Inspirational Humans

For Show and Tell, My Inspirational Human Being is “Weird Al” Yankovic

Like him for the music, stay for the genius

The first LP that I bought with my own money was “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Dare To Be Stupid. I was a “Close, Personal Friend of Al” (the name of his fan club, showing an incredible amount of marketing prowess). And I’ve seen Weird Al play more than any other rock star or band.

A lot of people underestimate Weird Al because he does parodies and humorous material. “Not a real musician,” many claim. And yet, to capture the sound of the bands he is making fun of, he and his co-artists actually have to be masters of mimicry.

Who else can claim to perfectly capture Madonna’s sound, and Don McLean’s, and Coolio’s, and Lady Gaga’s?

The list is nearly endless and very impressive to behold, taking into account his 40+ years of music-making.

I’ve seen enough behind-the-scenes interviews and read enough books on him to know what a hard worker and perfectionist he is. He doesn’t do anything halfway.

One day before a performance, he learned that both of his parents had died from being unable to escape from a gas leak. He went on stage and did the whole set. This level of dedication to his fans is practically unequalled.

Folx who only know him casually often don’t realize that he has four main kinds of works: parodies of existing songs, new work, polka medleys of popular rock or alternative tunes, and songs done in the style of someone specific, while not being a parody of that particular band’s work.

Here are my favorites from each of these categories

(I’ve included the video link to each)

1. Parody. Word Crimes, from the Mandatory Fun album, a parody of Parody of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams. Completely disregarding the topic of the original while keeping the musicality to a “t,” Word Crimes looks at dorky language usage, from knowing the difference between “doing good and doing well,” to the overuse of “literally”: Oh, but just now (Just now), you said (You said) You “literally” couldn’t get out of bed (Woo!) (What?) That really makes me want to literally Smack a crowbar upside your stupid head.

(1) “Weird Al” Yankovic — Word Crimes — YouTube

2. New work. Everything You Know Is Wrong, from Bad Hair Day, is a fun romp through the absurd. Here’s a little taste of the winding story (something Weird Al is a master of):

I was walkin’ to the kitchen for some Golden Grahams When I accidentally stepped into an alternate dimension And soon I was abducted by some aliens from space Who kinda looked like Jamie Farr

They sucked out my internal organs And they took some polaroids And said I was a darn good sport And as a way of saying thank you They offered to transport me back to Any point in history that I would care to go

“Weird Al” Yankovic: Everything You Know Is Wrong Lyrics — Bing video

3. Polka Medleys

Here’s one from Alpocalypse:

A polka medley of. …

• “Liechtensteiner Polka”
• “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga,
• “Womanizer” by Britney Spears,
• “Right Round” by Flo Rida,
• “Day ’n’ Nite” by Kid Cudi,
• “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum,
• “Baby” by Justin Bieber,
• “So What” by P!nk,
• “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry,
• “Fireflies” by Owl City,
• “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx,
• “Replay” by Iyaz, and
• “Down” by Jay Sean
• “Break Your Heart” by Taio Cruz
• “The Tick Tock Polka” by Frankie Yankovic
• “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha
• “Poker Face” (Reprise) by Lady Gaga
• with new music by “Weird Al” Yankovic

“Weird Al” Yankovic — Polka Face (Official Video) — Bing video

4. “Dog Eat Dog” is in the style of the Talking Heads, without being a direct send up of a Talking Heads tune. It’s found on Polka Party. Sometimes I can’t believe this is all really happening! Sometimes I can’t believe that I’m really sitting here! Sometimes I tell myself, “This is not my beautiful stapler!” Sometimes I tell myself, “This is not my beautiful chair!”

dog eat dog Weird Al — Bing video

A master craftsman, Weird Al is an inspirational human being because of three things

1. He’s brilliant. He is uniquely suited to writing funny songs, and the world needs him now more than ever.
2. He’s funny. And his humor works between generations and over divisive lines.
3. He’s doing what he wants with his life. “As my father used to tell me, the only true sign of success in life is being able to do for a living that which makes you happy,” Al relates.

I hope you’ve discovered some new Weird Al tunes, or at least ones you hadn’t heard in a while.

Thank you for reading about my inspirational person.

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