# "Weird Al" gives Pharrell the "Tacky" treatment **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107 "2014-07-14T21:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/101 "2014-07-18T07:47:12Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It’s actually really good. Might be my second favorite song on the album. You can hear it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6i_MXp9Dfs). Wow… I’d love to listen to the full length songs in polka style. Thrift Shop especially. I’m surprised at how many of them I recognise. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/102 "2014-07-18T08:09:32Z")
I could quibble about some of the claimed howlers in “Word Crimes” (less/fewer, literal) but there’s bigger game: If you’re trying to make a point about how poor language choice affects people’s perceptions of you, and you unironically use the word “spastic” as an insult, you have seriously fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/103 "2014-07-18T09:11:32Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > I could quibble about some of the claimed howlers in “Word Crimes” (less/fewer, literal) but there’s bigger game: > > If you’re trying to make a point about how poor language choice affects people’s perceptions of you, and you unironically use the word “spastic” as an insult, you have seriously fucked up. The problem is that the UK is different to the US in terms of that being acceptable language. Wikipedia has a fair bit on it, with explanation of UK usage, US usage and times when it has become problematic: > **[Spastic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spastic)** > > Spastic can refer to: ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/104 "2014-07-18T09:25:31Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > If you’re trying to make a point about how poor language choice affects people’s perceptions of you, and you unironically use the word “spastic” as an insult, you have seriously fucked up. Not for Americans you haven’t. And since Weird Al is an American, this complaint rates a “meh.” ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/105 "2014-07-18T10:11:46Z")
Interesting. I take it back then, as Weird Al clearly was writing for a specific audience. I still think a lot of what he complains about is mere stylistics - and may well be appropriate for its intended audience. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/106 "2014-07-18T11:33:54Z")
Here’s a post to Language Log, whose posters are mostly professors of linguistics, where they criticize the statements in “Word Crimes”: [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=13521](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=13521) ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/107 "2014-07-18T12:30:38Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Handy was moderately amusing but the video didn’t make it particularly any funnier. The lyrics were just ok. I thought the video was moderately amusing. But I did like that Al was dressed as [Schneider](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072554/) from One Day at a Time. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/108 "2014-07-18T13:30:15Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s a post to Language Log, whose posters are mostly professors of linguistics, where they criticize the statements in “Word Crimes”: > > [Language Log » 25 Questions for Teaching with "Word Crimes"](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=13521) Wow! That person is pretty humor-impaired. I also like the complaint that the general public uses the word grammar differently than cunning linguists. No kidding! Who would have thought that a term of art in a subject specialty would have a different meaning than how it’s used by the general public. I mean, evolution is just a theory, right? Who can tell what a rational person would do, you know? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/109 "2014-07-18T13:46:04Z")
> [@Kiber](#): > > I thought the video was moderately amusing. But I did like that Al was dressed as [Schneider](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072554/) from One Day at a Time. I think one of the dancing handy men was supposed to be Mario. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/110 "2014-07-18T14:31:06Z")
wow… Handy is one of the very few times that the original is so awful that even Al can’t improve it. Bleccch. I think I’ll be skipping that one a lot when I get the album. (yeah, I realize my old fogeyness is showing. get off of my lawn, and take your iggy azalea with you!) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/111 "2014-07-18T14:35:15Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s a post to Language Log, whose posters are mostly professors of linguistics, where they criticize the statements in “Word Crimes”: > > [Language Log » 25 Questions for Teaching with "Word Crimes"](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=13521) That post is awful. > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > I think one of the dancing handy men was supposed to be Mario. The video I saw was pretty low quality (wtg Yahoo!) so when I first saw them I thought they could be Penn & Teller! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/112 "2014-07-18T16:07:50Z")
[Here’s today’s.](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ba6f6b020a/weird-al-yankovic-sports-song) It’s an original song called “Sports Song” and it’s a march/fight song about how our team is great and your team sucks. As a sports fan who is all about true rivalries (Cleveland don’t like no one), I found it hilarious! I’m not sure if non-sports-fans will like it, or if you’ll like it because it points out the absurdity of sports cheering. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/113 "2014-07-18T16:40:41Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Here’s a post to Language Log, whose posters are mostly professors of linguistics, where they criticize the statements in “Word Crimes”: > > [Language Log » 25 Questions for Teaching with "Word Crimes"](http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=13521) "Second, a little rumination on Weird Al’s violent reactions against “bad grammar” raises deep and longstanding questions of social equity regarding class, education, race, age, ethnicity, gender, and how these relate to languages, dialects, and social registers. " Wow, what a pretentious windbag! It’s a HUMOR song, “moran”. What a way to miss the entire point. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/114 "2014-07-18T17:06:52Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Here’s today’s.](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ba6f6b020a/weird-al-yankovic-sports-song) \*\*It’s an original song called “Sports Song” \*\*and it’s a march/fight song about how our team is great and your team sucks. > > As a sports fan who is all about true rivalries (Cleveland don’t like no one), I found it hilarious! I’m not sure if non-sports-fans will like it, or if you’ll like it because it points out the absurdity of sports cheering. > > Enjoy! Weird Al did say that Tom Lehrer was an early [influence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J04FRsesBQ). ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/115 "2014-07-18T17:40:00Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > [Here’s today’s.](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ba6f6b020a/weird-al-yankovic-sports-song) It’s an original song called “Sports Song” and it’s a march/fight song about how our team is great and your team sucks. That drummer over Al’s left shoulder seems a little old for a high school marching band. Is he one of the members in Al’s regular band? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/116 "2014-07-18T17:48:25Z")
> [@Sean\_Factotum](#): > > That drummer over Al’s left shoulder seems a little old for a high school marching band. Is he one of the members in Al’s regular band? I thought it was Seth McFarlane but I couldn’t figure out who the taller, mustachioed guy was. But yeah looks like [his band](http://media.knoxville.com/media/img/photos/2010/04/19/WeirdAlposter_t588.jpg) is in the band. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/117 "2014-07-18T18:15:36Z")
The twist in Foil is smart because the original premise isn’t interesting enough to carry the whole song. Handy and Sports Song aren’t the best song on the album, but I like that the Handy video captures that low-budget local commercial feel. I did buy the album the other day and I thought the best tracks were Tacky, Word Crimes and Jackson Park Express. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/118 "2014-07-18T18:27:20Z")
I think that “Seth MacFarlane” is’s [Ruben Valtierra](http://kformusicians.com/files/cache/wm_ae6ce34bd7cfd0e578756e3b7d11b658.jpg), Al’s usual keyboardist. Maybe? or is it Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, the drummer? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/119 "2014-07-18T18:46:42Z")
When all of the first four of the eight planned videos were parodies, I thought he was was going to go ahead and release all five parodies first- I thought we’d see “Inactive” today followed by three originals to wrap it all up. Maybe the plan was to open big\* with the parodies but then save one parody to close on. So, we might get two more originals for the weekend then “Inactive” on Monday. I don’t think “Inactive” will be a strong closer unless the video is _really_ awesome. \*“open big with the parodies” in terms of mass appeal. The hardcore fans are always just as or more excited about the original songs. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/120 "2014-07-18T20:24:08Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Interesting. I take it back then, as Weird Al clearly was writing for a specific audience. > > I still think a lot of what he complains about is mere stylistics - and may well be appropriate for its intended audience. Yeah, I had a couple cringes in that song, but nothing to the degree the Language Log commentator did. Though I did learn something about UK English and the term “spaz/spastic” today. I had no idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107.md?page=7)