Artist AGREED to Let ICON SPOOF His #1 Hit…But Went APE-SH*T After It CAME OUT! | Professor of Rock
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2024
- Coming up, it’s the unbelievable story of 5 artists who passed on collaborating with one of the most iconic musicians of the past four decades. Weird Al Yankovic….Working with this guy was a golden opportunity that only came by his request. With a steady stream of hit albums including Dare to Be Stupid and Even Worse and a catalog of legendary songs, like Eat It, Fat, and Amish Paradise and Smells Like Nirvana and so many unforgettable music videos to go along with them… it was extremely rare for anyone to tell Weird Al Yankovic “no.” But these guys did! Passing up on an opportunity of a lifetime. I mean, the members of Nirvana even estimated they sold an additional million records after agreeing to allow Al to parody their song. So what made these 5 bold musicians so bold as to turn him down? We’ll find out plus we’ll get the story of one artist who agreed to collaborate when Weird Al did Amish Paradise. but flipped out about it after the Al released the parody of his song… Stick around for an intriguing story NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
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So if you haven’t guessed, today we’re talking Weird Al. And for this episode, we’re doing something a little different that I think you’re going to like. So let’s get into it… Alfred Matthew Yankovic is no doubt one of the nicest guys in show business. The prince of parody and the sultan of satire has always gone the extra mile to be respectful of the musicians he spoofs… which means he always asks for permission before including a parody on an album. This despite the fact that his work is legally protected as a form of free speech because it’s satire.
But this nice guy approach has served Weird Al well. According to Al, it’s rare for any artist to turn down one of his requests. He estimates that 97 or 98 percent of all artists he’s asked have given him the green light. Said Al, “I’ve been doing this for a while now and I have a track record and most artists look at it as a badge of honor.” As many legendary artists have told me, when Weird Al covers your song you know you’ve made it.
But today we’re zeroing in on that 2 to 3 percent who have told Weird Al “no.” It’s a list that includes the likes of U2’s Bono, Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Eminem, and Beck… As well as five more artists who I believe have some of the best Weird Al rejection stories. And those are the one’s we’re covering today. Most would admit to regretting it later. Although there is one who consistently said “no” and never said why. But what can you say? These artists missed out. Here are 5 favorite stories of musicians who passed on the parody.
First up, it’s the great Sir Paul McCartney. Weird Al, just like the rest of us is a huge fan of the Beatles. So it’s no surprise he would look.. 
Развлечения
Poll; What is your pick for the WEIRD AL's GREATEST SONG PARODY?
Amish Paradise
Eat It.
😅😅
"White and Nerdy"
It's my ringtone.
White and Nerdy. Practically an anthem for geeks and nerds.
Fat
I Lost on Jeopardy
The fact that he doesn't legally require permission to parody other people's music and still asks, and doesn't parody it if they say no just shows what a cool dude Weird Al is
He still did it in live shows
@@Plum_bird concerts are a different thing though. It’s not like he is selling these songs. He’s selling his performance. Playing a new song or a cover is something that artists do all the time at live shows. It’s part of what makes concerts a unique and special experience.
@Tetrastuctural_Intelligence exactly this. I was at a rock concert in the 90s, Godsmack, Cold and one other. One of them, I forget who, covered Freebird because the indoor smoking bans were just starting and the venue came out before the show and said anybody sparking a lighter would be ejected. So they did Freebird. Hardly a hand in the audience didn't have a lighter in it. 😂
Guess I got lucky. Every Ape and His Brother doesn't make any money. It's purely done for fun. When that project of mine turned Nine Days' song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" into a song about the Salem Witch Trials, the original band members of Nine Days (on MySpace at the time) gave it a thumbs up. They were beyond amused that anyone would turn their song into a historical edutainment romp, even if the subject matter got dark.
@@SoulSoundMuiscnow THAT"S an incredible story! Wish I'd been there to cherish that experience!
Weird Al belongs in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame-He's worthy of that honor.
damn right!!
He is more worthy of the honour of not being in that farce of an institution.
No kidding!
..I KNOW! ....ALL those categories, and they don't have One for Best humour / Comedy Album!? ...didn't Whoopi get a Grammy!? ...VERY deserved, of the 'Al', Man....
Been saying it for years.
In an interview with Nirvana, they said they knew they had made it big when Weird Al did a parody of their song.
I think Al has a story about how he knew he had made it because of Paul McCartney. They were at a party and Paul had never met him before. Al said "Wow, it's Paul McCartney!" And Paul said "Wow, it's Weird Al!"
Now it’s a Narduar interview to tell if you’ve made it. Seeing Kurt got one before it was cool, I’d say that still stands
“Will it be about food?”
To have your song spoofed by him is a great honor
You’ve got that right. It’s seen by many musicians as a sign that they’ve really ‘made it’ and one of their songs is popular enough to be spoofed by him.
"He who's tired of Weird Al is tired of life."-- Homer Simpson
"Damnit, Bobby, do you wanna die alone and unloved like Weird Al Yankovic?" - Hank Hill
Little ditty, about Homer and Marge
Her heart was as big, as his stomach was large
"there are 2 kinds of peopople in the world, those who love Weird Al and there's everyone else"
-Me, now!
