# Weird Al’s “White and Nerdy” **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2006, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354 "2006-09-20T00:41:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/41 "2006-09-21T21:29:44Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Al’s music isn’t Al singing karaoke-style to the original song - it’s his band, playing every note (and in some cases, probably doing a better job than the originals ). Amen to that. I heard “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi” before I ever heard “Pretty Fly for a White Guy”. I thought The Offspring’s version sucked 😃 Al has mentioned that his parodies are also musically different from the originals, in that he plays them at a different tempo (usually faster, ala “My Bologna”) and often shortens them by leaving out instrumental solos and such. One thing I don’t think I ever heard, though: who played the guitar solo on “Eat It” - Rick Derringer or Jim West? [QUOTE=Max Carnage] He did waaaaaay too many R&B spoofs, and I just don’t listen to that normally. Even Polkarama isn’t all that good. [/QUOTE] I guess that’s one problem with being the kind of parody artist he is — he has to work with what’s available (big hits), so that the greatest number of people will recognize the song being parodied. Unfortunately, nowadays that means hip-hop and R&B, because that’s about all Top 40 radio wants to cram down our throats any more. I’ve noticed, as the years have passed since I bought Al’s debut album in 1984, that I recognize fewer and fewer of the songs he parodies. Which is why, I suppose, I tend to prefer his original songs lately. On the other hand, it’s to his credit that he is able to make the parodies funny even to people who haven’t heard the original version. > [@winterhawk11](#): > > Was anybody else nerdy enough to pause it long enough to read the question on the Trivial Pursuit card? I spotted “Lindsay Lohan” as it went by, and I had meant to pause it during some future viewing. How about the “Top 8” on his MySpace page, as depicted in the video? I spotted Pee Wee Herman, but again, I haven’t paused it yet. (They’re not the same top 8 as on his actual MySpace page.) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/42 "2006-09-21T22:16:17Z")
Re: the White & Nerdy My Space page Notice he has **27** friends 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/43 "2006-09-21T22:19:06Z")
[QUOTE=Max Carnage] Notice he has **27** friends 🙂 [/QUOTE] Er, is that number significant somehow? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/44 "2006-09-21T22:23:30Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] Er, is that number significant somehow? [/QUOTE] Let me drop a bit of Weird Al knowledge on ya: In two of Al’s music videos- _Like a Surgeon_ and _This Is The Life_, there is one of those take-a-number signs. In each video, the sign reads “Now serving #27.” Someone wrote in to Al’s fan newsletter _The Midnight Star_ asking if there was a signifigance to the number. Al’s official response: “27 is a funny number.” From this point onward, Al has tried to place a reference to 27 in each of his works, be they albums, TV appearances, or whatnot. Did you notice what Wikipedia article Al was changing to read “YOU SUCK!”? Atlantic Records- the same label that wouldn’t let him put his James Blunt parody _You’re Pitiful_ on his new album. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/45 "2006-09-21T22:35:45Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] One thing I don’t think I ever heard, though: who played the guitar solo on “Eat It” - Rick Derringer or Jim West? [/QUOTE] Rick Derringer. I am SUCH a nerd. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/46 "2006-09-22T00:03:24Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] How about the “Top 8” on his MySpace page, as depicted in the video? I spotted Pee Wee Herman, but again, I haven’t paused it yet. (They’re not the same top 8 as on his actual MySpace page.) [/QUOTE] That’s cause the page belongs to [White & Nerdy](http://www.myspace.com/whiteandnerdy) of course. 😉 I note he’s got TMBG, Napoleon Dynamite and Pee Wee Herman in there twice each… he must be a _super_ big fan of them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/47 "2006-09-22T01:15:27Z")
Buying a bootleg of the Star Wars Holiday Special, displaying all my action figures and trying to decide who I like best, Kirk or Picard. It’s funny 'cause it’s true…well, except for the “white” part. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/48 "2006-09-22T01:36:51Z")
[QUOTE=Nanoda] That’s cause the page belongs to [White & Nerdy](http://www.myspace.com/whiteandnerdy) of course. 😉 [/QUOTE] Who ALSO has 27 friends listed… ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/49 "2006-09-22T02:03:02Z")
[QUOTE=lawoot] Who ALSO has 27 friends listed… [/QUOTE] Dang. So the odds are good that I won’t get added. Dang it. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/50 "2006-09-22T02:21:45Z")
Know what I really love about Al? His very genuine appreciation of pop music. He stays current and I don’t think I’d ever hear him complaining about the ‘crap’ being shoved down his throat. True Top 40 love is hard to come by. That’s why me 'n Al are likethis. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/51 "2006-09-22T04:17:07Z")
