Performer's longevity surprises even him
By REBECCA COUDRET, Courier & Press staff writer, 464-7509 or [email protected]
April 2, 2004
Married life has changed Al Yankovic. "I date a lot less now," the Weird man said.
And family life has allowed him to change his touring habits. "I was on the road for a year and a half," he said. Now that he's "Daddy" to 13-month-old Nina, he's completely revamped his professional life.
"I'm out for a week and a half, then home for a while, then out again," he said. "There's not going to be any 'Cat's in the Cradle' going on in my house!" Yankovic, now a very young 44, said this year's "Poodle Hat" tour is a continuation of last year's successful CD and show venture, "but other than the songs, it's the same as the rest of the tours. Not a real departure, just bigger and better. More costume changes. More film clips - more of the same, but bigger."
He laughed and added, "Way bigger. Way more exciting. You really need to see this show. Yeah, really. Even if you've spent money to see me before, you need to see me now. Again. Bigger and better."
Even in comedy - or maybe especially in comedy, he said, "any artist wants to top himself. With a new album comes a new tour, a new show. I am so lucky to have a very loyal - very wacky, but very loyal - fan base.
"The nice thing is that I've been able to keep a lot of the fans I made in the '80s. And it seems that with every album, a new crop of wackos discovers me and that keeps me going."
"Weird Al" admits that when he started his career in the mid-'70s, he never dreamed he'd be doing the same style of comedy today, mostly because he "never gave a whole lot of thought to the future."
He didn't have a five- or 10-year career plan because "you know better than to plan for that in the music industry. Who ever knows what's going to happen from week to week, much less over the years? To think I'd be doing this 25 years later was something I never considered."
Getting that first big break wasn't easy. "No one wanted to sign me," he said. "They figured I was just one of those one-hit wonders. It took a while for someone to decide I could make it.
"I think they decided that after I'd already made it."
In February, "Weird Al" won a Grammy Award for his "Poodle Hat" CD. "It didn't mean any less being my third Grammy, but it was my first since 1988. I wasn't eligible for about 10 years. They weren't accepting musical comedy in the comedy category."
He previously won for Best Comedy Recording in 1984 for "Eat It" and in Best Concept Video in 1988 for "Fat." And then came the drought - no chance to win because he wasn't eligible, wasn't nominated. "It didn't really make sense; I wasn't eligible in any category. I called it the Yankovic Exclusionary Rule. I think it applied to me and PDQ Bach. Whatever the reason, they changed it back - and I won. I've always thought that whether I win or not, it's great going to the Grammys.
"It's a great chance to see all the people I've parodied."
And that, of course, brings up another topic: Do those parodied people mind? Or do they see the parodies as more exposure, more chances to be in the spotlight?
"I mostly get a positive response from the people I've parodied, but then again, they always know about it. My peeps talk to their peeps to get the OK, so they're never surprised."
But are they always cooperative? "Mostly. Eminem let me do the parody 'Couch Potato' for the album, but he wouldn't let me do a video. And I heard he was none too pleased with the (CD) parody.
"That's, of course, their prerogative. I figure it this way: If I have any kind of mission, it's to deflate all those egos in the music business."
In addition to the musical parodies, his videos include interviews - interviews that never really happened. "All bets are off with those things," he said. "We get the interview footage from VH1, from archives, TV, anywhere, and then add in the questions or do some interesting editing.
"We don't get permission for those, and generally we're a bit harsher in those than normally, but so far I haven't heard back directly from anybody.
"Actually, when I do encounter the people I've parodied, most of the comments are positive. And they're pleased we've paid so much attention to detail. 'Dude, that third-verse guitar lick was awesome.' That kind kind of thing. Most realize what we're doing and appreciate the fun of it.
"And let's be honest, in a lot of cases, the parody helps the sale of their albums. A representative with Nirvana said they sold an extra million copies after my parody came out. Glad I could help out."
Does anyone live where they can get their hands on one of these? I'd love to have one...
I love that cover!
