"Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic, the undisputed top dog of musical parody, returns from a four-year hiatus with a championship collection of all new parodies, original tunes and his signature polka medley on the new CD, Poodle Hat (Way Moby/Volcano). Produced by "Weird Al" Yankovic himself (as his albums have been for more than a decade), the disc includes 12 tracks on which the two-time Grammy winner and best-selling pop satirist unleashes his wit on songs by Eminem, Nelly, Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys and piano man Billy Joel. Al also digs into the nu-metal and garage rock crazes, crossbreeding hits by Papa Roach, System Of A Down, Rage Against The Machine, The White Stripes, Disturbed, Limp Bizkit and others on the medley, "Angry White Boy Polka." "Weird Al" Yankovic's award-winning penchant for finding absurdity in the mundane is evident on the lead track, "Couch Potato." Performed to the tune of Eminem’s smash hit "Lose Yourself," "Couch Potato" showcases "Weird Al" Yankovic’s winning MC style as he delivers intense, rapid-fire rhymes in this adroit social commentary on America's obsession with television, the media and celebrity.

Eminem is not the only artist who gets collared on Poodle Hat. On "Trash Day," "Weird Al" Yankovic transforms Nelly's "Hot In Herre" into a melodious ode to the tragic effects of waiting too long to take out the garbage, while his uproarious Avril Lavigne send-up, "A Complicated Song," is just that. Demonstrating his comic genius and chameleon-like vocal skills, "Weird Al" Yankovic ‘s homage to folk-rock icon Bob Dylan, "Bob," features a rare lyrical device -- each line of the song is a palindrome.

In the fine tradition of his previous movie-inspired send-ups, "Weird Al" Yankovic lampoons the 2002 blockbuster "Spider-Man" on "Ode To A Superhero," set to the tune of Billy Joel’s "Piano Man." Acclaimed alt-pop keyboardist Ben Folds performs on "Why Does This Always Happen To Me?," while Dweezil Zappa fires opening guitar salvos in his cameo appearance on the 9-minute opus "Genius in France," a tribute to Frank Zappa.

The true "Weird Al" Yankovic story begins in Lynwood, Calif., where young Alfred Yankovic honed his musical skills on the accordion his parents purchased from a door-to-door salesman and spent countless hours devoted to more typical boyhood pursuits: television, sci-fi movies, food and pop music. It seems only fitting then that "Weird Al" Yankovic, who holds a degree in architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, would use this unusual blueprint to construct one of the most unique and enduring careers in entertainment history.

Indeed, "Weird Al" Yankovic has emerged as a comic chronicler of pop culture, satirizing various musical genres and trends and demonstrating mind-bending versatility. The singer-songwriter first exhibited this gift in 1979, where as a college disc jockey he recorded "My Bologna," a spoof of The Knack's "My Sharona." A devoteé of musical satirists Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman and Stan Freberg, "Weird Al" Yankovic's budding career took off when the song became a sensation on radio’s nationally syndicated "Dr. Demento Show” (where Al subsequently recorded his live version of "Another One Rides The Bus" -- to the tune of Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust").

And thus the die was cast. Just a few years later, Al landed his first recording contract and has since created an extraordinary legacy of music and ground-breaking videos, including parodies such as “Eat It," "Like A Surgeon," "Fat," “Smells Like Nirvana,"
"Bedrock Anthem," "Amish Paradise," "The Saga Begins," and many others. In addition to directing his own music videos, "Weird Al" Yankovic has overseen clips for Ben Folds, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hanson and The Black Crowes. He also created the critically acclaimed opening title sequence to Disney’s spy movie spoof, "Spy Hard."

As his career grew, "Weird Al" Yankovic made the triumphant transformation from pop music satirist to multimedia star. He has appeared in his own television specials for MTV ("AL-TV"), Showtime and the Disney Channel, among others. In addition to his own network series ("The Weird Al Show" on CBS in 1997-98), "Weird Al" Yankovic also has been featured on many VH1 shows and specials including a profile on "Behind the Music" that continues to be one of the most popular installments in the history of the acclaimed series. In 2002 "Weird Al" Yankovic’s debut feature film, the 1989 cult classic “UHF,” which he co-wrote and starred in, became an instant Top Ten best-seller upon its release on DVD. In 2003, "Weird Al" Yankovic and his band guest-starred as themselves on “The Simpsons.”

In further testament to "Weird Al" Yankovic's enduring appeal, as he approaches his 25 th year of poking fun at pop culture, the satirist has amassed 25 Gold and Platinum album certifications in the U.S., Canada and Australia, as well as four Gold-certified home videos and a four-CD boxed set retrospective. He has won two Grammys (and eight nominations) and received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for "Smells Like Nirvana,” which was named among the "Top 100 Music Videos Of All Time" by Rolling Stone. "Weird Al" Yankovic's highest-charting, best-selling album to date, Bad Hair Day (1996), went to No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 where it stayed for 56 weeks and sold nearly 2 million copies.

A significant part of the Weird Al experience is his live performance. The show is a multimedia extravaganza featuring "Weird Al" Yankovic and his band performing songs spanning his illustrious career, in many cases simulating his music videos on stage with elaborate costume changes. On the most recent tour--which lasted 18 months--"Weird Al" Yankovic and company cut a wide swath across North America playing 250 dates in support of the Platinum-certified Running With Scissors.

Now, with Poodle Hat, his first recording of the new millennium, "Weird Al" Yankovic pursues new musical challenges with passion, hilarity and crisp, incisive wit as he once again exhibits the unequivocal style that has made him a national comic treasure.

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