# Weird Al's Poodle Hat (SPOILERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449 "2003-05-21T01:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tradnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cab0a1/32.png) [@Tradnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tradnor)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/1 "2003-05-21T01:13:38Z")
The new Weird Al album was released today. Sure, it’s not a movie or TV show or book, but it can be spoiled nonetheless. So don’t read this thread if you haven’t listened to the CD yet and don’t want the jokes ruined. Now for my thoughts. I’m a big fan of Weird Al, so please don’t mistake me for one of the Al-bashers in the recent thread who thinks he’s one step above (or below) fart jokes. But while I liked most of it, I did find a stinker or two on the new album. I didn’t like “Couch Potato” at all. First, it’s a complete retread of “I Can’t Watch This” from _Off the Deep End_. In the older song he hates TV, in this one he loves it, but both basically come down to referencing various shows as the source of their humor. So what’s the point of doing it again? Maybe to update the references. That brings me to my second point: This song will be very dated five years from now. _The Osbournes_ was last year, and _Are You Hot?_ isn’t coming back, so it’s almost dated already. “I Can’t Watch This” suffers a bit from the problem as well, but it’s worse in “Couch Potato”. Thirdly, the actual jokes. _Touched by an Uncle_? “Jumped the shark the first minute”? “Tivo thinks I’m gay”? Please. I’ve heard all these lines more than once before. Fourthly, the choice of song to parody. I’m sorry, I know Weird Al needs lead time to put out an album, but when commercials for an Adam Sandler movie parodied a song six months ago, pick a different target. Each of these by itself isn’t a terribly big deal, but put them all together and this song just left me cold. Fortunately, I was much happier with the rest of the album. A song consisting entirely of palindromes? Sheer genius, and surprisingly well done. Many groans to be found in “Party at the Leper Colony”, but I enjoyed it. “Hardware Store” was good, but the long long list of items toward the end made the song for me. “Ode to a Superhero” is inspired. I also liked “eBay”; as with “It’s All About the Pentiums”, you can tell he knows what he’s talking about. And the long dragged out “eBayyyyyyy…y…y” at the end cracks me up every time. I was a bit worried with “A Complicated Song”. The first verse and chorus were good enough, but I shuddered to think how Al was going to drag the subject of constipation out for the whole song. Thankfully, he had the good sense to change topics for the second verse and again for the third. If only _Saturday Night Live_ knew as much about when to move on. The polka had its moments, especially the “Last Nite” portion, but it’s not one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because a lot of the songs in the polka sounded the same to begin with. Honestly, I’ve heard all of them many times, but I still sometimes couldn’t tell when the polka switched songs. Like the title says, it’s mostly generic “angry white boy” stuff. No sudden changes in tone like from “The Dope Show” to “Mmmbop” or from “All I Wanna Do” to “Closer”, as in previous polkas. Finally, “Genius in France”. I desperately want someone to tell me I’ve been whooshed here, and I didn’t get the joke. Because all I see is gratuitous France-bashing. Some people find that funny, I know, but I don’t think Weird Al could have done anything more tired and unoriginal, especially at this time. If I want to hear about how the French are idiots, I can listen to talk radio. Please tell me there’s something more to this song that I’m missing. Bonus content: Big thumbs up here. The home movies were hilarious, the lyric display feature should be on every CD. Only downside is that there’s a lyric display, and karaoke tracks, but you can’t use them both at the same time! Whose bright idea was that? So overall, I liked the album. A few disappointments, but nobody’s perfect, and the rest more than made up for it. What does everybody else think? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/2 "2003-05-21T02:13:26Z")
I was surprised by _Genius in France_. Maybe I was whooshed too. Maybe it was a tongue-in-cheek response to the French-bashing. I liked _Couch Potato_, but I agree that it’s too much like _I Can’t Watch This_ (both inspired by rap songs, by the way). Sure, it’ll be horribly dated in a few years but he has a song like that on every one of his CDs (_Jerry Springer_ springs to mind, as well as _My Baby’s In Love With Eddie Veder_, which was dated by the time he wrote that). I thought _Bob_ was sort of like _Smells Like Nirvana_ in the sense that sometimes you can’t understand Bob Dylan or Nirvana. The non-sequiter lyrics were amusing though. I would have done away with the whole constipation section of _Complicated_. I like Al’s black humor more than his fart jokes. I really like _Ode to a Superhero_ and _Why Does This Always Happen To Me?_, the ultimate song about narcissistic arrogance. _Hardware Store_ was good, and I agree with the polka medly. They were all too alike. One thing I noticed that he doesn’t have a dysfunctional girlfriend song. Maybe it was because he got married. ---
