Let?s admit right away it?s a stereotype.
But after years of listening to “Weird Al” Yankovic?s parodies gently poke fun at everything from Michael Jackson?s “Beat It” (“Eat It”) to Queen?s “Another One Bites the Dust” (“Another One Rides the Bus”), it takes one aback when he sounds normal when talking on the telephone. Yes, he?s funny. But also very intelligent and grounded.
“I don?t know if you can narrow [fans] down to a demographic,” Yankovic said. “The fan base is really multigenerational. Almost from embryos to geriatrics. We are appealing to just about everybody.”
Amazing when you consider ? some 12 million album sales and three Grammy Awards later ? that Yankovic never set out to entertain millions. So adopting his childhood nickname, ?Weird Al? began recording parodies of top hits and his own humorous music.
Those who think Yankovic?s whole career is one big ad lib after another might not realize his thoughtfulness. Though he doesn?t need to gain artists? permission to parody songs, it is his policy to ask anyway.
“When I do the parodies, I?m not trying to make them look bad,” Yankovic said. “If they feel otherwise, I will back off. That rarely happens, but you do occasionally find a humor-impaired person.”
Although many credit the Dr. Demento radio show with giving Yankovic his big break, it was actually Michael Jackson who helped him get started.
“He opened a lot of doors for me,” Yankovic said. “That was very nice of him. When he let us parody his songs, we suddenly had the ammunition to tell [other singers], ?Well Michael Jackson let us do it.? ”
The loyalty Yankovic has given to others is certainly returned by his strong fan base, one which takes up various crusades to gain him more recognition, such as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“We feel he really deserves a star, and we are asking for the help and support of all of his fans to make this happen,” said David Rossi, founder of The Weird Al Star Fund.
Something tells us they will.
IF YOU GO
“Weird Al” Yankovic
“Straight Outta Lynwood” Tour
» When: 8:30 p.m. today
» Venue: Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, Baltimore
» Details: $30 advance; $35 day of show; $40 bleachers; 410-244-1131