@@judgedrekk2981you can't trust those kind of people.
Homer is correct!
His band never gets enough credit for their ability to play ANYTHING. The first (of many) times I saw Al in concert happened to be the same night that Deep Purple was playing in town. In honor of "everyone who chose, uh, me, instead of Deep Purple..." the band broke into a perfect cover of Smoke on the Water. No parody, whole song. PERFECTLY. Al was dead on. We went INSANE. He's a legend!!
Ladies and gents, THAT is a true “how ya like me now?” rock star move.
They were able to play smoke on the water? Thats incredible
Exactly. No other band I know can play any genre and nail it.
Seen them three times the first with the Bad Hair Tour. Same band everytime and they definitely deserve more recognition.
his band is studio musicians, their sole reason to exist is to be able to play anything.
My favorite story was of when Weird Al satirized Money For Nothing. Mark Knopfler added some stipulation, and Weird Al agreed to let Mark Knopfler play lead guitar in the parody.
Best part of UHF, and there's a TON of great parts.
@@Pensfan5919 Great, now I have Conan The Librarian and Wheel of Fish stuck in my head. 😛
I went to see Weird Al in concert during his Mandatory Fun tour. I have gone to a good number of concerts in my life, and Weird Al can go toe-to-toe with most any performer. The guy sang his way into the auditorium and onto stage, danced through every one of his songs, he changed costumes over and over, and made time to sign autographs for her nerdy fans afterwards. Class act.
Wait… Weird Al is a girl?! Now THAT is weird!
Same tour in Miami. I've seen other acts that were conventionally bigger (U2, chiefly), but seeing Al at that probably 3k seater theatre was pure fun in the nerdiest way. Especially doing a 10 minute late finale for those that stayed of Yoda.
Probably one of the best shows I've been to
The NFL needs to get its act together and invite Weird Al to do a Super Bowl halftime show.
🤣 the world couldn’t handle it
Freaking snowflakes melting….
Might be fun 🤔😆
Al has said he would turn it down if they ever did ask, because he doesn't want the pressure of trying tom please that many people with one performance.
That won't happen because he got to be in Illuminati to in the halftime super bowl show and you either got to be a criminal or a slut. To be in the halftime super bowl show.
@@achimdemus-holzhaeuser1233Do the Sports Ball.
NFL is gay and you are also if you watch it
A buddy of mine went to one of his concerts, somehow completely lost his mind and managed to kick off, and lose his shoe. After the concert he went to the front desk to ask if anyone turned in a shoe and they told him to go around back of the building. He gets there and Al is sitting on the steps to his tour bus with Aaron's shoe in his lap, signed.
Such a great story!
Great!
That’s awesome!
I love it!
NGL, if that happened to me I'd have that shoe placed in a shrine at my house, behind glass!
One of the greatest things about Weird Al is he doesn't have to get permission to parody songs, but does it anyway bc he's a stand up dude
And he sends the original artist royalties.
I'm an 80's child and I used to sit up late listening on my handheld AM radio to hear Dr Demento and that is where I first heard Weird Al and I listened to him well into the 90s. My music interests expanded then, and I stopped noticing Weird Al. But now that I have Spotify I have caught up with everything and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy his amazing art. I subscribed, because I want to see that interview now :)
I listened to Dr Demento on 94.7 KMET Los Angeles through the 1970s! Took him with me in the 80s when he resurfaced on KROQ after 'MET went dark (sad sad day). I didn't know Demento was on any AM stations... that's new. Will have to research that one...
And I was one of the DJs who played the Dr. Demento segment. It took up 2 hrs of my 3 hr set.
Weird Al saved my friend's life. He made her laugh, when she was at her lowest point. When he came out on tour, she got to meet him backstage and thank him personally.
That is beautiful.
Wow. That’s friggin’ awesome ❤
I have a similar story, though I am not directly involved-
A friend of mine back in 2019 was in and out of the hospital doing chemo treatments for cancer. The night before he was to be released, he somehow caught a virus and got sick. Hospital protocol said that he had to stay until he got better (he ended up being there another week).
Well, Al was going to be at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, for the close of his "Strings Attached" tour, and his sister was going to take him there for a birthday present. But of course he couldn't go because he was sick. So what does she do?
She goes on every single media platform you can think of to try to get Mr. Al's attention, that her brother (a big fan) was going to have to miss his show (he is not on any social media platform, i believe, so he had zero clue about what was happening).
Guess who visited his hospital room at approximately 2:30pm, around 5 hours before he was scheduled to be on the stage?
Yep- Al and his publicist (her name was Suzanne, I don't think it was his wife but I'm not sure) came to visit him! It was so funny, according to what both said about it. When he walked in and asked for him, she immediately freaked out. He, however, needed a minute to realize who it was, and then he freaked out! I wish I could have been there to see it.
He gave my friend some souvenirs, including a smashed-up guitar from his previous concert. And he was such a kind man. They made some small talk for a few minutes, and he was very polite and answered all his questions.
