone with his staying power, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.
As he described himself in a 2012 Forbes interview,
"I just do what I do, and thankfully people haven't gotten completely sick of me yet."
"Ooh! Ah! Whoo! Ha ha! Soup's on."
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