**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:** [May 21, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/3 "2003-05-21T02:23:39Z")
Genius In France was his tribute to Frank Zappa with Dweezil playing guitar. All in all, I didn’t like this outing, and considering I waited 4 years for it, that kinda pisses me off. Backstreet Boys? Are they still around? I don’t even know half of the songs in the pola this time around. Oddly, my favorite song was an original. Party at the Leper Colony had me laughing pretty hard. Well, shoot, Al, I guess I’ll see you again in 4 years. Unless you come back to Nashville on your tour. ---
**Author:** ![Kricket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f14d63/32.png) [@Kricket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kricket)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/4 "2003-05-21T06:49:29Z")
I’m not sure about Bob yet? Hubby is a big Dylan fan so not sure if I am going to play it for him just yet. Loved Wanna B Ur Lovr and Trash Day! In Bob he makes mention of Ah Satan is Natasha. At first I was listening to it thinking this 😕 and I picked that out and found yet another reason to like the man. Still have to listen to it from begining to end, but when I was told it came out today I went right out and bought it and listened to bits and peices on the way home. I have turned my heathens into big Al fans and I know they are going to eat this one up. More of their time frame of music. ---
**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:** [May 21, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/5 "2003-05-21T12:46:24Z")
Ok, I just listened to Bob for the first time all the way through. That one works on multiple levels. When I first heard it, I thought it was merely making fun of Dylan’s incomprehensible lyrics by just using a bunch of nonsense phrases, sense you couldn’t understand him anyway. It wasn’t until toward the end and “‘Naomi,’ I moan” that I realized that every line was a palandrome. So not only were the lyrics nonsense, they also had a hook (same as the title!) This album just gained a point based on the cleverness of that song. ---
**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:** [May 21, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/6 "2003-05-21T12:52:48Z")
Oh, and who can help out with identifying style parodies? Hardware Store = ??? Party at the Leper Colony = Hand Jive songs Wanna B UR Lovr = Prince Why Does This Always Happen To Me = (ok, I haven’t listened to it all the way thru yet, but since Ben Folds is playing on it, I gotta assume it’s a Ben Folds Five style…whatever that may be) Bob = Bob Dylan Genius in France = Frank Zappa Little help here? ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/7 "2003-06-05T18:35:37Z")
Finally got the album. (had to wait for the Jewel album to come out so Amazon would ship them for free.) Uneven, but with moments of brilliance. cons: _Couch Potato_ is growing on me, but it suffers from a few problems: It does go back to the well of _U Can’t Watch this_, and _The Brady Bunch_, and _Syndicated, Inc._. Not neccessarily a bad thing ( I mean, the polka medley’s funny even though the joke goes back to DtbS), but it doesn’t help here. On top of that, Al’s voice (and parody in general) doesn’t lend itself well to rap. Al’s getting a bit more raunchy in his old age. Several poop jokes, “touched by an uncle,” and a bunch of sexual innuendo in _Wanna Be_… takes the usual light tone down a notch or two. _Bob_ doesn’t grab me… Dylan’s voice annoys me, and Al’s impression does too. The Palindrome concept is neat, but it would be neater if it made sense too. Missed opportunity. _Why Does This Always Happen To Me_ is funny lyrically, but boring musically. The polka doesn’t quite gel. I think it should be faster by a few notches. And the pros: _Ebay_ is brilliant. well-researched, funny, and catchy. Highlight of the album. _Hardware Store_ veers dangerously close musically to _Traffic Jam_, but pulls it out with the fantastic List of Funny Stuff ™ at the end. Gotta seem him try that one in concert. I agree that _Complicated_ benefits greatly from changing topics. I could’ve gone for one more verse, even. _Ode_ reminds me (in a good way) of _Yoda_. Very fun (even though I’ve heard/read a million _Pianoman_ parodies over the years, even wrote one myself a long time ago.) _Genius in France_ is fantastic. I’m not real familiar with Zappa, but the quick style changes and rhyming between French and English are a brilliant fit with Al’s style. Kinda _Albuquerque_-ish. (BTW the title, I think, is a reference to Jerry Lewis, who’s seen as kinda silly here, but is revered in France, or so the urban legend goess…) BTW, I think it’s a mistake to call all the original’s style parodies. The Dylan and Zappa connections are clear, but the others are just plain old original songs, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Shellhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e56c9b/32.png) [@Old\_Shellhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Shellhead)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/8 "2003-06-05T22:45:07Z")