Al is an absolute treasure. I am grateful to him for visiting a friend of mine who was battling cancer when he didn't have to do so, especially given that he was 5 hours from the start of his concert. Blessings be on him!
Thanks for listening to me. I hope all is well with all of you.
P.S. My friend is, as of February of 2024, is still cancer free! He gets tired rather easily and he has to watch his blood levels as he is borderline anemic, but he is hanging in there!
@@DaDitka nice. Al seems like such a good dude
Jeebus, imagine how it would feel for a total stranger to tell you that something you did saved their life. I would bet that was not on Al's bingo card. But I would bet it's something he remembers even now.
If Weird Al asks to parody your song, then let it happen. He makes the original songs more famous. Plus it's a great honor to have a parody done by a fantastic musician.
Eh thats probably true for most, but it definitely wasn't for Michael Jackson
As a fellow vocal impersonator I know the artists who turned him down are just too narcissistic and ego-driven to share the spotkight ! Andre Philip Gagnon was the worls best and faced the same dilemma ! Both Al and Andre belong in the Hall of Fame ! PERIOD ! God Blessed them both for our enjoyment and fascination ! Octavia$
I always say, you want him to cover your song.
@@gingersaremadMichael himself seemed to think it would help.
The one I loved was _You’re Pitiful_ . Blunt approved the parody, but Atlantic Radio said “if you make one penny off that song, we’re going to sue!”
So Al released it for free and mocked Atlantic in the video.
Weird Al was accidentally my first concert. My childhood best friend and I were hanging around the ticket booth at the OC Fair (I think she was hoping to catch a glimpse of him) and one of his people came up to us and asked if we wanted tickets. Definitely the most high production show I've ever been to to this day; just so much heart
I saw Weird Al at a Keyboard Magazine event at a NAMM. Al is an ungodly accordion and piano player. The audience was stunned by his prowess.
I was lucky enough to have interviewed Weird AL on a morning radio show at about 1997. He was absolutely gracious and welcoming. He allowed my 7 yr old daughter to ask him a few questions, we had written them for her, and he laughed and made my daughter feel great. We then went to his show the next night. I was surprised at how physical he was, changing costumes regularly. He even wore the fat suit! Great guy.
What a great story! That's exactly how I always imagined Al would be in person, right down to interacting with your daughter. I bet she had so much fun! ❤❤❤
1. That’s pretty cool experience, especially cool for a kid to have a unique story to tell later in life.
2. You win the “best channel name”…I definitely got a good laugh from that!!!
I had the honor of being a dancing Stormtrooper on stage at multiple Weird Al concerts. He is always so great in person back stage. Not wild and wacky, but really low keep and nice. He even told me to bring my son backstage to the next show I was going to be at, and he brought my son on stage. My son, who was 12 at the time, was blown away! Such a great guy!
First 12 of these seemingly unbelievable Weird Al stories I'm like "yeah right".
Now at your comment, the 13th, I'm starting to think Weird Al just really is that cool and a bunch of random people have really cool stories about him
White and Nerdy. Not just because of the lyrics, but the rapping is just top notch
Weird Al never made disses of the original artist or mocked their songs. He just made great songs with others music!
I can't imagine feeling anything but HONORED if Weird Al chose to parody my work. It's not mockery. On the contrary, it's an homage. He only selects accomplished artists and hit songs. His parody catalog is a much more exclusive list than Grammy Award recipients. I know for me, as a music fan, it makes me only appreciate the original song more if it has been parodied by Al!
I agree 1000%
I find it especially ironic about the Coolio one, since his song itself was an adaptation of Stevie Wonder's Pastime Paradise. For those who have never heard it: ruclips.net/video/BNG3OLw7lCc/видео.htmlfeature=shared
And the Rap "artists" are world famous for "samlping" previous hits by other artists. I guess it's OK if you only steal part of a song? We need to have people thinking EVERYONE LIVES BY THE SAME RULES. That too much to ask?
Two of the rejections made sense. Paul McCartney only had an objection against promoting meat consumption, and was fine with Al doing a parody otherwise. It's only fair to ask your music isn't used against your personal values. The other was Michael Jackson's rejection of "Snack All Night", Michael had good business sense that this would look desperate and wouldn't live up to the level of the other two MJ parodies. Even Al admitted it was a good thing for him that Michael declined that song. In both cases, I'm sure they felt honored, but disagreed with Al's choices.
@@Jims_Camera_at_dawn Please, please tell me that Vanilla Ice is NOT in the R&RHOF! I know I could google it, but I'm afraid to look. I just ate breakfast and not ready to lose it just now.
I am now 60 and my youngest daughter is 23. She was so excited when she was 10 she had discovered this great singer called Weird Al. She was so excited when I pulled out all my CDs. She still won't give them back. She loves Al's music but she didn't know most of the music he was referring to. So I had to play the original songs. Al has helped introduce a new generation to their music also. Long live King Al!
Great story!
My son turns 8 next month and is absolutely in love with Weird Al. He's an icon lol
im not as enthusiastic about a.i as you are dude.
