it's been nice being a new show no I'm
gonna no wall of shame for me I'm gonna
do this here we go
hey what's going on everybody for first
we feast I'm Sean Evans and you're
watching hot ones it's the show with hot
questions and even hotter wings
and today we closed out season seven
with Weird Al Yankovic
he's a four-time Grammy winner a pop
culture icon with more than 35 years in
the game and he's not slowing down one
bit either
tickets are on sale now for his strings
attached or coming to a city near you
and 2019 great I'll welcome to the show
thank you very much
are you a spicy food guy the world needs
to know not really I love Indian food
and Thai food and Mexican food but I
usually order it medium so I'm not a big
fan of the kind of food the kind of
spicy food that burns twice if you know
what I'm I know what you mean all too
well
[Music]
okay hmm well that's good our proof so
your pathway into show business is not
unlike the blueprint for many in 2018
whereby you have teenagers all over the
globe making music in their bedrooms and
hoping that it finds an audience the
difference between Weird Al and a
SoundCloud rapper of course is that you
didn't have the benefit of the Internet
in 1976 when you look at this song
parody genre and how it's exploded on
YouTube when are you proud of this
monster you've helped create and then
when do you feel shame yeah I definitely
came up from the pre YouTube days and
there's a lot of people out there doing
comedy videos and music parodies and
some people are doing it extremely well
and some people not so much I want to
see somebody that it seems like maybe I
influenced them in some way and they're
doing doing a great job would take a lot
of pride in that and there other times I
look at the internet and say what have I
done you know the Internet is a place
where it seems like facts have almost no
value and you've experienced that an
extremely niche way what's been the most
annoying example of having to defend
yourself against a parody song that's
not even yours
well you can't police the Internet and
in in the Napster days every single song
parody on the period appear sites were
you know if it's a parodies we're at Al
of course it's weird I like it and some
of them over like extremely profane some
were racist some were just horrible
somewhere all of the above and it had my
name attached to it and some of that was
around today people I remember Allen the
90s you're doing these horrible racist
profane songs it's like that no that was
not me but I became sort of like the the
brand name I was like the Xerox of
parody music like people just assumed
well if it's a bird it's out
okay boy heel mm-hmm my head hasn't
fallen off yet that's a good sign
yeah very good very good
I know that yet your first start in
music when your parents signed you up
for an accordion lesson and here you are
some 45 years later still playing the
instrument proudly in the accordion I
feel like it's an instrument that gets a
bad rap you know people lumping in with
the bagpipes of the ukulele one of these
things that doesn't get taken seriously
do you think that that's unfair
in a way yeah because the accordion is
you know in all honesty a very sensual
instrument I always talk about dick
Contino
who's a famous accordion player in the
50s and he was sort of a sex symbol
accordion player I mean you look at his
album covers and he has beautiful woman
draped on his legs like Oh play the
accordion for us code dick Contino I
think in the 60s with Lawrence Welk it
became sort of like your grandma's music
and became sort of unhip it really
essentially a very dynamic instrument
you know that the bellows create the
dynamics you can be very very soft can
be louder that if it flows you know
which is you know one of the reasons why
I think a lot of artists are now picking
up on the back polity accordions not
that bad
[Music]
all right here we go what's this one out
that may butterflied bakery smoked
onions okay here we go
[Music]
getting a little little hotter and Jeb
what's the scope along this Oh drop in
Scoville on me huh
well here we're in a very chill zone
25,000 maybe even less okay okay relax
do you know about the Scoville scale out
erence global is one of my favorite
singers so throughout your career you've
always made it a point to clear your
ideas with these artists that you spoof
which has created a whole mythology
around some of these run-ins with
high-profile musicians what's been the
most amusing interaction you've ever had
when trying to get an artist blessing um
when I first approached to Kurt Cobain
from Nirvana if I could do a produce
smells like teen spirit I'd call him
over the phone when he was doing cetera
in life and his immediate the first
thing out of his mouth was Oh great is
gonna be a song about food cuz I was
like the eated guy you know but and I
had to explain this it's gonna be a song
about how nobody can understand your
lyrics I said oh sure that's funny do
you have a favorite Michael Jackson
memory um one time I actually gave him a
gold album for my even worse which had
the fat song on it and you know I he was
very nice and gracious but I imagine he
just threw it on his pile of gold albums
but he was always very sweet very nice
soft-spoken um seemed to appreciate the
parodies he had a great sense of humor
which was a prouder accomplishment for
you getting recognized by Paul McCartney
at an industry party early on in your
career or having Kurt Cobain say that
Nirvana really made it when they got
parody by Weird Al it's hard to pick I
mean you know I'm hugely flattered by
both but I mean when I met Paul
McCartney for the first time in 1984 and
he recognized me in a crowd that blew my
mind I got to tell you cuz I grew up is
such a huge Beatles fan and in fact
there's a there's a video from MTV where
Martha Quinn is interviewing Paul
McCartney and you kind of see my head
okay bobbing up an a but ya blew my mind
Ikey I introduced myself
finally to him he said I said hi mr.