Is “Poodle Hat” a slightly more tasteful (!!!) euphemism for ‘doghelmeting’? Because if it is… that’s just disturbing. _tries to think about Mr. Winkle doing a little jig instead_ ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/9 "2003-06-05T23:24:31Z")
Just wanted to chime in and defend “Couch Potato” – sure, it’s another dip to the television satire well, but (1) Al’s been doing that since the first album, and (2) it’s the fattest modern-day cultural target out there. I’m not familiar with Eminem’s stuff, I simply enjoyed the song both for the lyrics and the performance. Got whoosed the first time I heard “Genius in France” and “Bob,” but gave them thumbs up once I caught on to the jokes. “eBay” and “Why Does This Always Happen to Me?” are freakin’ brilliant, and “Ode to a Superhero” is probably the best song on the entire album. “Hardware Store” is uninspired lyrics-wise, but easily makes up for it with the music and singing. I’m sorta confused about “Wanna B UR Lovr,” myself – I get the feeling there’s another joke here that’s whoosing over my head. Someone want to clue me in? And what _does_ “Poodle Hat” stand for? ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/10 "2003-06-06T00:08:30Z")
Well clearly, he’s wearing a poodle on his head… duh! 🙂 I get the same feeling about “Wanna B UR Lovr,” BTW. I mean, yeah cheesy pickup lines, ok… but what else? and why the weird spelling? wouldn’t the place for that be on the Avril song? ---
**Author:** ![Fibber\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a6a055/32.png) [@Fibber\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fibber_McGee)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/11 "2003-06-06T00:21:46Z")
I don’t think Poodle Hat _stands for_ anything, it’s just a silly album title. As for the “doghelmeting” comment someone made, I don’t know what that is and I don’t to know, but I’m guessing the title has nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/12 "2003-06-06T01:10:24Z")
What is doghelmeting? ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/13 "2003-06-06T01:21:24Z")
I thought Poodle Hat was a reference to Al’s curly hair. ---
**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/14 "2003-06-06T02:39:26Z")
Hardware Store is definitely my favorite on the whole album. I think it’s actually my #3 favorite Al song (behind Trigger Happy and All About The Pentiums). Trash day is excellent, it makes me think of my own life, I can totally relate. I was a little disappointed in some of the other songs though. Complicated Song turned me off because of the constipation thing. It didn’t seem right, like anyone could come up with that. It seemed beneath him to take that obvious route. The polka was good, but not great. The songs were too much alike to make it interesting. It also seemed a little slow paced. Bob was weird at first, I didn’t get it until about the 3rd time through when Naomi I Moan finally clicked. I like it now. Ode to a superhero, good stuff. I like movie references, and Norman Osbourne really was scarier without the mask. eBay is great stuff too. Especially that ending. Genius In Frace… I don’t get it, but I like the song, it’s fun to sing along to. Overall, not as good as Running With Scissors or Off The Deep End, but better than Bad Hair Day. I’ll probably end up skipping the leper colony (that joke got old fast) and complicated song, but I’ll still listen to the rest. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2003, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/15 "2003-06-06T02:41:28Z")
Well, like I mentioned, Wanna B Ur Luvr is the Prince Style parody. Has the same type of music, sexually charged lyrics, and Prince is notorious for using short hand in the titles of songs he’s associated with (I Feel 4 U, U Got the Look, Nothing Compares 2 U…) ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/16 "2003-06-06T03:08:55Z")
The album cover looks very much like an homage to Billy Joel’s _Turnstiles_. Has Al said anything about this? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-als-poodle-hat-spoilers/176449/17 "2003-06-07T07:22:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by c\_goat \* > **Hardware Store is definitely my favorite on the whole album.** Oh, God yes! I knew the song was a keeper from the moment the melody and the background chorus converged on the words “Hard-ware stoooore!”. But when Al started rattling off the names of all the items they had for sale at John-Moschitta-Like speed … and **kept** rattling them off … and the choir behind him grew thicker and more intense, and he **still** kept rattling them off … Oh, man! I swear I had to clean the spooge off my stereo after that experience.