Nice one
@@poochinsky
I'm 60 and while both my kids are fans. Weird Al has keep me up with popular music. I had never even heard of Lady Gaga until "Born this Way".
I saw Weird Al on his "The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour." He played at the Santa Fe Opera to a fairly small crowd (the venue only seats ~2100) and the show was amazing. No props or gimmicks, just Al and the band in Hawaiian shirts playing their hearts out. They gave us a nearly 20-minute rendition of Albuquerque. I'm so glad I finally got to see him!
One thing I hate is that Al doesn't get enough recognition for his original work. He only puts 4 to 5 parodies on an album, the rest are completely original, and they are usually pretty fantastic. Songs Like You Don't Love me Anymore, Frank's 2000" TV, The Night Santa Went Crazy, Trigger Happy, and When I was Your Age can all stand toe to toe with mainstream hits.
Amish Paradise is what made me discover Weird Al.
Same. And Coolio.
While you are in the mood for discovery listen to pass time paradise by Stevie Wonder and listen to the original version.@@Scientist_Salarian
I have met Weird Al because I was one of his extras at a concert… one of the Stormtroopers marching out with Darth Vader for “The Saga Begins.” He is incredibly talented, extremely humble, and an all around great guy. As much as he might be flattered by and feel undeserving of accolades he receives, he absolutely deserves every last one of them! My absolute favorite parody? “Word Crimes”… he nails nearly every modern grammar mistake in it. :)
You should have a thousand likes for that!! Being in the video as a stormtrooper? That's badass... War crimes is my absolute favorite. I just started playing grammar police again bc no one knows the difference between Then and THAN!😮 ✌️🤪
My kids can sing it word for word lol
As a former EFL teacher, that’s my favorite too.
@@stevehope6283At a concert, not in a video.
Work Crimes is my favourite too! It's so witty, but also flows so damn well!
I still remember his very beginning with Another One Rides the Bus.
I played sax in the band of a Polish Folklore dance troop in Montreal, and Weird Al inspired us to do polka versions of classic rock hits and we translated the lyrics literally into Polish.
It was really challenging because of the generally longer words in Polish, but the result was hilarious and so much fun to do 😂
I have yet to see the Greatest Polka King himself in concert, and it's in the top 5 of my bucket list 🤘😎
That sounds amazing! I don't understand Polish, but I want to hear these, lol
people remark on his parodies but overlook the fact that he has sung every genre of music there is and pulled it off well. how many artists have done rock, rap, alternative, country etc. and made it sound fire? musical genius i say.
Al is an absolute legend. The fact that he's not been invited to perform at the Super Bowl is criminal.
Right?
Great point.
This definitely needs to happen
But then I'd be forced to watch a Superbowl halftime show! I've lived 62 years without watching a Superbowl game, but if Weird Al was the halftime show? You bet I'm gonna watch that!
@@LazyIRanch not in this day and age you can just wait til it is on youtube
I can't imagine a world without Amish Paradise.
I want to say the same for a world without $19.99...but I'm living in it ☹
Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone.
Omg...Al should have did prince 1999 as a $19.99 track. That would have been golden @@susanivy3619
That was a misunderstanding. Coolio's people said yes without asking him. He let it go eventually because he realized that people like Michael Jackson were ok with him doing their music.
Seriously, one of Al's best recognised songs possibly moreso than the original, I definitely heard it long before I did Gangsta's Paradise.
He puts on a great show. I've never seen a single artist work so hard for his audience for as long a time. He must have incredible endurance.
I earnestly believe Weird Al makes almost everything he touches better.
I remember hearing "Another One Rides the Bus" on Dr Demento and thinking "Who is this guy?"
Nearly 50 years later he's cracking me up with the sped up "Hamilton".
Only if, to you, forty-five years is nearly fifty. Doesn't quite add up. heh.
Dr. Demento RULES!
@@UberLummoxMy brothers and their friends listened to Dr Demento. The first thing that popped in my mind when I saw his name just now is “Fish heads fish heads, roly poly fish heads. Fish heads fish heads eat them up yum! Took my fish heads to the movies. Sat right down in the very front row…”. I know there were scores of other songs but that one stuck.
Dr. Demento show...wow blast from the past! Best radio show ever created!!!
Dr. Demento was the best "Another One Rides the Bus" was great. I also liked "I Lost on Jeopardy".
so, I was raised HARDCORE religiously, and "Weird Al" is the only secular artist I was allowed to listen to. My parents thought he was too silly and a waste of time but, clean enough to enjoy.
Pop culture from 10-16 , for me, came solely through this man.
Al, I wish I could shake your hand and tell you this myself
Hah, oh man that brought back memories. When I was a kid, the closest I could get to what was popular was also Weird Al albums. That’s funny.
Secular artist? He's pretty religious so I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. He may keep religion out of his act for the most part but that doesn't really make him secular
The devil eats cheese whiz.
I'm sorry you had to go through that upbringing.
@@jackwhitbread4583 secular, meaning, doesn't perform Christian music
Michael was 100% right in his call. He had a sense of humor and had lent Al resources from his music videos for previous parodies.
