Weird Al’s success still a pleasant surprise

Yankovic speaks to all artists before releasing a parody song.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

There’s no denying Alfred Matthew Yankovic — better known as “Weird Al” — has had the unlikeliest of careers.

“Every morning I wake up and I can’t believe I’m still Weird Al,” said Yankovic, calling from Kettering, Ohio. “It’s an amazing niche I’ve carved out for myself, and I’m really thankful that I’ve taken my two passions — comedy and music — and I was able to fashion some kind of vocation out of it, which, against all odds, I’m still doing to this day.”

He added, “Rock needs a court jester I suppose, and I think I might be fulfilling that position.”

From his first noteworthy success in 1979 with “My Bologna,” parodying The Knack’s hit “My Sharona,” to last year’s Top 10 hit “White & Nerdy,” which mimicked “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone, Yankovic has sold over 12 million albums, earned three Grammy Awards and become a mainstream fixture.

So at what point did he know this hobby of his had definitely become a career?

Signs that he’d made it

“I don’t know if I ever reached that point,” Yankovic said. “I was thinking it was going to end any day now. I don’t know, I never really thought beyond a couple of years in the future. Certainly nobody had much confidence in me when I got signed to a record deal. They thought I might have a novelty hit or two and that would be the last people would hear from me.

“People, I think, were amazed I was able to hang in there and kind of ride the coattails of pop culture for all of these years. And probably nobody more so than myself.”

Affirmation has come to Yankovic in many different forms over the decades. Early on he received positive response from the oddball comedy program Dr. Demento, but it wasn’t until a decade or so into his career, after MTV made him a household name, that the Southern California native began getting the attention of the superstars he was parodying.

“I guess certainly one of my favorites is Nirvana because both Dave [Grohl] and Kurt [Cobain] mentioned that they really liked the song [‘Smells like Nirvana’],” Yankovic said. “The line from them I like quoting all of the time is they didn’t realize they had made it until they heard the Weird Al parody. So they really took it as a homage.”

Not everyone’s a fan

“The parodies are all done in good fun and aren’t meant to be derogatory in the least. It’s always great when an artist realizes that and takes it in the spirit that it’s intended.”

Among those who didn’t approve of a “Weird Al” parody were Paul McCartney and Eminem. Yankovic makes it a point to personally talk to all artists before releasing a song. As far as the economics are concerned, the 47-year-old funnyman said a contract regarding a special royalty split is agreed upon by both parties.

Life is definitely good for Yankovic, who returned to the road this summer for another tour. Considering he parodies artists for a living, it’s apropos Weird Al takes a shot at Baby Boomer acts, who threaten retirement one year only to tour again the next, when asked how long he can go on performing live.

“This is my farewell tour,” Yankovic laughed, “until my next tour.”