Been a fan for many years. First heard him on Dr. Demento around '81 or so.
Saw him years ago for the Running With Scissors tour. Had me rolling. People from ages 6 to 80 were there. I still remember fake snow (soap bubbles) falling from the rafters and keeping the kids distracted while he sang The Night Santa Went Crazy. Then he dressed like Luke Skywalker for Yoda.
He came to the casino here a few years back and sold out in record time. Such a demand to see him, he had to put on a second show, and that also sold out very fast. Sadly, no ticket for me. Would love to see him again.
“Stay the blazes home” - Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia
I listen to a very well done podcast called Hit Parade by Chris Molanphy. He a music historian and goes “behind the scenes” with deep dives on various artists or music styles that have #1 Billboard “Hot 100” hits or dominated the pop charts for a time. It’s on Apple, Android, Spotify etc.
In the Jan. 31 episode “White and Nerdy Edition” the first half is about the history of novelty songs and he discusses everything from Alan Sherman to Alvin & the Chipmunks to the Coasters to Dr. Demento. The second half of that episode he goes deep into Weird Al from his start to modern day.
The Feb. 14 Episode: “The Bridge: Living in an Amish Paradise” is a shorter one, all Weird Al. He interviews the guy who helped write Al’s autobiography.
If you’re fans of novelty music Dr. Demento and Weird Al and that genre, it’s well worth a listen.
Novelty Song Lover’s Trivia:
What major artist’s **biggest **Billboard Hot 100 hit ever was a novelty song? Also, his last Hot 100 hit ever was a (different) novelty song?
Hint: It’s a serious artist with multiple well known songs but not Weird Al. He’s not in any way a considered a novelty artist and if I recall correctly these two are the only novelty songs this artist did.
If anyone reads this soon and can tell me how to do a Spoiler Hidden tag, I’ll post the answer now, if not I’ll post it shortly.
Johnny Cash
Biggest Hot 100 hit was A Boy Named Sue at #2 in 1969
Last Hot 100 hit o his career was One Piece at a Time at #29 in 1976
Note - this isn’t the Billboard Country Chart, but the Hot 100 which is the big pop chart,
I have a lot of cherished childhood memories of listening to Dr. Demento on Sunday night (WLUP, Chicago’s Loop) after I was supposed to have been asleep. Al was always a favorite, and I still remember “Living with a Hernia” (Dr. D played it without giving away the title, so when the chorus came it completely killed me) as one of the funniest things I ever saw or heard growing up.
I’ve got a book about Al on hold at the library: Weird Al: Seriously by Lily Hirsch. Looks pretty good.
That article really hit the spot though. Did any of you read it and NOT tear up?
It is pretty good, I just finished it on Kindle. Quite thorough.
Though I think some of the analyses about the depth and complexity of Al’s underlying meaning and psyche as reflected in the songs is a bit dubious . . .
The article talks about him singing “Amish Paradise” in concert. Didn’t he stop performing that one on request from the original author? Or has that been cleared up?
I love Weird Al… First album I ever purchased was Dare To Be Stupid. That he continued to be relevant and funny for all this time is just incredible.
I have seen him in concert a handful of times. Most recently the Ill Advised Vanity Tour and the Strings Attached Tour… and I’ve met him (In the loosest sense of the term) at Rose City Comic Con. The first time we waited until his line looked dead and he was super friendly and talked to all my kids. The second, was significantly busier. He was cordial, but we were definitely hurried along. haha
As long as we’re talking about this, I think Tom Lehrer is the best satirical singer/songwriter (or singer/songwriter of novelty songs, if that’s what you want to call them) in the English language since 1950 (and I don’t know enough about songs from other time periods or other languages to comment on them).
If you like Tim Minchin, you may be interested in this production of Jesus Christ Superstar which will be playing on YouTube for just 48 hours with Minchin playing Judas:
I saw him, with my son, on the Poodle Hat tour in 2003. It was the early days of ubiquitous concert goers using mobile devices to film shows and many performers tried to stop them doing it. Weird Al left the stage and mugged for selfies and video clips amongst the audience…while still continuing to play. Memorable show.
I didn’t start watching regularly until season 2; before that, I’d just get dragged over by my girlfriend, “hey you’ve really got to hear this” (Sexy Gettin’ Ready Song, or similar stuff) and I gradually got lured into watching it.