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Weird Al Says "Twitter Saved My Album"

Posted by samzenpus on from the 142-notes-or-less dept.

nudnik72 writes "Weird Al's latest album, Alpocalypse, was released today, but might not have if his fans hadn't taken his cause to twitter Al says. Yankovic had a well publicized disagreement with Lady Gaga's management over his parody of her song Born This Way. Within 24 hours of his fans spreading the word on the internet, Gaga's people reversed course and approved the parody, saying the whole thing was just a mix-up. The King of Pop Parodies explains that this wasn't the first time a music label and the parodied artist didn't see eye-to-eye."

15 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. The article fails to mention by DontLickJesus · · Score: 3, Informative

    A little show / podcast known as "Pop Culture Happy Hour" played a huge part in this as well.

    --
    Where genius and insanity become confused true wisdom is found
  2. Legally stream the entire album for free! by TheSpoom · · Score: 5, Informative

    Al released the entire Alpocalypse album for free legal streaming if you want to hear it before you buy. It's a great album!

    I preordered it (got the album a few days ago) and we're seeing a show in Toronto in July. Believe me, he and the band put on a hell of a performance.

    --
    It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
    - E. Debs
    1. Re:Legally stream the entire album for free! by TheSpoom · · Score: 3, Informative

      Also he recently released the video for Perform This Way (his Gaga parody) although fair warning, it's one of the more disturbing music videos I've seen. ;^)

      --
      It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
      - E. Debs
    2. Re:Legally stream the entire album for free! by Orgasmatron · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Holy crap. I'm going to have nightmares from that. Disturbing doesn't even come close.

      Still, Al is God. I hope she fire the tool that said no to Al without asking her.

      --
      See that "Preview" button?
    3. Re:Legally stream the entire album for free! by Dorkmaster+Flek · · Score: 4, Informative

      I saw him a few years ago in Toronto for the Straight Outta Lynwood tour, and he did play all his classic hits. I specifically remember Eat It and Amish Paradise both, and the encore was Albuquerque which was incredible to see performed live in its entirety. He opened the show with White & Nerdy and came out on stage riding a Segway. The show was fantastic, one of the best I've ever seen. There were costume changes between almost every song, and videos playing while they changed sets. It was a full-on multimedia show, not just a concert. If you get the chance to see him, do it. I'm seeing him again in a few weeks for the new tour. I'm really hoping he opens with the Gaga track and comes out of a chicken egg or something.

      --
      I like to think of online DRM as something akin to a college -- you pay for lessons until you learn something.
  3. huh? by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can't believe a person as big of a publicity hound as Lady Gaga would every have a problem with a Weird Al parody. It means at the very least you've done a track that has hit the public consciousness and that you're famous. Plus she's been on shows like Graham Norton where you're sure to get made fun of in a good natured way.

    Probably a goon in the entourage taking upon him/herself to make a decision.

    1. Re:huh? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The Internet rumor is that Lady Gaga herself loved the track but was not consulted. She was in the middle of a tour and her management made the decision for her.

      --
      Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. That's what she said by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Interesting

    No, not the joke, literally.

    LG said that her publicist had never actually sent her the song and just said no. Obviously full of himself unlike Lady GaGa, whom I admire because she is definitely doing this all from the understanding the whole thing is kind of a laugh...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  6. Re:I don't care who you are by Skarecrow77 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    His career and new music is still just as relevant (whatever level you deem that to be) after 30 years. Not too many artists performing today can say that.

  7. GigaGaga by Caerdwyn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From what I have seen in interviews, etc. Lady Gaga seems to have her head screwed on straight, a lot moreso than self-obsessed legal departments and Elvis-hip-gyration-fearing for-profit TV preachers. She's messing with the social meme-scape (there, I invented a word!) and doing so with intelligence. No surprise at all that she adores Weird Al and would think that being included in a Weird Al album is a high honor for a pop singer.

    And, no surprise at all that her label's lawyer-trash didn't bother to talk to her first. From my second-hand experience with label legaloids, they hold the performers in barely-concealed contempt, the fans in fully unconcealed contempt. Dante is not my model of theological thought, but I can agree with him on one thing: Bolgia Nine must be packed with RIAA lawyers and the legal departments that try to chain down the performers.

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    Everybody gets what the majority deserves.
  8. Is there still a place for Al? by jfengel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was an immense fan of "In 3D", and one of the most notable things about it is the polka versions of classics (Hey Jude, My Generation, etc.) Some of the parodies were pending classics, like Eat It, Rye or the Kaiser, and King of Suede.

    But we've run out of classics. Can you really parody Lady Gaga, herself essentially a parody of the music industry today?

    Al is a gifted musician; his grasp of style and ability to mimic it are extraordinary: Songs like Mr. Popeil and Dog Eat Dog show a tremendous grasp of what makes the B-52s and the Talking Heads distinctive. Often his original works are funnier than the parodies, especially since parody so often relies on the meat of source material. Today's source material doesn't seem to HAVE any meat.

    I looked at the video of his Lady Gaga parody. It's obviously a huge amount of work, and it's funny for that. That kind of effort is what Lady Gaga brings to the table, when the song material is forgettable.

    This is not a dig on Al; it's a dig on the music industry, which as we've often noted here is dying, and with good reason. I'm thrilled that Al is still applying his tremendous gifts. I just wish he had better stuff to work with.

    1. Re:Is there still a place for Al? by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 3, Funny

      ...especially since parody so often relies on the meat of source material.

      And no matter what you say about Lady Gaga, she had some meat for source material.

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      That is all.
  9. Re:Satire is Free Speech by SkimTony · · Score: 5, Informative

    Legally, you are correct. However, Weird Al has always had permissions to release parodies. It's not a question of legality, it's a question of being a nice guy.

  10. Record Label Owned By Sony by Appolonius+of+Perge · · Score: 3, Informative
    For what it's worth, the record label that published this, http://www.jiverecords.com/ is, according to Wikipedia, owned by Sony: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jive_records.

    This may or may not affect your purchasing decision.