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Dare to Ask Stupid Questions: The Weird Al Interview

Weird Al Yankovic albums are like high school yearbooks: Everyone’s got one, but damned if they’ll show it to their friends. Al’s been making guilty-pleasure (and, more often then not, effin’ brilliant) parodies of popular artists since the ’80s, and when his songs manage to hit mainstream TV and radio (most recently “White and Nerdy”), almost everyone is able to indulge in a much-needed belly laugh… usually even the artist he’s spoofing.

But Weird Al does a stage show, too, and on July 28 he’ll take the stage at the Ozark Empire Fair (see sidebar for details). In anticipation of the show, we got to work trying to get an interview with Al. We succeeded, though only by e-mail (his handlers say he’s quite busy). Note: E-mail interviews are not GO Magazine’s M.O., but are a last resort. We didn’t want to let Al slip through the cracks, so what follows are his written replies to our questions, every last one of them.

GO: What should we call you? Mr. Yankovic? Weird Al? Al?
AL: Well, I feel like we’re close, personal friends already, so you can just call me Al.

GO: We don’t typically do interviews by e-mail, but we understand you’re very busy in pre-production. Say something so we know it’s you answering these questions and not one of your army of assistants.
AL: My social security number is 547-26-8624, the alarm code to my front door is 475309-[enter], and the PIN on my ATM is 5731.\

GO: So, what are you working on, a film or a new album (please say album)?
AL: Album. Actually, I just said that to make you happy. I’m not working on the new album yet. But I will be. Someday.

GO: If film, what’s it about?
AL: It’s about 10 minutes long. And it’s in 3-D.

GO: If an album, can you give us a sneak peek at any singles?
AL: I’ll give you a hint – the new album will include parodies of songs that are either currently popular, or were popular sometime within the last 50 years.

GO: You play our lovely town of Springfield on July 28 as part of the Ozark Empire Fair’s grandstand series. For people who only know you from albums and I Love the ’80s, what is a Weird Al stage show like?
AL: It’s a high-energy rock concert with me and the same band that I’ve been working with since my very first album—plus there are tons of costume changes, big-screen video projection… it’s a virtual multimedia extravaganza. Basically, it’s like a Celine Dion concert, only it’s INTENTIONALLY funny.

GO: What are some songs your fans can plan on hearing? What do you consider the Weird Al staples?
AL: There are certain songs that we need to play to in order to prevent mass rioting —“White & Nerdy,” “Amish Paradise,” “Fat,” “Yoda,” “Smells Like Nirvana”… you know, all the hits. And then we’ll throw in a few semi-obscure things just for fun, and even sneak in an unreleased song or two so that even the hardcore fans will have some surprises.

GO: Name one artist that you’ve yet to parody, but would love to take a stab at. It doesn’t have to be new (you spoofed Don McLean decades after “American Pie” was popular).
AL: There have been a number of superstars over the years who for one reason or another have somehow avoided getting the full Weird Al treatment—artists like Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Guns n’ Roses, Mariah Carey… either the timing didn’t work out, or I couldn’t think of a clever enough idea, or (and I’m thinking of Prince here) the artist was just not open to the whole parody thing. Actually, it would be really fun for me to do a classic Elton John song someday—I was such a huge fan of his when I was growing up. I almost did a parody of “Rocket Man” for the Spider-Man-themed song on my Poodle Hat album, but ultimately I decided to go with Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” instead because I just felt that song worked better with my concept.

GO: I’m sure you get asked this all the time, but what, in your opinion, is the most ingenious song you’ve ever written? Has there been a moment when you just knew you’d struck gold?
AL: I’m going to have to go with “Harvey The Wonder Hamster.” As far as I’m concerned, nobody has ever written a better 20-second song about a hamster.

GO: So many successful artists reinvent themselves constantly (See: Prince, Sean Combs, Jewel). Why have you been able to remain “Weird Al Yankovic” for so many years; no  name changes, no new schtick, nothing?
AL: While my modus operandi is basically the same, I’m actually reinventing myself constantly.  I shamelessly follow whatever trends are happening in pop culture – and nobody can accuse me of “selling out,” because that’s part of my job description. And that’s why my material is always relevant – the music scene is always changing, so I never run out of source material to leech off of.

GO: If I told you Alapalooza was one of the formative albums of my junior high years, would you laugh at me?
AL: I’m really glad you appreciated it. I think that was about the point when MTV decided I didn’t belong in heavy rotation anymore… something about their core 12-year-old audience not being so into “MacArthur Park” parodies…

GO: You do, of course, do some original songs, too How do those particular ideas come about?
AL: Most of those ideas are the result of sleep deprivation combined with the natural chemical imbalance in my brain.  Sometimes I wish I could stop those voices in my head.

GO:Do you do all of your own writing, or do you have a team or trusted sidekick?
AL: I do all my own writing. Of course, sometimes I’ll show song lyrics to a friend to get some constructive feedback. If he likes it, I say thanks—if he doesn’t, I tell him he should write his OWN stinking album!

GO: Who are some of your favorites, as simply a fan?
AL: I don’t want to give you a laundry list of names, but my favorite bands are ones that are a little quirky and don’t take themselves too seriously. I have a number of them listed among the top friends on my MySpace page.

GO: How big a fan of music in general do you have to be to do what you do? Are you just listening to other artists all the time?
AL: I do listen to a lot of different kinds of music, but it’s mostly because I’m a fan, not so much because I need to for my job. I can certainly listen to the radio without constantly thinking, “Hmm, now how can I screw THIS one up?”

GO: Why do you think no one else has been able to capture the comedy/parody niche the way you have? Twenty plus years and you’re still A-number-1. I can’t even think of another one like you. Is it that hard, or do you just rock?
AL: Hmm… I think I’m going to have to go with the latter.