# Lady Gaga denies Weird Al **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118 "2011-04-20T18:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/121 "2011-04-21T14:48:28Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Irrelevant. When an artist objects to a parody, it has nothing to do with whether someone is making money off of it, and Weird Al knows it. You’ve constructed a ludicrous parody of a strawman to rail against, there. When Al has a parody idea, he asks the artist in question for permission to record the parody and release it commercially. His code of ethics does not require him never to perform the parody version if permission is subsequently denied. His code of ethics does not require him to refrain from releasing the parody for free. His code of ethics only requires that he not release it in a for-profit scenario. So he is not in violation of his stated code of ethics here. AND his stated code of ethics is a higher standard than is legally required. Ethically going above and beyond does not make one a dick. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/122 "2011-04-21T14:56:43Z")
> [@CandidGamera](#): > > When Al has a parody idea, he asks the artist in question for permission to record the parody and release it commercially. His code of ethics does not require him never to perform the parody version if permission is subsequently denied. His code of ethics does not require him to refrain from releasing the parody for free. His code of ethics only requires that he not release it in a for-profit scenario. > > So he is not in violation of his stated code of ethics here. AND his stated code of ethics is a higher standard than is legally required. > > Ethically going above and beyond does not make one a dick. So not only is his ethical process unnecessary, it is also entirely nonsensical. In the whole Coolio brouhaha, Coolio was offended because he didn’t like the idea that his work, which he considered serious, would be shown disrespect by a Weird Al parody. Whether Weird Al is a “dick” is not an issue that I’m interested in. What I believe he should do is go ahead and make his parodies and dispense with this farcical permission process. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Jay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@The\_Jay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Jay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/123 "2011-04-21T15:00:39Z")
> [@Tabby\_Cat](#): > > Uh, what? She said yes. Uh, what? He released the song under the impression that she said no. Also, he was apparently always planning to donate the proceeds of the track to charity, so releasing the song on his album, or on youtube would have the same effect on his bank account. The only difference being that this way he released a song without an artist’s permission. If the roles were reversed and it was Lady Gaga released a song without Weird Al’s permission you’d all be calling her an asshole for doing so and he’d be the hero. Also to reiterate what has already been said, no one MADE Weird Al send her the lyrics, o one MADE Weird Al record the song. He jumped through those hoops because he wanted a Gaga track on his album, because he wanted to sell more albums. I also want to make clear that I like Weird Al’s music MUCH more than I like Gaga’s. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/124 "2011-04-21T15:04:17Z")
> [@The\_Jay](#): > > Also, he was apparently always planning to donate the proceeds of the track to charity, so releasing the song on his album, or on youtube would have the same effect on his bank account. The only difference being that this way he released a song without an artist’s permission. Uh, I’m pretty sure the song will generate more money for charity off the album, than off Youtube. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/125 "2011-04-21T15:06:11Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > If he has no intention of abiding by the artists’ wishes, then asking permission isn’t a courtesy. It’s a weird, nonsensical, bizarre, waste of time for everyone involved. I think had the initial response been a firm “no”, Al would likely have respected that and dropped the song. Had the response after seeing the lyrics been a firm “no”, Al would have likely respected that and dropped the song. Had the response after going through the considerable effort of producing the song had been a “no-and here’s why…Can you make these changes?”, Al would have likely respected that and made some alterations. Probably would have dropped the song if he felt Gaga had valid concerns that couldn’t be addressed. But after stringing him along, and then giving him a simple “no”, you’re right, the initial asking of permission was a huge waste of time. However, that doesn’t mean that Al has no intention of abiding by the artist’s wishes. He just won’t abide by them when they’re major jerks. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/126 "2011-04-21T15:15:03Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I honestly don’t know how anyone could deny that Weird Al or Lady Gaga have talent. Not your cup of tea, fine. But Weird Al is probably one of the most versatile musicians out there. Gaga on the other hand… her music just rocks my face off. > [@Anaamika](#): > > Agreed with olives…both of them are dynamic and interesting. Why does it have to be one or the other? I fancy they make our world have a little more fun in it. It’s ok. The three of us will sit over here and play the Fame and Poodle Hat on rotation and have a good time while the True Blue Music Lovers try to nail down who is worthy of their respect, a decision I am sure both Lady Gaga and Weird Al are on tenterhooks waiting for. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/127 "2011-04-21T15:15:40Z")