Nirvana was hesitant when Al approached them because they thought it was going to be a food parody. When he said it was going to be about no-one understanding their lyrics the response was an enthusiastic “yes!”
He really is a national treasure
Weird Al is not just an amazing lyricist, his singing and acting are spot-on across all kinds of genres. Incredible guy.
Emulating one or few artists is probably difficult enough, so his ability to emulate various artists/styles and genres makes him top notch.
@@3TeamsMediaSo true! The actual range of his styles, lyricism, and ridiculous topics is astounding! He is our artistic expression reflected back to us through a fun house mirror, showing us how absurd our attempts to be serious really are.
UHF is one of my favorite movies.
Not to mention all the instruments he plays. Incredible person.
About 10 years ago my wife won tickets to see Weird Al at a local venue. I reluctantly went with a friend. I AM SO GLAD I DID!
It wasn't a very well-attended show. Maybe 500 people. I could not believe the performance this man put on! Costume changes, song after song after song, and the energy was through the roof!
It now ranks as one of my top five concerts I've ever been to.
I saw him once in similar circumstances (local venue, just a few hundred people), and you'd have thought he was performing for a stadium packed with 50 thousand people, with the show he put on. It didn't matter that it was a tiny venue; his fans were there for a Weird Al show, and he gave us a good one. There's a guy who appreciates his fans.
I saw him in a smallish city (population less than 100,000 now and this was in the late 90s). There was definitely fewer than 100 people in the audience. I used to be a performer that travelled up and down the east coast performing, so when I give the following compliment, I mean it. Weird Al is the greatest entertainer/performer I have ever seen. His energy was absolutely unmatched. He was doing quick changes in between his songs. He was absolutely brilliant. I say this as someone who dislikes music, but the man is a genius.
The only thing I disliked about the performance is that I was in the 2nd row right in front of one of the speakers. I had tinnitus for several hours after the concert.
Yaaaas! He puts on a show! I’ve seen him twice at the Washington state fair twice & it was amazing!
He puts on a very good show.
My dad had been to many famous artists concerts including Elvis. He and my mom went to a Weird Al concert. He said it was the best concert him and my mom ever went to.👏🏼❤️
In Canada we have Much Music (our version of MTV) and back in the late 80s early 90s once a year he took over the station for a day and it was called AL TV and he played a bunch of his edited interviews and did silly voice overs for whatever videos were popular at the time. It was like a national holiday for me 💛
He did the same thing with Mtv
What a badge of honor it would be to have Weird Al parody one of your songs.
I have a lot of respect for Weird Al achieving a decades-long career while remaining a pretty wholesome guy.
Lol, go listen to some of his originals.
@@ContentMadame I'm very partial to "One of Those Days" and "Christmas at Ground Zero".
His commercial success has outlasted most of the artists he parodied! Now that’s crazy!
Don't forget the parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." If I remember correctly, Weird Al personally got Blunt's permission to make his parody "You're Pitiful." Then right before he released the album, "Straight Outta Lynwood" Blunt's record label stepped in and said no. So Al removed it from the album and made it a free download on his web site. I have since properly reintegrated the song onto the album on my computer/phone.
I had no idea about that parody. I've gotta hear that!
@@68fmj51 He's actually made a part two of this video and he includes this song on that one.
@@wavion2 thank you!
I absolutely expected that to be on the list! One of my favs.
Glad Rivers came around later. Having Weird Al in their Africa cover video - and also having him show up at at least one of their performances of the song and play the guitar solo on accordion - was absolutely perfect.
Weird Al is just the best.
I took my then 12 year old son to see Wierd Al for his first concert,in about 2008 (dream come true for both of us) And my kid kept saying "I hope he plays Albuquerque." It was his favorite of all time.I told him that song is like 14 min long, hes not gonna play it. Well he did for the encore, and we were absolutely thrilled. Thanks Al.❤
Dream come true. That’s amazing!
Cause I had my ready table up and my stay in the upright position!! Holy hell, I could only listen to that song two times ever, it IS the most annoying song ever made. Glad you liked it though
@@dustin8834Yeah, just listening to it, two times tops. But watching the Breaking Bad video with it? I think I'll watch it again right now! ["Do have any bear claws?" "NAH, we don't have any bear claws!"]
The thing about Weird Al is that his music while a parody is SMART in it's parody. He doesn't just push out junk and every song i have ever heard come from him is a small bit of Genius, elevating the source material in every case i can think of and in some cases bringing back the original to hit status. He deserves to be in the Rock and Roll hall of fame for his great parody catalogue.
And he's never too harsh with the source material. He's might poke fun, but he never kicks anyone when they're down. A real class act.
He has been an original creative mastermind of fun through the 80's to current. Glad to see people appreciate his charm 😊
Love this guy! Always been so fun and creative! Given the list of songs he parodied, I'm sure he was really honoring the artists... Can't wait to hear that interview with Weird Al that you are trying to schedule!