McCartney and my name is Al Yankovic NT
goes oh we had Alan he turns to Linda
look honey it's Weird Al and my head
exploded
it was just I couldn't believe it
so this is a small ax peppers jabbing
euro mango habanero mango okay mmm all
right okay all right I like how the the
whole point of this show is to is to uh
was to torture public figures I I'm
gonna give this this idea for free this
is here's my pitch invite ball on your
show and just like just punch them in
the face and ask them the question and
every time they answer cliff just punch
him again you know we're always talking
about how he can continue to up the ante
I think it would be a good idea there
for free
I appreciate that out mmm yeah very nice
well you know in your latest box set it
has more studio albums than the Beatles
and some of your parodies have
outperformed the songs that inspired
them in the first place and I wonder do
you ever get existentialist I know but
let's start right now okay well I always
think not to lead the witness at all but
if we're just having the sort of
existential conversation you know maybe
people connect with something like Jon
Stewart in The Daily Show more than the
regular news because we live in such an
absurd existence that maybe people are
connecting with the comedy in a way that
they don't with like just the straight
real thing or something I have to I have
to say there's a lot of truth to that I
mean I get a lot of my news from from
watching like late-night show monologues
it's a more pleasurable way to get your
information you know sorry there's a lot
of truth to that I think
mmm-hmm why I'm glad that my hair is not
on fire yet I thought I thought I would
spontaneously combust by this point but
I'm hanging in there so far all right
well you know we still have some wings I
know I know I'm not getting cocky I'm
not getting cocky believe me all right
now we have a recurring segment on our
show called explain that Graham where we
do a deep dive on I guess Instagram pull
interesting pictures that need more
context I'll bust out the laptop I'll
show you the picture you just tell me
the bet okay I'm good sure what about
laptop please all right first things
first do you ever get used to things
like this uh how could you how could you
possibly get used to that no I have
every that that was on my last tour
which was the ridiculously
self-indulgent ill-advised vanity tour
and that brought out the most hardcore
fans and this guy is obviously a pretty
hardcore fan that was that's probably
the biggest weird altitude that I've
seen it's mind-boggling
I've seen people doing a references to
my movie UHF there was a couple that got
tattoos tattoos of spatulas on their
stomachs because there's a line in the
movie that says what better way to say I
love you than with the gift of a spatula
so they got a matching spatula tattoos
that's sweet and then they broke up like
six months later later but at the time
it was very sweet here haha yeah man we
all a fortune throwback for the ages yep
yeah yeah that was uh that was pretty
surrealistic I was asked to be on
Celebrity wheel of fortune my manager
called my friend said you want to do
this show I said celebrity wheel of
fortune now I don't know that sounds
pretty cheesy I don't think I want to do
that and he said well it would be with a
little Richard and James Brown and I
said I'm there get me on the plane so
yeah that was that was a lot of fun I
don't think that either one of them
really knew how to play the game we had
all gone through our rehearsal and we
all you know had spun the wheel and gone
through you know everything you go
through to prepare for
and James Brown shows up you know half
an hour late with his entourage and he
wanted to still practice the game so
we're in the green room watching on a
monitor and we're learning watching Jim
from learn to play Wheel of Fortune and
it's pretty obvious that he had never
even played hangman before he had just
no concept whatever of this game so he
spins the wheel and he goes okay give me
a give me a give me a a and the producer
says no James when you spend the wheel
you have to pick a consonant and he goes
oh Europe and didn't get much better
after that Assam mm-hmm all right it
wouldn't be a hot ones interview unless
we got extremely granular about your
obsession with snacks for our
uncivilized viewers out there can you
give the origin story of the Twinkie
wiener sandwich and provide a do it at
home recipe for the people I'm not it
came out of my sick brain I'm not sure
what inspired it but it was popularized
