YANKOVIC'S TARGETS KEEP MOVING, BUT HIS POP PARODY STILL HITS MARK
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)


   Comedy and pop music don't always make the most comfortable bedfellows,
 but that hasn't stopped "Weird Al" Yankovic from becoming the king 
of pop parody, lampooning the hits of the day in a career that spans 
nearly two decades.
   Yankovic's concert at the Khorassan Ballroom on Wednesday night 
was lengthy and loud, clocking in at just under two hours, and finding 
the singer and his four-piece band cranking out musically accurate 
spoofs of songs by Nirvana, Puff Daddy, Coolio and the Offspring.

   In some ways, the show revealed the difficulty of being a musical 
parodist in the MTV age. Many of his songs are recognized by his audience 
for their videos as much as the music, and Yankovic - working on a 
smaller budget than say, Madonna, who faces the same struggle - made 
up for the fact in concert by affecting more costume changes than 
Cher, and relying on cheesy special effects, such as fake snow and 
soap bubbles.
   At the same time, his musical targets keep moving. Yankovic performed 
some of his original tunes, like "My Baby's in Love With Eddie Vedder,
" which name-checks the leader of alt-rock avatar Pearl Jam, and "
Germs," which takes off on gloom-and-doom specialist Nine Inch Nails. 
But those acts are no longer as ripe for parody as other groups currently 
favored by the fickle marketplace, such as the Backstreet Boys an 
'N Sync.
   Yankovic battled this problem by putting together a medley of songs 
by recent hitmakers such as the Spice Girls, Chumbawamba, Matchbox 
20 and Hanson, and performing it polka style.
   Vamping for time between costume changes, Yankovic made use of 
a large video screen to show segments of "Al TV," which featured fake 
interviews with celebrities such as Michael Stipe and an incoherent 
Keith Richards. There were also phony public service films such as 
"Our Friend Dirt" and "Be Nice to Your Teeth" the latter of which 
advised, "See your dentist every day."
   For the most part, though, Yankovic's songs were front-and-center,
 and he gave energetic performances of "Jerry Springer" (a rapid-fire 
recasting of Barenaked Ladies' "One Week"), and "It's All About the 
Pentiums" (a technobabble-filled take on Puff Daddy's "It's All About 
the Benjamins").
   He performed some of his older hits as well, including "Like a 
Surgeon," "Smells Like Nirvana," "Another One Rides the Bus," and 
his Michael Jackson send-ups, "Eat It" and "Fat."
   It was interesting to note that occasionally, Yankovic's parodies 
have outlived the songs they made fun of in the first place. He sang 
"I Lost on Jeopardy," which is based on Greg Kihn's "Jeopardy," but 
who remembers that song anymore - or Greg Kihn, for that matter?
   Yankovic closed with "The Saga Begins," his retelling of "The Phantom 
Menace" set to Don McLean's "American Pie," and "Yoda," which makes 
use of the Kinks' classic "Lola." Whether Yankovic and his songs will 
outlive the Star Wars phenomenon remains to be seen, but don't bet 
against him.



The Novelty Never Wears Off
   * Parody is his specialty and the accordion is his "ax" of choice. 
And for 20 years, he's been using both to lampoon pop music's biggest 
hits.

   "Weird Al" Yankovic's popular music parodies have showcased him 
taking on scores of comedic, even outrageous, characters. That made 
it surprising to find him so downright normal during a recent telephone 
chat from his Los Angeles home. He wasn't exactly a walking endorsement 
of his craft, emitting little resembling humor.

