Re: WEIRD AL IS CAREFULLY WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS!!!
Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:15 pm
I hope that he does continue with physical media. I do have an iTunes account and download music, but I'd still like for all of Al's releases to be on a physical CD.
Though I've noticed that all of the Volcano releases have had something to get the public to purchase the CD (instead of the cassette or downloading on iTunes): Running with Scissors had video footage from "(There's No) Coming Home" unnannounced, Poodle Hat had a photo gallery, home movies, and other stuff (announced this time), Straight Outta Lynwood was a dual-sided disc with six music videos, and Alpocalypse had a bonus CD. I have wondered how AL could top his CD releases in this regard.
Some people have wondered about concert tours. Couldn't Al just tour without having to promote a new album? He could take some years off, live off his residuals, and then go on tour for the sake of performing his songs live. Of course, if he's going to stop doing physical media and won't continue touring, this would be a great time for him to attempt a new TV series, maybe a weekly AL-TV or a better Weird Al Show.
I often find it odd when Al refers to his parodies as "dated", or wanting them to be current. While it may seem dated to put out a song that had been out for a few years, the content of his songs usually aren't dated. The majority of his parodies, both before and after I had become a fan (I was born a year after his first album), I heard before hearing the songs they were parodies of. 1999's Running with Scissors is really his only album where I knew the majority of songs he was parodying. When I first heard he was doing an Emeniem parody back in 2003, I was dying to hear "Lose Yourself" to get an idea of what the song was (and when I did, I didn't get an "oh, that song" feeling). I didn't know what song "Ridin'" was until I heard "White and Nerdy", and when I heard about the Lady Gaga parody I didn't know what the original song was (of course I dislike Lady Gaga). But I did know the majority of songs that appear on the various polka medleys before hearing them. I wonder if there's a thread about songs we knew before Al's parodies.
But I feel many of the hits he's parodied are still popular with the generic public. Many people still know "Beat It", "Like a Surgeon", "Gangsta's Paradise", "American Pie" (and that song had been around for three decades when Al parodied it), and "Girl's Just Want to Have Fun". Yeah, he has also parodied a lot of songs that aren't as popular anymore, and there's some I doubt were that popular in the first place.
Though I've noticed that all of the Volcano releases have had something to get the public to purchase the CD (instead of the cassette or downloading on iTunes): Running with Scissors had video footage from "(There's No) Coming Home" unnannounced, Poodle Hat had a photo gallery, home movies, and other stuff (announced this time), Straight Outta Lynwood was a dual-sided disc with six music videos, and Alpocalypse had a bonus CD. I have wondered how AL could top his CD releases in this regard.
Some people have wondered about concert tours. Couldn't Al just tour without having to promote a new album? He could take some years off, live off his residuals, and then go on tour for the sake of performing his songs live. Of course, if he's going to stop doing physical media and won't continue touring, this would be a great time for him to attempt a new TV series, maybe a weekly AL-TV or a better Weird Al Show.
I often find it odd when Al refers to his parodies as "dated", or wanting them to be current. While it may seem dated to put out a song that had been out for a few years, the content of his songs usually aren't dated. The majority of his parodies, both before and after I had become a fan (I was born a year after his first album), I heard before hearing the songs they were parodies of. 1999's Running with Scissors is really his only album where I knew the majority of songs he was parodying. When I first heard he was doing an Emeniem parody back in 2003, I was dying to hear "Lose Yourself" to get an idea of what the song was (and when I did, I didn't get an "oh, that song" feeling). I didn't know what song "Ridin'" was until I heard "White and Nerdy", and when I heard about the Lady Gaga parody I didn't know what the original song was (of course I dislike Lady Gaga). But I did know the majority of songs that appear on the various polka medleys before hearing them. I wonder if there's a thread about songs we knew before Al's parodies.
But I feel many of the hits he's parodied are still popular with the generic public. Many people still know "Beat It", "Like a Surgeon", "Gangsta's Paradise", "American Pie" (and that song had been around for three decades when Al parodied it), and "Girl's Just Want to Have Fun". Yeah, he has also parodied a lot of songs that aren't as popular anymore, and there's some I doubt were that popular in the first place.