🤘😃
Weird Al is a legend. The world is a better place with him and his music. We can either laugh or cry and Weird Al made the decision to laugh a long time ago.
Weird Al is indeed a national treasure. He's not only been able to parody great songs, he's also managed to parody himself over the years.
The story behind Al asking permission to do Smells Like Nirvana is probably my favourite Weird Al anecdote
I've listened to Weird Al all of my life and he's never gotten stale unlike a lot of other artists
Kudos to Weird Al for asking for permission though he didn't have to. That's a level of respect that is long gone.
He has always asked permission. Only Kurt Cobain asked HIM to parody Nirvana.
@@Frankie5Angels150Madonna did, too. She begged. (Thus the inspiration for the hilarious portrayal in the recent movie.)
That is why weird al is the best
It's a mark of respect _now..._ but back in the '80s, it was the law, because unpermitted parodies weren't legal yet. Al kept up the habit, I suppose. 🙂
Parody has always been fair use, otherwise Spike Jones and so forth couldn't do what they did. He asked bc he doesn't want hard feelings.
9:14 not to mention that in Amish Paradise, he said "tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699!".
I like that he calls young Amish Amlets.
Al included a little dig at Prince on every one of his albums after a while. That, and the number 27, though I don't know the story behind that particular Easter egg.
@@robdaviesprogm Maybe he's referring to the "27 Club" of artists who died at that age?
It's funny that Weird Al was rejected on making Yellow Snow, but then shortly after Prince's death, comedian Tim Hawkins ended up releasing "Potty Train", a song joked as being "Prince's first song, written as a message to his mother"
I had the good fortune to run into AL on several occasions. My favorite story is when I heard a thump while at a Goodwill store. I turn around to see AL donating his entire vinyl collection. When I said make sure you label it properly for sale, he told me he tried giving them away on his fan site to no avail. And I thought selling my stereo on Offer Up was difficult!
Al Yankovic is one of the musically most underrated performers of all time. His skill and range with different styles of music is unparalleled. If he were not a comedy performer, and was a 'serious' one, he'd be regarded as among the best of all time.
He's also very good looking. You don't see it with the big glasses and all the hair, but when I saw the video for "The Saga Begins" I was amazed at how handsome he looked.
Hey, I DO regard him as among the best of all time.
His cover of Africa with weezer absolutely blew me away. Didn’t even know it was Al until he kicked. lol
Okay, let’s not go crazy here…
@@freethebirds3578
Get some glasses yourself.
You're gonna interview someone, and that someone says you cannot make eye contact with them?
At that point I'm cancelling the interview.
Ha ha! No kidding.
Sooooo… who was it? 😮
@@andrelambert7180 I'm guessing it juste had to be Prince.
If I can’t look you in the eye, where the hell should I be looking? Ears? Chin? Chest? Past your shoulder?
In the 80s my boyfriend's sister worked at some fancy club in Atlanta where celebrities often visited. She said most were nice... except for Madonna. She would shriek obscenities at the wait staff if they attempted eye contact. Autographs? Fuggitaboutit!
The worst was when beloved superstar of the Atlanta Braves, Dale Murphy, visited the club and saw that Madonna was there, he asked his waitress (my BF's sister) to ask Madonna's permission to meet her. Such a gentleman!
"NO! I don't want to!" she snarled.
I don't know baseball, but I looked him up...
Murphy has 398 career home runs. He won consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards (1982-83), the National League's Silver Slugger Award four straight years (1982-85), and the National League's Gold Glove Award five straight years from (1982-86)
He is a lifetime .265 hitter and has played in more than 2100 games as well as scoring just under 2,000 runs. The Atlanta Braves retired his number (3).
Also, the man was _gorgeous!_ He reminded me of actor Rob Lowe.
What a dum-dum she was to snub that man!
Weird Al was the first concert my son and daughter attended, which we did as a family. Still ranks as one if my son’s favorite after seeing U2, Eagles, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band, etc. I personally have attended his concert again. He is still one of my favorite artists in concert. He is an amazing talent with his crew.
I enjoyed this video, the prospect of you having an interview with him got you a subscription today. Weird Al is truly one of a kind😋😎
Think of how much talent is required for a band to play EVERY genre of music in concert. Al and his band are gifted musicians
They truly are!
Definitely props to his band. Given some of the talent they were recreating - Paul McCartney's solo on "Taxman", Eddie Van Halen's solo on "Beat It" (hell, that was Rick Derringer, no slouch on the guitar himself!)...
PAUL SHAFFER and THE WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS BAND.
Al is really underrated as a singer. He has a nasally voice, but his pitch is perfect and his range is excellent. There's a video you can find online of him doing a more serious a cappella song. Unfortunately, I can't remember the song name right now. But it's beautiful. It's from 2020 during the pandemic and it involves him using a looper to layer his voice.
It makes it so that you think you’re hearing the actual song but then you hear Weird Al singing.
Weird Al is the only celebrity i would want to meet in person.
I've met a few and he's the only one I would starstruck for
Me too. And I have. He was super nice.