   Maybe he prefers this serious, straight-forward tone for the printed 
press, or perhaps that new look of his has gone to his head. Thanks 
to laser surgery, he finally ditched his trademark geek eyeglasses 
(for a period after the surgery he wore fake eyeglasses at the suggestion 
of his manager, just to appease those who preferred the older look). 
That mustache is gone too.
   Or maybe Yankovic is just trying to save up all the laughs for 
paying customers who come out to his Khorassan Ballroom concert Wednesday 
night.
   Wisecracker Yankovic, 40, has been doing this routine for 20 years 
now, taking hit songs and twisting them into funny new shapes and 
sounds. He's known for signature hits such as "Like a Surgeon" (from 
Madonna's "Like a Virgin"), "Eat It" (Michael Jackson's "Beat It"),
 "My Bologna" (the Knack's "My Sharona") and "Amish Paradise" (Coolio'
s "Gangsta's Paradise"). He also lays claim to two Grammy awards and 
platinum albums an d he's directed videos for the likes of Hanson,
 the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Black Crowes.
   His newest CD is "Running With Scissors," which includes "It's 
All About the Pentiums" (Puff Daddy's "It's All About the Benjamins"
), "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" (the Offspring's "Pretty Fly for a White 
Guy") and "Grapefruit Diet" (Cherry Poppin' Daddies' "Zoot Suit Riot,
" which picks up where "Eat It" and "Fat" (Michael Jackson's "Bad"
) left off.
   The new CD also includes originals like "Germs," "My Baby's in 
Love With Eddie Vedder," "Your Horoscope," an 11-minute stream-of-
consciousness opus titled "Albuquerque," and polka medley "Polka Power!
" which recasts popular hits by the Backstreet Boys, Smash Mouth and 
Marilyn Manson into polka mode.
   During the interview, Yankovic talked about which celebrity was 
ready to beat him down over a parody (and it's not Puff Daddy), who 
is most ripe for future parody treatment, his new look and where his 
novelty act fits in today's music world.

   Post-Dispatch: Are you still able to get your parodies on MTV and 
the radio or has the market changed too much?
   Weird: "The market hasn't changed much. It's always been difficult. 
I can get on the radio, but it's hard to get into regular rotation. 
Back in the '60s you could put out a novelty single and have a Top 
10 hit and it's played in regular rotation like a real song. Now funny 
songs are relegated to morning drive radio.
   "MTV has picked up the ball, been supportive where radio hasn't. 
But comedy tends to burn more quickly. Within three or four weeks 
it's run its run."
   P-D: How does doing parodies today differ from doing parodies, 
say, 15 years ago?
   Weird: "Pop culture is different. There are different styles, and 
they're always going to change. The mechanics of doing parodies are 
not that much different. But they (his parodies) used to be more about 
food. I burned out on that.
   "I think of different ways to be different. There's more rap now,
 more boy bands, less synthesizer-fueled music. I'm doing what I can 
do to find a way to turn something on its ear and make it funny."
   P-D: What's your favorite parody of all time?
   Weird: "I can't narrow them down to one favorite parody. But I 
can narrow them down to five -- "The Saga Continues," "It's All About 
the Pentiums," "Smells Like Nirvana," "Amish Paradise" and "Fat."
   P-D: Has a celebrity ever been upset with a parody?
   Weird: "I used to be able to say no. Then I had a misunderstanding 
with Coolio. He claims he never gave permission to use the song ("
Gangsta's Paradise"), and the record label claims he did. He was a 
little unhappy. Someone asked him about the song backstage at the 
Grammys and he went off. He felt I desecrated his music, and that 
I should stay away from him."
   P-D: You did a parody of Puff Daddy. Any regrets about doing that 
in light of all we've been hearing about him lately (firearms charges)?
   Weird: "I have no regrets at all. And after the thing with Coolio,
 I wanted to make sure I didn't have another rapper mad at me. But 
I called him and he wasn't mad at all."
   P-D: Is there an artist you've always wanted to parody but haven'
t?
   Weird: "There's tons of artist I haven't gotten around to yet, 
tons of artists who are fodder for the next album. They'll all get 
their treatment eventually."
   P-D: Any ideas on whom you're looking to parody next time around?
   Weird Al: "All you have to do is watch MTV. Boy groups, teen acts,
 rap/metal, there's lots of stuff out there that would work."
   P-D: What do you look for in a song?
   Weird: "It's obvious that a song has to be really popular, with 
strong musical or lyrical hooks. It has to jump out at you when you 
hear it on the radio and see it on TV. I tend to pick songs I like,
 because I realize I have to live with those songs for a long time. 
And I generally pick an up-tempo song by a male artist. It's easier 
for me to emulate a song that way."
   P-D: What would be an example of a song or type of song that just 
wouldn't work as a parody?
   Weird: "I think I can do a parody of just about anything."
   P-D: Why do a polka medley again?
   Weird: "That's a staple of my albums. Very few haven't had a polka 
medley. I used to play rock 'n' roll songs on my accordion. I started 
doing that to amuse my friends. They said everything I used to play 
sounded like polka. And I thought maybe there's some humor to be gleaned 
from this."
   P-D: It looks like you've done a mini-makeover by ditching your 
trademark eyeglasses and mustache.
   Weird: "I hate to refer to it as a makeover. That sounds calculated 
.o.o. but it's cool to not have to wear eyeglasses. After a while 
I felt silly wearing the fake glasses. I lost the mustache and grew 
my hair out a bit to look different. Fans have to get used to it."

