Weird Al Lives On A Lonely Island
You can’t hug a rolling stone because it will crush you.
Cool guys don’t look at explosions. They light the fuse and walk away in slow motion. — Lonely Island
What is parody? Is it comedy? Art? Porn? Homage or plagiarism… a half-assed effort to imitate or a creative process revealing hitherto unrealized potential in the source content. There is one name which stands out for having reached a commercial balance which elevates the original while contributing entirely new fandom. This is the tale of Weird Al Yankovic and the Lonely Island he built with humour and fat fusion beats. Without this lyrical genius we wouldn’t have incredible thoughts or a guitar playing fish to teach us the true nature of artistic collaboration.
Parody
A parody; also called a spoof, send-up, take-off, lampoon, play on, caricature, or joke, is a work created to imitate, make fun of, or comment on an original work — its subject, author, style, or some other target — by means of satiric or ironic imitation.
In 1976, a 16 year old Yankovic, who was far too white and nerdy even then, handed a local Lynwood radio personality his mix tape. Dr. Demento (Barry Hansen) was speaking at his school at the time. By this chance encounter the world would never be the same. Demento played what would forever be Al’s first published work. And I bet Comets still make him vomit.
“‘Belvedere Cruising’ might not have been the very best song I ever heard, but it had some clever lines. I put the tape on the air immediately.” — Dr. Demento
You saw 1989’s UHF, right? No!?!? I understand. You went to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade that summer… No? Batman? Weren’t born yet? It’s been 31 years!?! Talk about career stamina. Ironically, when he was 27 years old in 1987 he played a small role in Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. Given the Indiana Jones intro I imagine he was inspired to write and direct UHF by his experience there.
One of Yankovic’s most controversial parodies was 1996’s “Amish Paradise”, based on “Gangsta’s Paradise” by hip-hop artist Coolio. Reportedly, Coolio’s label gave Yankovic the impression that Coolio had granted permission to record the parody, but Coolio maintains that he never did. While Coolio claimed he was upset, legal action never materialized, and Coolio accepted royalty payments for the song. After this controversy, Yankovic has always made sure to speak directly with the artist of every song he parodied.— Wiki
A bigger than life personality, he’s done countless bit parts in TV and movies, often as himself, including as the Dollmaker in 2015’s Batman and Robin. Maybe he’s a time traveler? Somehow he’s connected to all these great franchises like he always knows somehow what they’d eventually become. Creepy.
Best known for his unforgettable parody music and videos he’s published 14 studio albums. Has won 5 Grammys and 11 additional nominations. Everyone remembers hits like “Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies”, “Dare To be Stupid”, “Eat It”, “Fat”, “It’s All About The Pentiums”, “Like A Surgeon”, “I Lost On Jeopardy”, “The Saga Begins”, “Smells Like Nirvana”, and so many more... He set the stage… but now it’s time for a Donkey Roll.
Under the “fair use” provision of U.S. copyright law, affirmed by the United States Supreme Court in the 1994 case Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., artists such as Yankovic do not technically need permission to record a parody.
A Boombox is NOT a toy!
Enter the next generation of parody pop star. The Lonely Island. (I think Jack Sparrow used to vacation there.) Three spectacular brains. So overwhelming, these incredible thoughts, how did their brains conceive them? Were they on a boat with a famous guest star like T-Pain? Driving Yolo with Levine & Lamar? Wait I know. Lovin’ Justin Timberlake’s mom like a boss! Now don’t be shy and give me a hug. Remember a 3-way isn’t gay. Marry a man! Did you drop the Bass? No… you threw it on the ground! Was this article a lame excuse to make a play list for my favourite parody songs… ummm. Hey look! It’s a squirrel!
Bonu
Fast forward 15 years and we get… THE STYLE BOYZ!
Finest girl I ever met in my whole life. Wanna take her home make her my wife. Knew she was a freak when she started talking… she said… I’m a Style Boy for life!
Conner: Should we tell ’em?
Lawrence: Ya.
Owen: Tell ’em, man!
Conner: We made a new song at the farm.
Owen: We found Lawrence’s journals and they were just amazing.
Conner: Amazing! Just full of incredible thoughts.
Lawrence: Just like ideas and poems and stuff. Nothing special.
Owen: And then Conner had the idea to take a piano line from my solo shit.
Lawrence: Connor put it all together.
Conner: And the poppies paired us with the craziest special guest to perform with.
When they’re hungry… that’s when you give ’em more
Appealing to a built-in audience with something familiar yet unlike anything they’ve ever seen or heard before. Maybe someday I’ll cover other crossovers. Real musical acts dabble in parody, too. Eminem’s fusion of humour with shock rock. Blood Hound Gang and the Beastie Boys. The essence of something new and wonderful is the unexpected. Art is unpredictable and offers new avenues for every generation to explore.
