Weird Al fans want him in Rock Hall of Fame

YOUNGSTOWN — When “Weird Al” Yankovic arrives in town Friday to perform at the Chevrolet Centre, fans of the rock parodist will be on hand as part of a massive petition drive to help put the “White & Nerdy” singer into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Operated and managed solely by fans, the Cleveland-based Make the Rock Hall “Weird” campaign will be collecting signatures from fellow Yankovic admirers on a petition that will be sent to the Hall of Fame Foundation in New York to urge them to induct the Grammy-winning comedian and singer best known for making fun of Michael Jackson, Chamillionaire, Madonna, Nirvana and countless others. Fans will also be asked to take the petition with them to other concerts on Yankovic’s North American tour. Interested fans can learn more at the campaign’s Web site, Aallthingsyank.com/rockhall.

“Weird Al is rock and roll’s premier satirist, and after nearly 30 years, his work is only getting more popular and more critically acclaimed,” said fan and organizer Greg Method, explaining why the pop humorist should be inducted.

Signature campaign

With its “Straight into Cleveland” petition tour, the campaign is hoping to collect at least 10,000 signatures from fans around the world to show support for Yankovic before the 2008 induction nominees are announced in the fall.

“The Rock Hall does not open its induction process to the public, but we can at least show them that there are enough people who want to see Al get in,” said Method.

Having released his first single, the Knack parody “My Bologna” in 1979, Yankovic has been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 2004. If inducted, Yankovic would become the first performer in the Rock Hall representing comedic rock.

An eclectic mix of folks have already shown their support for Yankovic on the petition, including James Blunt. Yankovic made headlines last summer when Atlantic Records prohibited him from releasing “You’re Pitiful,” his parody of Blunt’s smash hit “You’re Beautiful,” even though he had the British singer’s full consent (as he does with all the parodies he records). The song was eventually released as a free download on Yankovic’s official Web site, Weirdal.com.