   P-D: Your press release says you've sold more comedy albums than 
anyone else. Is that really true?
   Weird: "Dr. Demento (a nationally-syndicated disc jockey whose 
show features zany music) tells me so, and he should know. I've sold 
11 or 12 million CDs. That's not too shabby."

   ===
   "Weird Al" Yankovic's albums

   STUDIO ALBUMS
   "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
   "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D" (1984)
   "Dare to Be Stupid" (1985)
   "Polka Party" (1986)
   "Even Worse" (1988)
   "UHF -- The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff"
 (1989)
   "Off the Deep End" (1992)
   "Alapalooza" (1993)
   "Bad Hair Day" (1996)
   "Running With Scissors" (1999)

   CHEESY COMPILATIONS
   "Greatest Hits" (1988)
   "The Food Album" (1993)
   "Permanent Record -- Al in the Box" (1994)
   "Greatest Hits -- Volume II" (1994)
   "The TV Album" (1995)


David Letterman Top 10 List
 Top 10 List

    From Late Show With David Letterman on April 9, 1997. Top 10 Canadian 
complaints about Americans:

     10. Won't acknowledge enormous cultural contributions of Howie 
Mandel.

    9. We're pretty sure they're holding Wayne Gretzky down there 
against his will.

    8. Every time we mention the city "Regina," they won't stop giggling.

    7. Incredibly, they only have one word for "snow."

    6. In American encyclopedias, Canada often called "North Dakota'
s gay neighbour."

    5. They call it "American cheese," even though it was invented 
by Canadian superstar Gordon Lightfoot.

    4. They've never even heard of our most popular superhero, Captain 
Saskatchewan.

    3. Two words: "Weird Al."

    2. Sick of that gap-toothed loser on The Late Show With Paul Shaffer.

    1. Not enough guys named "Gordie."

The Prince of Parody

Several years ago, in the murky midst of the fossilized Seattle grunge scene, the angst-ridden anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was answered by a whacky tune titled "Smells Like Nirvana."

None other than "Weird Al" Yankovic, the prince of pop parodies and polkas, was the author of the number that replaced Kurt Cobain's buzz-saw guitars with doses of accordions, tubas and vocal parts with gargled water and marbles in his mouth.

Many would think Nirvana would have been furious at this parody. But drummer Dave Grohl, now the Foo Fighters; frontman, said he knew Nirvana has "made it" when he heard Yankovic's take on Nirvana's hit.

"Most artists actually have a great sense of humor," said Yankovic via telephone from his home in Los Angeles. "They realize it's a joke, and it's more exposure for them. It's a sign that they've reached a certain plateau of success in their careers."

Yankovic has been a measuring stick in pop culture for more than 20 years. He will bring his live act to Merrillville's Star Plaza at 7:30 p.m. Monday in support of his latest album, Running with Scissors.

In Running with Scissors, he puts his spin on hits from yesterday -- Don McLean's "American Pie" is turned into a Star Wars odyssey with "The Saga Begins... ." Puff Daddy and the Offspring are zinged with "All about the Pentiums" and "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi," respectively.

"I really kind of felt that Running with Scissors was my most solid album to date, just as a collection, a group of songs," Yankovic said. "It just felt that there wasn't a clunker in the bunch."

Yankovic has always written the lyrics to his parodies, but he also writes all of the lyrics and music to his original songs. Lately, he writes an original for about every parody he does.

"The hard-core fans in general might like the original songs better," Yankovic said. "As far as the mass population of the world, I'd say it's the parodies that get the airplay, get the attention and basically sell the albums."

Sometimes he combines a parody and an original song into a style parody like the Devo-ish "Dare to Be Stupid." It includes the lyrics "Mashed potatoes can be your friends."