> [@YamatoTwinkie](#): > > But after stringing him along, and then giving him a simple “no”, you’re right, the initial asking of permission was a huge waste of time. However, that doesn’t mean that Al has no intention of abiding by the artist’s wishes. He just won’t abide by them when they’re major jerks. Then he should approach his permission seeking exercise by making his “major jerks” clause specific up front. The fact is, he asked permission and was denied and went ahead and released the song anyway. This “major jerks” escape clause (1) is not something I’ve heard Weird Al mentioning, and (2) is not something that I consider legitimate if he made it up only after being denied permission. Asking permission means being willing to accept a “no.” Nobody made him write and record the song on spec. When you do something on spec, you accept the possibility of a “no.” Notwithstanding super-seekrit “major jerks” escape clauses. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/128 "2011-04-21T15:27:36Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Who else has said “no”? > > Coolio didn’t like Amish Paradise and says he said no, but Al insists Coolio said yes initially(and I believe Al). > > Anyone else deny usage? Coolio never said yes, it was some of his business people. Licencing requests don’t generally make it to the artist, it’s usually taken care of by publishers and agents and stuff. You know, someone whose full time job is dealing with licencing. It’s not likely that Lady Gaga ever actually talked to Weird Al and probably had no idea about the request until she saw it on the news. Some persnickety licencing agent or IP lawyer was probably just being a bit dickish. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Jay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@The\_Jay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Jay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/129 "2011-04-21T15:47:43Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Uh, I’m pretty sure the song will generate more money for charity off the album, than off Youtube. I am questioning is his integrity in “getting an artist’s permission”. He was apparently never going to make a dollar off this song whether it appeared on his album or not, so releasing it on Youtube without her permission is the same as releasing on his album without permission. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/130 "2011-04-21T16:03:54Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Holy shite, the internets move fast. I read about this maybe three hours ago on someone’s Facebook wall, and thought it was lame of Gaga to string him along through the approval process, review the lyrics, then insist he record the song and send it her, then say no, but hey, bitchier things have been done in Hollywood. Now the whole thing’s resolved? Very good then. I’m even later to the party, but if someone says that “I need to hear the song first,” I don’t think that qualifies as stringing along. A “No” had to be in the cards right? Because in your scenario, once she asked “I need to hear it first” she had no choice but to say “Yes.” > [@Sampiro](#): > > Since she’s got a huge gay fan base I’m surprised there’s not more “Gaga denies song’s use to raise money for largest gay rights organization”. Maybe because HRC sucks? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/131 "2011-04-21T16:09:37Z")
“I need to hear the song first” is a catch-22 when the specific request is permission to create the song in the first place. It was a bullshit request by Gaga’s manager. I think Al showed some lack of wisdom in not recognizing that and saying “Well, I’m not going to bother then,” but as he says himself, he’s an optimist and took a chance. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Jay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@The\_Jay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Jay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/132 "2011-04-21T16:15:30Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > “I need to hear the song first” is a catch-22 when the specific request is permission to create the song in the first place. It was a bullshit request by Gaga’s manager. > > I think Al showed some lack of wisdom in not recognizing that and saying “Well, I’m not going to bother then,” but as he says himself, he’s an optimist and took a chance. You do realise that Perform this way sounds a lot different to “Born This Way (but with new vocals)”. You also realise that Al was actually SHOWING wisdom and jumping through hoops for her in hopes of having her song on his album. He was doing everything he could to get a Gaga track on his album, even going so far as to release a song on the internet which he didn’t get the artists approval for. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/133 "2011-04-21T16:21:17Z")
