“He actually gets the permission of the writers and the artists of the song he parodies.”
Just for the record, copyright law does not require permission from the original author/composer for parodies. Al does it as a courtesy to the artist.
“The only two entertainers I know who refused to give him permission were Paul McCartney and Prince.”
Sort of along these lines, Jimmy Page also refused permission for a Led Zeppelin polka medley.
but Zepplin did grant Al permission to use a few bars from “Black Dog” in Al’s “Stuck in the Drive-Thru”. The only stipulation is Al’s band (truly a great group of musicians, by the way) had to play it themselves, there would be no sampling of Zepplin allowed. That was something that Zepplin rarely agrees to. Wait, “to which Zepplin agrees.”