"It's harder to do original songs because obviously I'm writing the music as well. I can't just buy a CD for the band and say 'Here, learn this.' I have to write out chords. I have to mix demos," Yankovic said. "At the same time in the end, it's much more gratifying because it's all coming from me."

In search of a record deal

" 'My Bologna' was actually recorded in a bathroom while I was at college," Yankovic said. "It was just a real primitive, under-produced tape."

As "My Bologna" reached the airwaves and cult status, Yankovic had an architecture degree in hand, but he did not pursue a career in it. A few post-college lean years were in Yankovic's future.

"I was my high school's valedictorian, the straight-A student. People expected great things from me, and I was applying for janitorial work," Yankovic said. "I was just trying to find any job that would pay for the macaroni and cheese. Meanwhile, I'm trying to get a record deal and to see what I can stir up there."

Soon, Yankovic's music career was jump-started with an appearance on Dr. Demento's show. His rendition of "Another One Rides the Bus," a take on the Queen classic "Another One Bites the Dust" with current drummer Dave "Bermuda" Schwartz banging percussion on Yankovic's accordion case, further geeked listeners.

Yankovic signed on with Scotti Bros., a record label out of Los Angeles, and filled out his sound with a backing band that still consists of Shwartz of drums, Steve Jay on bass and guitarist Jim West.

Yankovic's self-titles debut album started off strong with his lament to I Love Lucy titled "Ricky," inspired by the '80s bubblegum classic "Mickey." The tune found a spot on the Billboard singles charts.

However, "Weird Al" Yankovic became a household name when he took his first stab at the king of pop, Michael Jackson, with "Eat it," which was the hit from 1984's "Weird Al" in 3-D.

MTV, then in its infancy, stuck to Yankovic like peanut butter to the roof of a mouth. The brand new format allowed him to make visual jokes along with the humorous lyrics and music. Yankovic's videos also have parts not included on the recorded songs. For example, before any music starts in "Eat it." some thuggish-looking customers are sitting at the counter of a diner when one gets up and slaps his neighbor on the back for him to follow. The coffee he was sipping is spit out in a fine mist. They join a group of toughs that run down a dark alley "whoop-whooping" along the way a la Curly Howard.

"The whole art form of music videos is something I've really taken to," Yankovic said.

Along the course of the '80's, Yankovic struck hits from Madonna with "Like a Surgeon," Greg Kihn with "I Lost on Jeopardy," and he revisited the one-gloved wonder with "I'm Fat" -- a special effects laden video where Yankovic is transformed into 300 pounds of pure singing and dancing.

In 1989, Yankovic co-wrote and starred in the feature film UHF. In the movie, he played a down-on-his-luck character who ends up managing a UHF station that gets high ratings with programs like Strip Solitaire, Celebrity Mud Wrestling with Mikhail Gorbachev, Conan the Librarian and Gandhi II -- featuring the forefather of passive resistance as a steak-eating, uzi-toting, babe-escorting action hero. It also featured a pre-Kramer Michael Richards and pre-Nanny Fran Drescher. Although UHF hit a home run with fans, it did not do well at the box office.

"Even though it got slandered by the critics, it has really become quite the cult film in a way," Yankovic said. "It's one of the most requested videos on E-bay. It's not even in print right now. There's a huge demand for the DVD to come out."

In his music videos, Yankovic had creative control, but in the '90s he started directing them, too.

"It was easier for me to control the creative aspect if I was the guy calling all of the shots," Yankovic said. "I guess I became more of a control freak over the years."

Between albums, Yankovic branched out and directed videos for fellow funnyman Jeff Foxworthy and indie rock's Jon Spencer Blues Explosion for their 1996 song "Wail." The video for "Wail" was quirky and well-received even though it did not contain any slap-stick or "Weird Al" style humor.

"After Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, people were like: 'Wow, he can be not-funny if he has to be,' " Yankovic said.

Yankovic has been on the Running with Scissors Tour since July of 1999 and will continue through the fall. His live show consists of several costume shanges and video interludes plus all of the hits in his 20-plus year career.

After touring, Yankovic will start writing for the next album and scanning pop culture to see what musicians will be immortalized with one of his renowned parodies which usually take root in the wee hours.

"I do a lot of my writing in the middle of the night," Yankovic said, "Just because the phone's not ringing; there's nothing good on TV. I'm just there alone in front of the computer -- that's when my mind is probably at its most warped."

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