Hot damn, that “Bob” video was effin’ hilarious! I’ve never seen that many palindromes in one spot in my entire life… Weird Al totally rocks… I have to go wind my twine ball now… ;p ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/52 "2006-09-22T06:27:41Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Know what I really love about Al? His very genuine appreciation of pop music. He stays current and I don’t think I’d ever hear him complaining about the ‘crap’ being shoved down his throat. True Top 40 love is hard to come by. That’s why me 'n Al are likethis. [/QUOTE] Of course he doesn’t complain about it - it provides him with such an easy target to mock! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/53 "2006-09-22T15:42:46Z")
(featherlou foolishly left her computer up and logged in, so this is her hubby furiously typing away. MWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!) [QUOTE=mobo85] Let me drop a bit of Weird Al knowledge on ya: In two of Al’s music videos- _Like a Surgeon_ and _This Is The Life_, there is one of those take-a-number signs. In each video, the sign reads “Now serving #27.” Someone wrote in to Al’s fan newsletter _The Midnight Star_ asking if there was a signifigance to the number. Al’s official response: “27 is a funny number.” From this point onward, Al has tried to place a reference to 27 in each of his works, be they albums, TV appearances, or whatnot.\ [/QUOTE] According to the FAQ portion of [weirdal.com](http://weirdal.com), Al’s mom’s birthday is February 7 (2/7), which is where the number originally comes from. I think Al’s last album, “Poodle Hat,” was his funniest one ever. Tunes like “Bob,” “Coauch Potato” (parody of “Lose Yourself” by Eminem), “Trash Day” (parody of “Hot In Herr” by Nelly), “Angry White Boy Polka,” A Complicated Song" (parody of “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne), and “Why Does This Always Happen To Me?” are among the best things he has ever done. And there are four more tracks on the album that hold up very well against the rest of his music. Now one thing that has me pissed off is that his record label has decided to only release the enhanced CD/DVD in the USA, which means I either have to settle for the inferior CD-only international version when it hits stores a week late up here in Canada or I have to make a pilgrimage to the States next week to buy the good version. Once again, the prejudices of the system rear their ugly head! “Weird Al” rules! I want to marry him and have his babies! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/54 "2006-09-22T19:43:14Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] Know what I really love about Al? His very genuine appreciation of pop music. He stays current and I don’t think I’d ever hear him complaining about the ‘crap’ being shoved down his throat. True Top 40 love is hard to come by. That’s why me 'n Al are likethis. [/QUOTE] I’ve never thought about it like that. My husband and I listen to Top 40 music (and I’m damned near IN my forties), and I’ve been feeling a little weird about it since we’re so old (but some of it is so damned good!). I guess we have that Top 40 love, too. (Sorry about my husband’s lack of etiquette - I _told_ him that sheep-lovin’ remarks were mandatory when co-opting someone else’s computer!) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/55 "2006-09-22T19:47:52Z")
OOH OOH - I see your nerdiness, and I trump it with my own - Donny Osmond looks like he was inspired by Angel and Wes in his dance sequences! (My all-time favourite scene from “Angel” so far.) ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/56 "2006-09-23T00:12:17Z")
It’s kind of hard to hear, but at 1:15 into the video, does he say “RFC” (Request for Comments)? Because if he does, that makes the song all the more excellent. I love Al’s nerdiness. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/57 "2006-09-23T00:15:39Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] It’s kind of hard to hear, but at 1:15 into the video, does he say “RFC” (Request for Comments)? Because if he does, that makes the song all the more excellent. I love Al’s nerdiness. [/QUOTE] The lyrics linked from his myspace page say “Here’s the part I sing on” ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/58 "2006-09-23T01:29:24Z")
[QUOTE=Garfield226] The lyrics linked from his myspace page say “Here’s the part I sing on” [/QUOTE] That definitely is the line, based on my ears. Not only does it makes sense, it rhymes with the previous line, “I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon.” ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/59 "2006-09-23T02:34:24Z")
Actually, it sort of sounds like a background lyric. It doesn’t appear on the official lyrics site, granted, but here’s how it sounds to me: “I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon, (RFC) You see me rolling on my Segway.” ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354/60 "2006-09-23T02:48:18Z")
[minor nerdy correction] “I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon, (RFC) You see me roll on, My Segway.” [/mnc] You know, I don’t hear the line “here’s the part I sing on” anywhere in the song. Is the album version of the song different from the video or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-s-white-and-nerdy/373354.md?page=4)