Weird Al’s still white and nerdy, and still making people laugh It might surprise some to learn that Weird Al was among the first celebrities to speak out in loving tribute as soon as Michael Jackson’s death was announced on June 25, 2009.
If you go
Weird Al Yankovic
Where: Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Info: $39.50 and $49.50; ticketmaster.com
“Sorry, but my feelings about the MJ tragedy cannot be adequately articulated in 140 characters,” Yankovic posted to Twitter. He has said without Jackson’s permission to parody his songs and otherwise “open doors” for him, he wouldn’t have a music career. No matter what you think of Yankovic’s wacky humor or his parodies of performers’ and their music (think Jackson’s “Beat It,” which Yankovic turned into the hilarious “Eat It”) it’s clear he’s no self-indulgent, mindless wonder.
Obviously his method works as proven by his 25-plus-year career, which includes millions in record sales and multiple Grammys. Although many comedians use topical humor, Yankovic has chosen to steer clear, specifically of politics.
“One reason I don’t do political humor is that it’s so topical,” he said. “It changes so quickly and I have to arrange it, mix it, and get it out to stores. And you generally have to take a stand. It’s not like anyone wants to hear that. … I don’t want to alienate anyone.”
That includes performers. Although Yankovic doesn’t do parodies to make the original performers look bad, if some feel his parody would do so he backs off — even though material can be scarce.
Of course back in the 1980s when Yankovic’s music and parodies were prime time, MTV’s constant rotation of music videos made it easy to line up songs to parody. Of course the MTV format has significantly changed and with it Yankovic’s creative well.
Of course, he’s one comedian who isn’t shy about pointing the camera at himself.
Consider “White and Nerdy” which parodies the song “Ridin'” by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone. In the song, Yankovic talks about his nerdy pastimes including collecting comic books, editing Wikipedia, and watching the TV program “Happy Days.” The song, released in 2006, became his first to hit Billboard’s Top 10 list.
“‘White and Nerdy’ is pretty definitive; it’s pretty biographical,” he said. “It not only speaks to my fan base, it speaks to me. I certainly didn’t have to do a lot of extra research to make it. I researched it all my life.”
