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An Ode To Al

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the vixens-in-therapy-and-donners-still-nervous dept.

bwfcusa16 writes "The Boston Globe has up a feature story on Weird Al in its Sunday edition. The article refers to his staying power as prince of the parody. It's an ode to his determination, talent, and relevance ... and, of course, the funny." From the article: "Novelty artists--and he is one--have a notoriously short lifespan. They age badly, they run out of gags. But Al, by simply refusing to stop, has turned himself into a sort of cultural Geiger counter, ticking and squawking around the hot zones. The oddity of a humorist titling himself like a pro wrestler (there's no "Funny Jerry" Seinfeld) has long since worn off--he's the champ, and he's earned it.

6 of 199 comments (clear)

  1. This guy has staying power! by Salvance · · Score: 5, Interesting

    White and Nerdy - need I say more?

    There's no doubt that Weird Al is seriously funny. How many comedians or comedic singers are around for 25 years, and have people remember their songs? I doubt even funnymen like Adam Sandler will have followings like him in another 10-15 years. My personal favorite song ... 'This is the Life', probably released in 1985 or so. I eat filet mignon seven times a day, my bathtub's filled with perrier and I have women lined up outside my door, they've been waiting there since the week before, who can ask for more, this is the life. Genius =).

    While he had more duds than hits over the past 10 years, it seems like he's had some resurgance ... particularly over the past 2 years. Note: the link above is to a work-appropriate humor site I contribute to ... I couldn't resist, hopefully I don't get flamed too hard, I'm a die-hard fan.

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    1. Re:This guy has staying power! by Pseudonym · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I wonder what the chances of getting a slashdot interview with him would be.

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      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  2. Ultimate Proof of his Greatness by QuantumFTL · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For me, the proof that Weird Al really impacted our culture and was relevant was walking into a store and seeing, between "Rock" and "Country" an entire "Weird Al" section. I guess you just can't pin that guy down :)

  3. Re:Twenty years from now... by Robotech_Master · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I saw a quote in a signature file or blog entry or something that went something like:

    "If someone had told you in 1984 that in 2006 Michael Jackson = flameout and Weird Al = still relevant, you would have laughed your head off."

    It's just so true.

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    Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
  4. Weird Al's college days by Joosy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In 1980 I was a DJ with Weird Al at KCPR, the radio station at Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, California). For some idiotic reason the powers-that-be wanted the station to act like a commercial station, playing mostly the same bland hits that the commercial stations played. Someplace I've saved a hilarious interview in the student paper with Al, in which he says "They can tell me I have to play certain songs, but they never specified at what speed, or what direction to play them in!"

    He was a very friendly guy, by the way. Always upbeat and helpful to everyone even though he was already something of a star.

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  5. Slate ran a better Yankovich essay by TheViewFromTheGround · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Slate's Weird Al essay by Sam Anderson is infinitely more insightful and thoughtful than the Globe's coverage: "He's not like them, he's like us. To the millions of us flitting around the edges of hipness, he is our Geek Bard, our Troubadork. Unlike his prey--the rappers and the rockers, the folk-pop shamans and the techno wizards--Weird Al is, in the only meaningful sense of the phrase, keeping it real."

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    Online citizen journalism from the inner city: The View From The Ground