What about fred durst
I just found your channel and I love it. I'm not even a music fan, per se, but I'm a fan of these stories. I just love your face, your energy, your stories and I'm a real fan of your channel. My family is a bunch of music fans and I've linked them to your site. I'm so glad I've found this channel! Keep up the good work
Thanks for the video bro. I appreciate most of your stuff. Glad there are still music aficionados in the world.
I hope he lives forever. I don't want to see a world without him in it.
He has children...
Al is a national treasure. He brought us laughter at the worst times and got us through it smiling
Soon after my husband was diagnosed with leukemia, my son presented me with the cd Mandatory Fun. We listened to it all the time when I was driving him to and from his job, and to and from the hospital. It put smiles on our faces and laughter on our lips. It was the perfect time for the perfect cd. Got us through some tough days. My husband is fine now, and we still do listen to that cd.
Fun fact! You don't need permission to parody something. It falls under "fair use." Weird Al asks anyway out of respect, but absolutely can do this without anyone's permission. He's that much of a badass.
YES! Part 2 please! Plus maybe some history of *opposite* reactions from artists. I'm told there were artists that were very excited and 'went out of their way' to assist Weird Al with whatever he and his crew needed.
I grew up in L.A. in the 70s with Dr. Demento. I remember "Another one rides the bus" done live in studio.
Ha! God I remember that one too. Hilarious. Anybody like Bob Rivers? His songs are funny as well.
@@shawnhurley3815 "The 12 Pains Of Christmas"!!! I listen to it every year in December. 😎
@@BillGraper"Rigging up da lights" "Charities" "Whaddya mean 'YOUR' in-laws?"
@@simplysteve68 I'm not sending them this year, that's it. ...... shut up, you......... FINE, YOU'RE SO SMART, YOU RIG UP THE LIGHTS!
Same here...Listening to Dr. Demento on the Radio in the late 70s. Hearing "My Bologna, Another One Rides the Bus, and a few others...then Weird Al hit the Big Time soon afterwards!
Weird Al is on a level all by himself. No one can touch his greatness. Intelligent, humble, respectful and talented. The man has it all. He was one of my first "favorites" growing up, so to get older and find out he's also a really good guy who treats people well was really inspiring. Weird Al- The Man, The Myth, The Legend.
A producer, for What's My Line, has Weird Al beat. Allen Sherman, look him up.
Don't forget Al's band members, all great musicians.
@@rizthebloody Fact. They're all very good at what they do
UHF flopping in the theatre isn't surprising, it takes multiple viewings to appreciate the genius as an adult, but as a kid it had me laughing so hard I nearly pissed myself. I completely lost my shit when Emo Phillips cuts off his thumb and squirts blood all over the place. God, what a great movie.
Dude! This might be one of the fastest subscriptions you ever got (it's definitely the fastest I've ever given), but your intro had me hooked and I smashed that subscribe button around the 50 second mark when you said "Professor of Rock". Looking forward to watching many more of your vids man, and the interview with Weird Al himself! You rock! 🤘
If Weird Al parodie you, its a compliment. Your music is instantly recognizable and part of that era.
To me , that's how I know a band really made it. Being parodied by Weird Al has to be a great honor.
This was nenevr clearer to me than when watching Dick Clark's New year's Rockin' eve 1996. The Presidents had just played a song and went to sit in the front row. Then Al took the stage and played "Gump." The camera caught the Presidents down there in the front row with huge grins on their faces, singing Al's lyrics to THEIR music. Loved it.
Apparently, Cobain was excited that Weird Al had parodied them. He saw it as a sign they had hit the big time.
Brilliant Hard Work!!! Thank you!!
This video suggestion has been showing up in my feed for quite a while now. I was fortunate enough to see weird Al at the Orange County fair California the weekend just before I enlisted in the military and I am so thankful for that because it gave me hope.
I’ve always been a big weird Al fan
I worked with Prince for three years. He hated other people doing his music. He was also a huge control freak. He was too afraid of being parodied by others, even by someone as nice as Weird Al.
Prince even sued the family of a 2 year-old boy who posted a RUclips video of the boy dancing to Prince. That is how little flexibility he was willing to give others.
Dude was like nintendo, the guy
I didn’t know that Coolio had a change of heart about Amish Paradise, that’s really good to hear. Lots of respect to him for that. It really is one of Al’s best masterpieces.
and Coolio used Stevie Wonder's song Pastime Paradise so should he have been upset. you can just say Weird Al did Stevie's song
The version I heard was that Coolio's producer gave the permission then didn't tell Coolio.
Like Al's manager said "he didn't give back the money".
@@jamieflowers1493EXACTLY!!!
I have heard Coolio say it in an interview. He was wrong, he realized it later, and he owns the mistake. Gotta respect that.
Yes, please do a part 2! And I can't wait to see your interview with Weird Al! I subscribed just for that, but I plan to stick around longer.
Weird Al and Jack Black are probably 2 icons of the music industry you can’t help but love
It is a damned shame that the R&R Hall Of Fame hasn't found a spot for him in their museum. He should have his own space there.
HOF is run by fools. The stars they leave out of their little club have more staying power than most of the ones they let in.
