Weird Al

I have been a fan of Weird Al's since I can remember. He has truly raised musical parody to an artform (if I may be so pretentious). I even saw his only cinematic opus UHF in the theatres with this sister of mine back when it first came out while my mom and my other sister went to see When Harry Met Sally. Personally, I think we got the better deal. Although, I and this sister did get to see him live in concert back in 1995 so she didn't completely miss out.



So, as you can guess, I'm pretty happy that he's coming out with a new album. Some of those songs can be heard on Weird Al's Myspace accout. Also, a video for one of those songs is animated by Bill Plympton and another one is done by John Kricfalusi. More bands and/or singers should hire animators to do their videos. We would all be richer both financially and spiritually for it. Incidently, his new album will be in stores today. I intend to pick up my copy.



But, I'd also like to address something about Weird Al that I don't think has ever been addressed before by anyone else. His first album came out in 1979. That means that, if you can believe it, Weird Al has been eligible for induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame for 2 years now. Yes, I know there are many people out there who subscribe to that Madonna mentality of "Oh it's just parody." JUST PARODY???!!! I have news for you, parody rules the world ladies and gentlemen. It is the best indication that a Democracy is working. We all have a right to either roast something we cherish or rage against something we are opposed to. Parody is an essential byproduct of that type of Freedom of Speech and noone understands that or demonstrates it better than Weird Al.

No, Al is not in the same category as say The Beatles who spawned many many bands trying to achieve their style. Al, on the other hand, is an anomoly unto himself which would be impossible to duplicate. Unfortunately, this trait also makes it harder for people to truly see the impact he has made on the musical landscape. But, believe me he has. I'm sure the many rock/pop/rap musicians he's met throughout his career can and will more than back me up on that point.

So, whether this has been said before or not I'm saying it anyway. I hereby submit one nomination for the consideration of Weird Al Yankovic for induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Rather than go on and on about his career, I'll instead show this video of his. It's a Devo inspired romp that contains a mantra we should all live by: