World of Weird Al Yankovic

Okay I guess I was wrong. But I'm pretty sure he has never gone out and 100% dissed the artist like Which Backstreet Boy is Gay or Will the Real Slim Shady Please Shut up.

To paraphrase BNL in Yoko Ono, "as Weird Al disses that Yo-oy-he-ooy-hee-ooy-oy-oy!"



About WBUL, its grown on me. Its now one of my favorites.

Okay I guess I was wrong. But I'm pretty sure he has never gone out and 100% dissed the artist like Which Backstreet Boy is Gay or Will the Real Slim Shady Please Shut up.

You may be right. I haven't heard either one of those songs. But even when Al does poke fun at the artist, it's done in good fun. That's one of the reasons Al gives for getting permission, so the artist will feel like he's in on the joke.



I suspect the opposite is true of Slim Shady. When he pokes fun at others, it's meant to be mean and belittling and he can't conceive of a way it could be done so it's not hurtful. He couldn't take it aimed at himself, so he's not gonna allow it. But it begs the question if we will see him doing it to Al in the future. The big ol' poo head better not. He hasn't met mama bear yet.

I can't decide if I like an AL parody better if I hate the original song or better if I like the original.

For me, the ideal parody target would be one that had a tune I liked and lyrics I didn't. If Al did a song I really hated, I might get a kick out of hearing it skewered once or twice.... but listen to it repeatedly over the course of months or years? Naw.

I don't know how I'd react either if he parodied a song I really, really loved. However, he never has.

Wow, a very interesting question!



Well, I remember I *LOVED* Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" back in 1988. I enjoyed the tune, and I loved the way it skewered MTV and so-called rock stars. Well, when I first heard MFN/BH [piped in through the loudspeakers of -- of all places -- a men's locker room in a health club!!], I burst out laughing right there!! [And got some odd stares from men tying their shoelaces...] Al's juxtaposition of the BH lyrics to the MFN tune was sheer perfection -- and the video in UHF [as I was well familiar with the Dire Straits' video] made me howl. Later, I felt like mailing Prince a letter saying, "Thank you for your congenital anomaly of an absent sense of humor. Had you accepted Al's invitation, I'd have to listen to your crappy "Let's Go Crazy" instead of Dire Straits." Having an intense dislike of Prince well before any of his parody refusals, I'm not sure if hearing a parody of an artist I can't stand would be that enjoyable to me. So, Prince -- in the immortal paraphrased words of Eddie Kendricks -- keep on suckin', baby!!



Then again ... I'm not a huge fan of Mr. M, either. Though I admit to Em's writing talents and rap abilities being very good -- at times, even masterful -- I just can't stand his F*ing lyrics. And maybe that's why I adore "Couch Potato" -- Em's style with MUCH better lyrics!!



So, let's see ...

Parody of music I like and lyrics I like [MFN/BH] -- Good song

Parody of music I like and lyrics I don't [CP] -- Good Song

Parody of music I hate and lyrics I hate -- on the fence ...



... but as for the latter, if ANYBODY can make me like a song, it's AL ....





Dr. Dad

Well, when I first heard MFN/BH [piped in through the loudspeakers of -- of all places -- a men's locker room in a health club!!], I burst out laughing right there!! [And got some odd stares from men tying their shoelaces...]

I've never been in a room full of naked men, but I'd think that hearty laughter in that environment would be very liable to be taken the wrong way.

Then again ... I'm not a huge fan of Mr. M, either. Though I admit to Em's writing talents and rap abilities being very good -- at times, even masterful -- I just can't stand his F*ing lyrics. And maybe that's why I adore "Couch Potato" -- Em's style with MUCH better lyrics!!

Yup, if Al didn't exist we'd have to invent him.



I still think that it was the content of Nelly's lyrics that suggested the "filth" idea.

I've sadly heard the Which Backstreet Boy is Gay song. This was a while ago, one of my friends thought it was an Al song, and made me listen. Naturally, since he put the phone next to the speaker, he didn't hear me yelling into the phone that it wasn't an Al song.



He got a lecture from me after that incident.



-CindyBob

My review! Whoo!!



Songs

Couch Potato - Great lyrics, well imitated. A video would have been great.

Hardware Store - Not entirely funny lyrics, but the speed of the song makes it even funnier.

Trash Day - Since I was familiar with the original, it made the song all the more funny.

Party at the Leper Colony - Wish he'd left the "head as a dip" line out, but the rest of the song was choc-full of punny goodness.

Angry White Boy Polka - Don't know any of the songs, but the way they're arranged and performed is perfect

Wanna B Ur Lovr - Took 3 or 4 listenings to grow on me. Since then, I find it a well-written and sturdy original

A Complicated Song - I was disappointed to hear it was about constipation, but the related and decapitated parts took me by suprise and boosted the song to a tie with Couch Potato as my favourite parody.

Why Does This Always Happen To Me? - Ben was great on piano, the first verse was pretty good, and the last two were fantastic.

Ode To A Superhero - The timing was the only the thing wrong with this. Loved the accordian at the start, along with the few lines about Green Goblin.

Bob - I'm not familiar with Bob Dylan's music, but the palindromes were well timed and the music was groovy.

Ebay - As with Superhero, the timing was off. Not exactly the greatest parody, more as it was a listing of outrageous items that people will buy on Ebay. The "eee......e.." part saved this.

Genius in France - Not familiar with Zappa, didn't care for the French nicknames. The changing music style is well done, "sign my poodle" never fails to crack me up, and the "I'm so dumb" parts keep the pace moving.



Extras

Home Movies - Great commentary, introduction and end. I never really notice the length.

Photo Gallery - Not exactly great, but I do like the poses the band do and the Hawaiian Shirt Hut commercial.

Song Lyrics - Nice little addition, if only for the size of the printed lyrics.

Bonus Mixes - Instrumentals just don't do it for me. However, the vocal-only mix of Hardware Store and the Al & Ben mix of Why Does This Always Happen To Me? are interesting for a while.



All in all

Great album, possibably his best yet.

Disclaimer: I'm not an expert on anything Poodle Hat-related, so don't read my whole post, thinking you'll learn anything!!! I'm just ranting.



Hi everyone! . . . Scottidog, you remember me?? Why am I surprised: you must know this place inside out! (Still love all your avatars!)



So, Poodle Hat was finally released in Australia on June 6. You think I avoided this place for three weeks? No? Correct. After all that stuff I said about avoiding spoilers. . . I came back and read reviews. Duh. Not many though -- after a few days I managed to start avoiding this place. I don't really regret reading them, luckily I suppose! (By the way, love the new domain -- thanks WHiZZi! And cool graphic!)



What I did find a little annoying was, Avril made an appearance at my workplace. After May 20, but before June 6. I would've appreciated her visit much more if I already had Poodle Hat! eg, "Hmm, that's that Avril chick. Hmm. . . Decapitation! HA HA HA!"



Wha? Poodle Hat reviews? Oh, yeah. Heh.



(Note: I'm a newbie Al fan. Which is partly why I seem to have different views.)



Firstly, I like the album title. I think it's cute! I don't really care much how relevant or meaningful it is. And the poodle's cute! And I'm not even a dog person!



Onto the songs. I don't really like Couch Potato that much. Well, it's growing on me. Unfortunately, I have no idea about most of the TV references. I love "My butt is aching, as I watch NASCAR racing; that show about undertaking".



I don't like Hardware Store much either. Reminds me of that Tom Jones song, If I Only Knew. And Home Improvement! And Queen! :lookround: Yes, I love that verse.



I love Trash Day! Probably has something to do with the fact that I kinda like the original, as well as the fact that I've heard that song a lot, and seen the video a lot. Some of my favourite bits are: "and buddy, you should see the flies" "watch it biodegradin'" "it's so messy, can't find my toenail clippers" "I wipe my feet before I go outside" "unless you're gonna do it!!!" "let's watch it decompose" . . . And every line that starts with "you know" -- the way he says it!



Now Party At The Leper Colony. . . I don't like it much at the moment, but the weird thing is, I'm a pun person. Why don't I like it much? The style of music isn't exactly my favourite, so maybe that's why. . . Maybe it'll grow on me. At the moment, my favourite bits are the HEY!s. The song reminds me of I Want Candy, or whatever it is. . . By the way, I don't get the head dip thing that some people don't like. . . And I don't find the song offensive.



I don't know any of the originals in the Angry White Boy Polka bar the last two, but I like it! :lookround: Hmm. . . I like the way he sings "fleeting". . . I like the Last Nite and Outsides bits. And the "ooh wa a a a" is kinda beguiling.



Hmm. The "Slim Shaaaadyyy wooooon't youuuu pleeeeeeeeeeease, stand uuuuuuuuuuuuup! (stand up Shady!) (stand up Shady!) (stand up Shady!) Shady won't you please stand up! HEY!" seems to me like a comment directed at Eminem about his video refusal. Which I know it isn't, but it sounds like it!



I like Wanna B Ur Lovr. Some bits I like: "oohoo-hooh! oohoo-hooh! hoohoohoo! hoohoohoohoohoo!" "you'd look like Venus de Milo, if I just cut off your arms" "I hope I'm not being forward, but do you mind if I chew on your butt?" (which I don't consider at all risque -- just funny!) And the Jamaican bit. And the high-pitched screaming at the end (sounds like a cartoon character or something. Not sure).



I'm not familiar with Beck, apart from Loser.



I don't find the song at all offensive. Rather than being a song about innuendo, I see it as a song about a desperate loser. (Does that say anything about me? :lookround: )



A Complicated Song. . . By the way, I don't mind the song titles. Don't care if they aren't, um, clever, or whatever it is they could be otherwise! I like it! (Wish I'd heard it before I saw Avril!) I love the "uh huh. . . Ex-tra cheeeese. Uh huh. Uh huh. Save a piece for me!" I like the first verse. 'Cos it's about eating! And pizza! "Pizza all day, and every day!" The first chorus thing (I'm not good with musical terminology -- whatever the word is!) is OK -- I like the last line of it. Don't like the second verse that much, but love the second chorus thingy. And I love the rest! (I heard Complicated many many many times, thanks to the radio. I thought it was an OK song. I don't usually listen to the radio, and when I do it's pretty much always a station that plays 60s, 70s and 80s songs, but I went through a little phase which involved listening to a station that plays current pop.)



Why Does This Always Happen To Me isn't my favourite style of music. I think it's funny though. And a good song.



I like Piano Man. Probably 'cos I've heard it a few times throughout my lifetime so far (that sounds really dumb, but that's what I mean). So I like Ode To A Superhero. I haven't seen the movie, but luckily a coworker gave me a short rundown of the film back when it was showing ('cos he loved it), so I'm not completely clueless about it! I love some of the lines. Glider thing! Dumb Power Rangers mask!



I like Bob! Lots of people seem to think that it's a clever song, but not funny. I laugh out loud at it! 'Cos Al sounds like Bob! And the lyrics are silly! (I like silliness.) I don't even think that it's a clever song (well, the fact that it's clever doesn't stand out to me), I just think it's funny! I'm no expert on Dylan at all. I've only heard a couple of his songs on the radio. I just looked at the lyrics for the first time and I laughed at them. . . Yep, love silliness!



Hmm, Ebay. :biggrin: Heh, maybe I don't like it as much as I could, 'cos I probably made up alternative lyrics to I Want It That Way back when it was in the charts! (Probably about my cat! I made up lyrics to several songs, most of them about my cat. I never sat down and thought about it, and I never wrote any of them down. . . I just thought them up and practised them whenever the song came on the radio.) I like the original song, so that has some bearing on my liking of Ebay. But I don't have any knowledge of actual Ebay (apart from what it is) -- if I had some, it'd probably be funnier. My favourite bits: "Pez dispensers and a toaster" "Ebay-eeeeeeeeee. . . eeeeee. . . eeeeee. . ."



I'm in the dark about Zappa. No idea whatsoever. I love Genius In France nonetheless! This probably means I'd love Zappa's stuff, doesn't it? Should check it out sometime. Unlike some of you, I like the female vocals (and the "that's right!" in the middle!). I don't get tired of the jokes about being dumb, I really like some of those lines. . . I don't think the song's long -- it doesn't seem like nine minutes! I like the Perrier bit, the Provence bit, "take ze picture", "You ze man!", "haw haw haw haw haw". . . I'd like to see a video for this song! Not that it'll happen. But I can imagine a tractor. . . And "a little more to the left, boys". . . And everything else!



About the minor controversy -- to me, the song's about a loser. Not about insulting the French. I bet once Mr Genius settles in France, the French won't like him anymore!



So! There isn't a song that I don't like! And I laughed out loud throughout the album the first time I heard it; so it's funny! (Some things aren't laugh-out-loudable any more 'cos I've heard them so many times, but some still are! Bob!!!)



Other stuff. . .



I didn't think the home videos were that funny. :lookround: I thought there were some funny bits, but some of the time, I was like, "hmm". :lookround: I loved the circle thing! And: "More notebook paper!!! Thanks, Mom!!!" :biggrin:



Band pics: Jim -- whoa! :lookround:



Phew. Did I miss anything?? Did I put anything in there that wasn't supposed to be there??

Hi everyone! . . . Scottidog, you remember me??

Welcome back. Of course I remember you. I was feeling your pain at having to wait to PH. You and the rest of the non-USA-ers.

So, Poodle Hat was finally released in Australia on June 6.

What does yours look like? Is it the same as ours, can you scan it if it's different?

I don't really like Couch Potato that much. Well, it's growing on me. Unfortunately, I have no idea about most of the TV references.

I did a post about the references on CP... You can find it here. And I'm sure anyone here would be willing to explain what you still don't get.

Band pics: Jim -- whoa!

Indeed. I was thinking the same thing. All TBITB are looking good.

. . . By the way, I don't get the head dip thing that some people don't like. . .

I think it means that this person's head is chopped off, and Al is dipping food into the blood.