The Enduring Appeal of “Weird Al” Yankovic
When you’re the man, you don’t need to tell anyone you’re the man. You’re just the man. This is definitely the case with “Weird Al” Yankovic, a parody music genius who has been in the game longer than many of the bands he’s parodied. And he’s still going strong.
But what is it about “Weird Al” that has allowed him to endure? Honestly, it’s a pretty simple concept. He lovingly mocks people who tend to take themselves way too seriously and his fans love him for it. His commentary on pop culture is as relevant now as the day he started.
The Rise of His Weirdness
Born in 1959, Al’s love of music reputedly started with his first accordion lesson. That’s not a sentence I ever thought I would write, but here we are. His inspirations in both music and comedy vary greatly, ranging from Elton John to Allan Sherman, Mad Magazine, and Monty Python.
His earliest exposure came on The Dr. Demento Radio Show, another big influence on his comedy, in the late 1970s. Al began composing his parodies via accordion and eventually went on tour with Demento’s stage show. From there, “Weird Al” was born.
Between 1983 and 2014, Yankovic released 14 albums. The strange part is we’re coming up on a decade since his last album, which is the longest he’s gone without one by far. It’s not like he isn’t busy, though. “Weird Al” is also an incredibly prolific actor in live-action movies and TV series as well as an accomplished voice actor.
On top of that, he’s been nominated for and won several awards. That includes 16 Grammy nominations and five wins. As great as those award wins are, Yankovic’s cultural impact is far more impressive. This is a guy who changed the game.
Weird Cultural Impacts
United States copyright law allows for fair use of intellectual property for the purposes of parody. As such, “Weird Al” doesn’t need anyone’s permission to do what he does. Still, he never does a parody without a band’s permission and has axed several because he respects their work.
The smart artists let Al do what he does best, though. Acts like Lady Gaga and Nirvana both said they felt like they had made it when he parodied them. The late Kurt Cobain reputedly had a huge amount of respect for “Weird Al” as a creative genius. He’s not wrong.
Few acts can claim to have utilized the music video to its full potential and beyond. This is where Al really shines, creating visual masterpieces to go along with his parodies. So integral are they to his process that it’s hard to imagine one without the other.
In an episode of 30 Rock, Jenna Maroney was tired of “Weird Al” parodying her so she created a song that was already a parody of itself. Al proceeded to create a straight-laced country song of it as a parody. Even in jest, his reverential place in comedy, music, and culture is undeniable. “Weird Al” is a cultural force of nature.
Why “Weird Al” Still Matters
Pop culture takes itself way too seriously sometimes. It just does. Making music, TV, video games, movies, and more should always be done well and well done. At the same, time the point is to bring enjoyment to people. All of this, on some level, is supposed to be entertaining.
“Weird Al” reminds us that we can enjoy pop culture without taking it so seriously that we get bent out of shape about it. He is a being of pure creativity brought into focus by intelligence, skill, and passion. Despite all of that, he seems to maintain the joy that comes with the process.
Many of the artists he parodies have lost sight of that. They are far too overzealous in their pursuit of their own artistry that they strip the joy right out of what they’re doing. “Weird Al” is a constant reminder that music doesn’t have to be that way.
To be frank, “Weird Al” Yankovic has maintained his high caliber for his entire career. Very few artists can say that they haven’t experienced a dip in quality. “Weird Al” is still bringing his A game nearly five decades later. That’s why he’s still the man.