on my movie UHF and basically what you
do here's the recipe you take a generic
Twinkie and you split it long ways as if
it were a hot dog bun and then you put a
hot dog regular hot dog or tofu wiener
whatever gonna do you put that inside
eat the Twinkie and then you use spray
cheese easy cheese whatever it is that
has come out of a spray can and you
spray the cheese on top of it the hotdog
and for extra added bonus you can just
dunk it in your milk you know that's a
big debate on what kind of cheese to use
at least according to the internet so
I'm happy that you set that straight
because some people like you have to use
Velveeta some people get like kind of
fancy with it but you're saying no as
long as it comes out of a spray can
that's okay
Fieger water oh okay all right this
starting a little scary
[Music]
yeah that that's hot that is getting hot
mm-hmm mm-hmm
this is skov Alicia's sub heard you
describe yourself as a pop culture
Cuisinart and you've had to have your
fingers on the pulse to find inspiration
for these right pop-culture moments I
want to take a look at some of the finer
notes of your highest charting song ever
which is white and nerdy because on
paper Chamillionaire big wrapper but not
the biggest doesn't necessarily seem
like somebody Weird Al would target and
then riding dirty big song not the
biggest rap song so can you talk about
why you went in that direction and your
understanding of why you think it works
um sometimes it you know if the idea is
the most important thing so if it's a
really fun idea that would lends itself
to comedy I mean that's more important
than anything else I mean I think the
most important thing was 2006 when that
came out I think that was sort of like
the tipping point for nerds in a way
because I'm like when I was in high
school you did not want to be a nerd I
mean you said at the nerd table and you
were made fun of and you got beat up at
recess and it was not a cool thing and
starting in 2006 people were like you
know what nerds are not that bad they
make all the cool toys they make all the
shiny things we like to play with and
and people are fighting to like argue
that they've got nerd cred which he
never heard when I was in high school
that was another thing so about the time
when I what I did white and nerdy that
that wave was kind of cresting people
were likes all of a sudden going like
yeah yeah nerds whoo
oh this is duped a bomb
this is beyond insanity I was okay at
insanity but I don't know if I want to
go beyond and say no one does no one
does okay all right is this work is
painful like I have a feeling this is
gonna okay
[Music]
that's pretty hot that's really hot that
is hot
that is the bomb you know what that is
beyond insanity no lest you think
otherwise ah now yes
well here's my knife being a new show no
I'm gonna I'm gonna know Wall of shame
for me I'm gonna do this here we go so
you had incredible longevity by creating
these humorous songs that are sneakily
musical so I'm curious about your
perspective on other musicians who've
blurred the line between comedy and
music what's the funniest rock song of
all time in your opinion mama get the
hammer there's a fly on the baby's head
that was uh I think that was that was
one of the biggest funniest rock songs
I've ever heard
do you think Kanye West is a humor
artist at all intentionally probably not
it's hard to tell I mean he could be
like be any Kaufman of music you never
really know tenacious is deep what's the
distinguishing quality they rock hard
they they're all about the hot sauce you
think you've had them on the show I know
they're all so good in their own way
that's that there's not I mean even
though we all do comedy music there's
not a lot of crossover you each have our
own distinct thing that we do what about
with Flight of the Conchords fly the
Conchords they are the best New England
folk duo I've ever heard
what about the lonely island lonely
island through my close friends and they
they do every imaginable rap genre
extremely well I love those guys to
death uh what is this ex ex [ __ ] s Co
uh oh does this make your hair turn into
snakes is that what this does
well you've beaten us to it basically
now
[Music]
okay okay okay
ex Carrasco uh-huh
give me getting even close to what I'm
are watering okay
[Music]
why are you doing this to me why did you
do this to me white shot we dig our
friends we dig our own graves on your
career is decades long so yes free
internet post internet and always
blazing a trail that's all your own so
