Weird Al asked permission, and Coolio said he would rather Al not do the song, because it had deep meaning for him (well, that’s probably a whole other debate. I’ll leave alone how deep the meaning runs in ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’). Al asked, Coolio said no. Then the parody song comes out. If he had just done it, then fine. But since he asked, that’s pretty damn rude to go ahead and do it after he told him he didn’t want it done.
</Coolio’s side of the story>
My point is not to stand up for Coolio here, but we have two people with two different stories, and I’m no inclined to believe one any more than the other.
Anyway, the whole thing is now a moot point. I watched the VH1 behind the music on Weird Al, and Al apologized on that show to Coolio again for the misunderstanding. Classy move on Al’s part. I recently heard a radio interview with Coolio and he said that while he was pissed when it happened, that he feels no ill will towards Al and wished him all the best. Classy move on Coolio’s part. And end of the story.
Lehrer and Sherman are in two different categories. Lehrer writes songs; Sherman writes new lyrics to existing songs. Thus Sherman is more like Wierd Al.
Believe me, there’s absolutely no way Wierd Al can be compared to Lehrer. The gap in talent can be measured in light years. At least Sherman was doing the same thing as Al. And if you want to find a contemporary example of this sort of songwriting, listen to The Capitol Steps.
Lehrer is undoubtedly great, but he’s second to the Bonzo Dog Band, who get the edge because of their greater range of musical styles, and the fact that they can make you laugh without lyrics.
I just want to say that Weird Al is not ALL parody. In fact at least half of his songs are original (based on looking at my CDs and counting original vs. parody on each one). Only the parodies get any airtime though
Satirical songs for betenoir:
The Night Santa Went Crazy - “Ms. Claus is on the phone every night, with the lawyers, negotiating the movie rights”. If that’s not satire about the media, then I’m an idiot. (Very possible)
The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota - Satire about national landmarks. Not on any CD though…
Callin in Sick - Maybe my definition of satire is wrong, but I think this qualifies.
Grapefruit Diet - Could be considered a satire of weight-loss schemes. (Ok maybe I’m reaching here)
Midnight Star - Again, kind of unsure whether this qualifies, but pokes fun at National Enquirer type magazines.
Those are off the top of my head… feel free to correct me. Also note that most of them are original songs (I’m not sure about midnight star, but grapefruit diet isn’t).
“One More Minute” is one of the funniest songs I’ve ever heard-with one of the BEST lyrics-
“I’d rather clean all the bathrooms at Grand Central Station with my tongue than spend One More Minute, with you.”
I’ve seen him 3 times. The costume changes he does are amazing, given the time he is offstage. As for his talent, anyone who has listened to his original stuff knows he has more songwriting talent than most. In fact, my 2 favorite songs are “Airline Amy” off of “Off the Deep End”, and “Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota” off of UHF. As for UHF, I understand that it is available on CD finally. Haven’t found it yet, so can’t confirm. On the topic of Al, did he ever record “I’m A Nerd” (parody of “Free As A Bird”), or his parody of the “Friends” theme (I’ll Repair For You) or are they live tracks only? Any info appreciated.
I think they’re live only – he will put a parody on an album only if he can get permission from the original songwriters. If he doesn’t, he’ll do snippits in the concerts, but that’s as far as he’ll take 'em.