> [@The\_Jay](#): > > You do realise that Perform this way sounds a lot different to “Born This Way (but with new vocals)”. Are you kidding me? Of course it sounds the same. And Al agrees: > [@](#): > > We send the lyrics to Lady Gaga and wait on figurative pins and needles for her to give us the go-ahead. After a few days, we get our answer: “She actually needs to hear it. Otherwise the answer is no.” > > Hmm. Well, this was mystifying to me. **At this point she has the lyrics… and hopefully she is familiar with _her own song_… and the parody is basically _her music_… with _my lyrics_. It really shouldn’t be that hard to decide – based on having the lyrics right in front of you – whether or not you’d be “okay” with a parody.** But, alas, we’d been given an ultimatum. If she didn’t hear it, she wouldn’t approve it. > [@](#): > > You also realise that Al was actually SHOWING wisdom and jumping through hoops for her in hopes of having her song on his album. He was doing everything he could to get a Gaga track on his album, even going so far as to release a song on the internet which he didn’t get the artists approval for. I say lack of wisdom in the context of being surprised and annoyed with a rejection. The catch-22 put him in a difficult spot. Mind, I have no real problem with his reaction; he fulfilled the request, was rejected, and now had a fully-recorded song that by his own ethics he couldn’t put on the album, but given that he put so much effort into it it also didn’t seem right to just throw it away. Might as well toss it out on the web. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/134 "2011-04-21T16:23:17Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I don’t care for the output of either of them but there is a clear difference between a novelty act with some hardcore fans and a cultural phenomenon. Lady GaGa is the novelty act and Wierd Al is the cultural phenomenon, right? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/135 "2011-04-21T16:33:24Z")
I’m not sure where the legends of Lady Gaga’s “hotness” derive from, but it certainly isn’t from the photos I’ve seen of her in which she looks downright homely. I’m not gay, but if you held a gun to my head and told me I had to either sleep with her or with Weird Al, I’d need a while to think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/136 "2011-04-21T16:38:02Z")
> [@The\_Jay](#): > > I am questioning is his integrity in “getting an artist’s permission”. He was apparently never going to make a dollar off this song whether it appeared on his album or not, so releasing it on Youtube without her permission is the same as releasing on his album without permission. he doesn’t need her permission to do a parody. And according to the YouTube video update he has her permission. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/137 "2011-04-21T16:47:17Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I’m not sure where the legends of Lady Gaga’s “hotness” derive from, but it certainly isn’t from the photos I’ve seen of her in which she looks downright homely. I’m not gay, but if you held a gun to my head and told me I had to either sleep with her or with Weird Al, I’d need a while to think about it. [Here’s her yearbook picture](http://crazyfun.org/uploads/posts/2010-03/1269876632_004.jpg). Not bad, IMO. In her stage career, she uses makeup and gear to accentuate her features in a way that makes her look really unusual and a little weird. (I’m not even talking about the meat suit and whatnot, just her face.) But underneath it all she’s a reasonably good-looking woman. In my opinion, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Jay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@The\_Jay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Jay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/138 "2011-04-21T16:48:55Z")
To Magiver: I know he doesn’t need her permission. But he has a reputation of being a “nice guy” and always saying “Well, I don’t need their permission, but I won’t release their songs unless I get it cos I’m such a swell guy!” (paraphrased) To Bosstone: What I am saying is that the only differences to the songs isn’t just the vocal track. Re-read my post, and relisten to both songs. It’s not like he took an ‘acoustic’ version of her song and just added her vocals. Her people may have worried that he was going to give an accordion filled version of her son.=g. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/139 "2011-04-21T16:58:10Z")
> [@The\_Jay](#): > > Her people may have worried that he was going to give an accordion filled version of her son.=g. God forbid, an accordion. That’s just the height of tackiness, especially for an artist who’s so serious she wore glasses made out of cigarettes in one of her videos. \ No, I do get your point, although I think listening to any recent Weird Al parody would put the lie to it. His band is extremely talented and always does a fantastic job of mimicking the original music, sometimes doing it better. The only recent songs in which he significantly changes the music, let alone use an accordion, are the polkas. I know it’s not necessarily expected that people should be that familiar with his work, but it doesn’t take a lot to research a popular artist these days. Or, god forbid, _communicate_ with him and ask him questions about what he plans to do. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/140 "2011-04-21T16:58:37Z")
I look forward to the video because the song made me laugh out loud with a play on words. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118.md?page=8)