you shouldn't be surprised about that
you have some unexpected highlights
along the way it's bringing someone to a
movie that you're in I can't even I
listen to you right now is what are you
talking about is bringing someone to a
movie that you're in and not telling
them the ultimate first date flex this
is a story that's been going around the
internet and it's absolutely true when
I'm when the Naked Gun first came out
we've been 88 I guess back in the 80s I
was single and I was going on a lot of
dates and I would take first dates to
see The Naked Gun and I'd worry the same
shirt I was wearing you know coming off
the plane in the movie and I just loved
their reaction when that scene would
come up and they'd like do a double-take
like what I got a kick out of that
what did it mean to you to be named to
the mustache Hall of Fame second
inductee class
I wasn't sure I'm aware that so what so
what what now you're in the mustache
Hall of Fame alongside Steve Prefontaine
and Wyatt Earp
well I'm extremely honored III think
it's one of my top 500 best honors ever
and I'm gosh thank you so much thank you
a Hall of Fame mustache people there's a
big online push to get you to play a
Super Bowl halftime show it's not up to
me I know but I am curious is that of
any bucket list interest to you and have
you ever had any fantasy about what it
would look like let me put it this way
if they offered it which they are not
I'm never gonna be on the NFL shortlist
but if they offered it obviously I
wouldn't turn it down you can't do that
but I would have just non-stop explosive
diarrhea for five months which doesn't
sound like a lot of fun it's like going
into politics like the Super Bowl so big
if you if you're doing something like
that there's gonna be a million people
that hate you no matter who you are like
you know you see the most amazing Super
Bowl performance ever and you go online
like oh that was awful
never you know people get really upset
and hey I don't like being hated so part
of me Leon does a great opportunity and
part of me was like I don't know if I
want to have that much hate in my life
are we there oh okay what am i doing
[Music]
alright we are now this right the last
dab we call it the last dab because it's
tradition around here to put a little
extra on the last wing but it's optional
right you don't have to if you don't why
would I want to because you've made it
this far
oh that that by itself is incredible
okay okay okay here we go what a run
it's been
[Music]
Thank You Sean Thank You al thank you
may have another okay we're now here we
are at the end of our Bazaar McCobb
vegan lunch together and when we closed
out season six we had John Mayer in this
seat and we touched UQ's and we did a
ukulele duet to send the people off so
here on season seven it would be such a
blessing if we could do the same time
but this time with our toy apartments
wait a minute this is not a standard 120
base model you've made so many waves
over the years with your solos and it
would be such an honor if you could hit
us with one while we're here at the
table I'm here to accompany in case you
need me this may not be my mess solo
ever but I will come on my best shot it
might be the ticket might be there it is
weird out closing it out and before we
go I just want to say Happy Holidays to
all the spice Lords from those of us
here at hot ones you have no idea how
much your love and support really fuels
the show and everybody works so hard to
make it happen and I want to thank you
weird al' for giving season 7 the
send-off that it deserves and now
there's nothing left to do but roll out
the red carpet for you my friend this
camera this camera or this camera ok
people no jail going how many choices
alright well as you mentioned I'm doing
the strings attached or next summer
tickets are available right now as we
speak this very moment at Weird Al calm
what's that a way to say happy holidays
then with Weird Al tickets see
it wasn't I'm talking it up that's right
good job good job
[Music]
Happy Holidays spice Lords this is Sean
Evans checking in with a very important
hot sauce announcement the hot ones
monthly subscription box is back in 2019
and at a reduced cost of $30 you'll
still get three hot sauces every month
curated by heat inist and be the first
to get hot ones hot sauce releases
whether you want to treat yourself or
get a gift for that special spicy
someone you know the drill heat nice
calm heat nice calm to sign up an order
don't make me eat all this hot sauce
alone who appreciates a spice Lords I do
dammit