"Weird Al" Reevaluated

[pmcd9]

I had an epiphany last night while watching Weird Al Perform.  I had always filed him away in a different place in my mind, probably because he does comedy music, but he's really one of my all time favorites regardless of style.  He's up there with the Beatles and Queen, Radiohead, etc... He's easily in my top 10.  I mean, how many artists do I have every single thing they've ever released? 

I just felt like sharing that.  I was just kinda wondering if I was alone here in my deep and abiding love of Weird Al.

Also, I told him I loved him.

[Nabubrush]

But do you have Weird Al ink?

[Asherdan]

I don't think loving Weird Al is a problem at all.

[jay-ell]

I am SO STOKED about going to see him in 2 weeks. I can count on two hands the number of concerts I've seen, but this one was a can't miss.

We're seeing him in Charlotte even though Durham is about 3 times closer, because it's also about 3 times more expensive, and that's INCLUDING the cost of a hotel room. Performing Art Center, Y U no have reasonable prices?

[littlefallsmets]

Man, I dunno.

I don't need to re-evaluate Weird Al, he rocked when I was ten, he rocked when I was twenty, he rocks now.

My opinion of the Al is blissfully static. I have written probably sixty parody songs I haven't done shit with, of course.

[pmcd9]

And that's why this is my favorite place on the internet.  I can trust you guys.  I mentioned tonight how much I enjoyed the concert at a birthday dinner party I was at and was met with much indifference.  Maaaan, if you are too cool for Weird Al, you are just too cool period.

[littlefallsmets]

If you are too cool for Weird Al, the cold is due to the fact that you are completely dead inside.

[theinevitable]

hey man, why you gotta hate on me for not liking weird al.

[greenkoolayd]

i became acquainted with weird al when i was a teenager.  he sure did make fun of stuff good.  over the years i have come to know of his musical/comedic genius.

i dont know if its because of the timing of him releasing material, or what, but my youngest brothers(19 and 21) both discovered weird al in their young teenage years, as well.  i dont think they really appreciate him/his work like most of us do, but still.

[littlefallsmets]

It is okay, Dan.

When you get all this taking seriously bands ironically named after fonts out of your system, The Al will be waiting there for you.

Waiting for you to be ready for the awesome.

The awesome has time, the awesome does not judge, the awesome knows that sometimes the path to it takes some time.

All that matters to the awesome is that you get there eventually.

[theinevitable]

I cannot imagine ever enjoying Weird Al.

See, TNV have a silly name. I never even thought what their name meant. They are just a fun band with a goofy name.

But Al? Al's entire thing is a weird schtick where he takes other peoples' songs and changes the words. I do not see myself maturing into someone who likes that kind of thing.

I do not understand a worldview where having a silly band name is worth months and months of furious message board posts, but having a band where the whole thing is a joke is the coolest thing ever. Having a silly band that bangs out stupid chords is horrific, but having a band where the message seems to be "notice how silly mainstream rap is!" is awesome? I don't get it.

[littlefallsmets]

The difference between Post-Intelligencer New Roman and Weird Al is the difference between not taking things seriously as an affectation to seem cool and secretly seriously worrying about unserious you are seeming and... not taking things seriously just to have fun but doing it really really fuck*ng well because what's a fun time without going all out?

A lot of Al's covers are better performed than the originals and the guy's got a lot of great songs he wrote in the style of other bands without being direct parodies or totally original and just fuck*ng tremendously funny.

And his live shows use costume changes and multimedia songs between songs better than anyone in popular music basically ever? Yeah, basically ever.

It is the difference between The Fonz being cool because he desperately wants to be cool and Garrison Keillor being cool because he loves what he does and does it really fuck*ng well.

You'll get there, Dan, you'll see. I have faith in you. Al has faith in you. The Awesome has faith in you.

[KeithHernandez]

A lot of Al's covers are better performed than the originals and the guy's got a lot of great songs he wrote in the style of other bands

I don't like weird al, but yeah, that ain't really relevant.  It is kinda hard (impossible) to do that unless you change the style of the song.  Performing a copy of a song will never be better.

If I hear a cover of a song that is in the same style/genre as the original I turn it off immediately.  Weird Al has more to offer, but that is still a silly thing to say.

[jay-ell]

i became acquainted with weird al when i was a teenager.  he sure did make fun of stuff good.  over the years i have come to know of his musical/comedic genius.

i dont know if its because of the timing of him releasing material, or what, but my youngest brothers(19 and 21) both discovered weird al in their young teenage years, as well.  i dont think they really appreciate him/his work like most of us do, but still.

I wonder if there's a generation gap here. I mean, I grew up listening to Weird Al, too, and I love it in part because it makes me laugh and in part because it makes me feel like a kid again. But I wonder if you had to be there. I wonder if you had to "know him when" he was just trying to get his tapes on Dr. Demento to truly appreciate the story of a class clown growing up to live the dream of getting millions of dollars just to be goofy and make people laugh.

The thing that amazes me about Al is that he really can emulate any musical style. He makes it look effortless, too. I can't find the interview now, but I remember reading that he really struggled with the lyrics for his parody of Lose Yourself because he wanted to make it sound as good as the original, but Eminem's rhymes were so tightly structured that it really challenged him as a writer*.

I don't know if you can "mature" into liking Weird Al. I think perhaps you have to be the kind of person who listened to him when you were still immature, and to be willing to let yourself devolve a bit to truly enjoy it.

*Edited due to memory fail.

[theinevitable]

oh good lord do I hate me some Garrison Keillor. How can you even compare that horrible snooty NPR humor to Weird Al. I can at least appreciate that Weird Al would have been funny to me maybe when I was younger.

Jesus Christ, Garrison Keillor.

I can't find the interview now, but I remember reading that he really struggled with the lyrics for his parody of Lose Yourself because he wanted to make it sound as good as the original, but Eminem's rhymes were so tightly structured that it really challenged him as a writer*.

I can appreciate this. I have heard the Al version of this song, and it didn't do that White People Rapping thing where they seem to think rapping just means the end of every line rhymes, with no meter or internal rhyme. That makes me glad.