You misspelled wing. 😁
@@Randyluck1 We can call it a wing. I have no objection to that. And I do love chicken wings. Elon should just finance a parody of the R&R HOF right next door and put long curly hair on it.
@mneugent7658 RRHOF is a bloody joke anymore.
@@johntiggleman4686 Especially since they haven't inducted John Denver
Weird Al was asked is MJ made any royalties from Eat It. Al said yes, enough to buy the other glove.
Sad no mention of how MJ returned the favor in 1993…watch the video for Michael Jackson’s “Liberian Girl” and you’ll see Weird Al appear twice on it, one for each parody! 😅
Your videos keep getting better all the time. Thanks for all the work it MUST have taken to put this together.
😂🎉🎉
THIS is one of my favorite episodes of your show. Nicely done, SIR! And for the record... Amish Paradise is my absolute fav Weird Al track.
Hardware Store, one of Weird Al's originals, is one of the most impressive works of songwriting ever recorded. When I first heard it, I listened to it over and over for several weeks, learned all the words, and would play it for everyone I could find that hadn't heard it yet. What a time to be alive! Love that song.
I've been to 3 hardware stores, and all they have are manual circumcizers...and none of their salt and pepper shakers match!
Heck yeah. Hardware store is my absolute favorite.
Weird Al is a national treasure, and we are lucky to have him
I'd love to see a Part 2 of this! Thanks for all of your reviews and history lessons.
I first saw him in the 80s doing "Like A Surgeon" and "Eat It" and I instantly fell in love with his work. He is a legend, and someone who always made music fun
I was a teenager when Weird Al first came on-scene. I think my favorite Weird Al songs are the originals, "My Bologna," and "Another One Rides the Bus," but also, I have to mention "Amish Paradise," which is truly a work of art, but in a totally different way to the rest of his very incredible art. And you know what's so amazing about Al and his band? They can play in ANY musical genre, any! I've got a degree in music and usually when one artist, who has their own genre, attempts to switch, you can hear little "errors." Not with Incredible Al! This man, he just holds a special place in my heart.
I am now 59 years old and I still love Weird Al. When I am feeling down, or missing my parents, "My Bologna" is gonna get cranked up, and I am soon laughing through the tears.
*Thanks, Al. If you should happen to see this, I'd like you to know that you really have made the world such a better place.*
All greats but White and Nerdy takes the #1 position in my opinion.
I’m 68. Weird Al was around before my bologna. I remember him featured on a radio show called DR Demento when I was about 12.
@@indigop38Nobody said he wasn't around before My bologna.
@@Kisha_can ok. You’re right. My misread.
Thanks
Neither are original songs. "My balona" is a parade of the Nack's "My Shirona" and other was a parade of Queen's "Another one bites the dust"
Great episode. Love Weird Al ever since I first heard him on Dr. Demento in the early 1980s. Excited that you are going to interview him and YES, would love another show on the other artists who didn’t have a sense of humor. I think my favorite was one of his first ones “Another One Rides the Bus“ which I used to hum to myself to keep me sane on public bus rides to college classes.
If weird Al spoofs your music, you have arrived. Shut up and enjoy the royalties. It's a sign of respect, Al knows music.
Years ago, I met Mr. Yankovic, at a signing for his Jurassic Park album, at of all places... a KMart! He showed up in a Winnebago (if anyone can remember those monstrosities of a vehicle), with his signature Hawaiian shirt, and colorful sneakers! I just remember him being one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting, and it showed how much he truly loves and appreciates his fans! He recognizes that we all helped him get to where he is, and he's never once forgotten us all. Love to that man forever, our parody brother.
That's neat. Winnebagos are still popular, most just call them RV's or Campers these days.
Winnebago, that's a word I haven't heard in ages.
Weird Al is one of my musical heroes. I still prefer "Yoda" to Lola. Definitely do a part two of this and DEFINITELY get that interview scheduled with the King of Parody 😊
Weird Al s parodies are so completely realized. Very cleverly worked out and entertaining. Memorable too. He is the best
Thank you for the great video and your insights!
I interviewed Al on the radio one morning, meeting him at his motor home while on tour. He had slept late, but was truly a “Prince.” Great guy. Couldn’t have been nicer or more supportive.
I've been to many classic Rock bands concerts since the 1970s. The best by far was seeing Weird Al perform live. He gave his all for an hour and a half. I had the pleasure of going back stage and meeting Al. There he was sitting at a folding table out side of his bus with a line of about 20 of us. I've never seen Al so drained of energy. It was like someone un-plugged him. I felt so badly for him. He probably wanted to just go on his bus and lay down and rest after that killer performance. But no, he lovingly met each person, let us take photos with him and he kept smiling and was so gracious. I respected Al before the concert and even much more afterward. The man gives 100% to his fans. The photo of me with my arm around him hangs proudly in my shop.
Yes!!! A part two please. 🙏🏼 love this guy.
This was amazing episode!! I’m gonna do a a YT dive into his catalog. Lol especially the ones you listed! CHICKEN POT PIE!!! Lmao 🤣