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Was ‘Weird Al’ the real star all along?
Washington Post ^ | February 16, 2017 | Geoff Edgers

Posted on 02/21/2017 2:35:13 PM PST by billorites

LOS ANGELES — One day last summer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, on break from “Hamilton,” stopped by neighbor Jimmy Fallon’s house in the Hamptons. They both love music and Fallon has a listening room in the basement, so it wasn’t long before they were downstairs sharing another passion: “Weird Al” Yankovic.

“I said, ‘Do you know “Polka Party!”?’ ” Fallon says. “He’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, I know it word for word.’ ”

Fallon threw Yankovic’s 1986 record on the turntable, and the Broadway phenomenon and the late-night TV star sang along to an accordion-driven medley that covers 12 songs in three minutes, from Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” to Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach.”

“Picture Jimmy Fallon and I sitting in a basement laughing our asses off singing, ‘I’m gonna keep my baby, keep my baby, keep my baby,’ ” Miranda says.

“We were crying, laughing and singing,” Fallon says.

They’re not alone.

Yankovic has sold millions of albums, played 1,616 shows and outlasted so many of the stars he once spoofed. His most recent album, 2014’s “Mandatory Fun,” featured parodies of Iggy Azalea, Lorde and Pharrell Williams, a polka medley and his usual smattering of original songs. The album hit No. 1. At 57, he’s now readying a complete set of his 14 studio recordings, plus an album of bonus tracks. “Squeeze Box,” on sale through a PledgeMusic drive until the end of February, will naturally come in an accordion-shaped box. “Comedy recording and funny songs go back to the earliest days of the record industry,” says Barry Hansen, better known as Dr. Demento, the radio host who introduced Yankovic to the public 40 years ago. “But Al is unique. There’s nothing like him in the history of funny music.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Humor; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: weirdal
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To: billorites

I can’t remember which artist it was, but someone fairly recent commented that they felt they had finally “arrived” because Weird Al had asked to parody one of their songs.

And yet, Prince would never consider allowing Al to parody any of his work, despite the rich potential in some of his songs.


41 posted on 02/21/2017 3:58:28 PM PST by Little Pig
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To: billorites

I saw Weird Al as the opening act at a Monkees concert in Wichita. Can’t remember the year, maybe early 90’s.


42 posted on 02/21/2017 4:05:18 PM PST by Old Yeller (Auto-correct has become my worst enema.)
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To: Yardstick

Oh my gosh! I never heard of that one and had to check it out! Hilarious!


43 posted on 02/21/2017 4:10:57 PM PST by sneakers (It's DEMOCRAT - and not DemocratIC. There's nothing Democratic about the DEMOCRAT party)
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To: billorites

I’ve had the pleasure of running into a few famous people in my life, but one of the best was realizing that the guy in front of me wearing the Hawaiian shirt at the security line at LAX back in the ‘90s was Weird Al. Nice guy - great to know he’s still at it.


44 posted on 02/21/2017 4:21:46 PM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Little Pig
I can’t remember which artist it was, but someone fairly recent commented that they felt they had finally “arrived” because Weird Al had asked to parody one of their songs.

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana once said that when Weird Al did his take on "Smells Like Teen Spirit", but of course that wasn't recent. Cobain seemed to get more pleasure from the Weird Al cover than he did from the critical accolades and overnight fame.
45 posted on 02/21/2017 4:24:10 PM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: cornfedcowboy

Saw him two yrs ago, loved every minute of it. He interacts with the audience and everyone is clearly having a wonderful time.


46 posted on 02/21/2017 4:34:41 PM PST by Calm_Cool_and_Elected (" Undecided Voter: someone who parades their stupidity as proof of their morality." ~David Burge)
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To: sneakers

Yes, isn’t it good? Best part is the gangstas locking their car doors when they see him coming...


47 posted on 02/21/2017 4:38:11 PM PST by Yardstick
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To: billorites

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib2Vl7JEjfc

Nice magic trick too


48 posted on 02/21/2017 4:38:36 PM PST by wolfman
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To: billorites

My husband took me to his concerts twice. He is so awesome in concert.. He even had his blow up fat suit on stage for Fat.


49 posted on 02/21/2017 4:43:26 PM PST by Trillian
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To: Dacula

Dr. Demento gave Al a break on KMET in Los Angeles around 1980. I like how Donny Osmond dances on White and Nerdy as if Donny Osmond is the most white and most nerdy guy on the planet.

His video of Pharrel’s Happy song is one camera take. Amazing.


50 posted on 02/21/2017 5:03:57 PM PST by Falconspeed ("Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others." Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94))
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To: All

youtube his “tacky” song.


51 posted on 02/21/2017 5:11:12 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: billorites

Love the Bedrock Anthem! “Don’t know what it means but I say it anyhow!”


52 posted on 02/21/2017 5:21:55 PM PST by Zirondelle ("disce aut discede")
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To: billorites

Word Crimes is excellent...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc


53 posted on 02/21/2017 5:22:02 PM PST by Twotone (Truth is hate to those who hate truth.)
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To: All

Anthem of the GOPe

Weird Al Yankovic’s “Dare to be Stupid”

(musical accompaniment by the John McCain Silver Plated Plastic Kazoo Orchestra.)


54 posted on 02/21/2017 5:28:26 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: billorites
I've been a fan since his first album. I saw him in concert in Lowell, MA last fall. Great show!

Some of my favorites:

It's All About The Pentiums

Close But No Cigar

Virus Alert

Jurassic Park

Don't Download This Song

And this happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_JI18l_Nco

55 posted on 02/21/2017 5:30:05 PM PST by CtBigPat (Free Republic - The grown-ups table of the internet.)
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To: Rastus

Yup, the shared mass experience of listening to the radio or even MTV is pretty much gone. You need to know the song to get the gag when Al does it. It’s like when they brought Beavis and Butthead back and all they could make fun of was the garbage reality shows because that’s all MTV played anymore, no videos. No cool people watched those reality shows and the ones who did couldn’t stand to be shown that they were such dog squeeze.

Freegards


56 posted on 02/21/2017 5:30:29 PM PST by Ransomed
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To: Ransomed

how about weird al’s CNR song (where Charles nelson reily is a tough guy)


57 posted on 02/21/2017 5:46:58 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Yardstick
Partial to “White and Nerdy” here.

I am, too! THIS is the best video I've seen of this song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWc6QQ9JlMc I can't remember how to hyperlink it!

58 posted on 02/21/2017 6:02:49 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: billorites

Weird Al is great on Comedy Bang Bang.


59 posted on 02/21/2017 6:15:18 PM PST by GSWarrior
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To: All

My favorite is his parody of the George Harrison hit “This Song Only Has Six Words.” [Got My Mind Set On You]

And I’m a huge Beatles/Harrison fan, but you have to laugh at how perfect he does those parodies.

I read somewhere he really works at his craft. Working on different lines and phrases until he is 100% satisfied that it fits the rhythm and cadence of the original, but still tells it’s own complete story.


60 posted on 02/21/2017 6:37:46 PM PST by John Milner
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