Philosophy
My Fellow Comedists,
This weekend we celebrate the 50th birthday of Weird Al Yankovic. I remember listening to a call-in interview show where a listener asked him if "Weird Al Yankovic" was his real name. Without missing a beat he responded that no "Weird Al" was not his given name, that his mother named him "Weird Alfred."
Weird Al is the contemporary Spike Jones. In the 40s, he led the City Slickers, a band that parodied big band swing hits of the day. They were goofy, they were clever, and most of all, they were extremely talented musicians. Spike Jones' run came to an end in the 50s with the rise of rock and roll which he said could not be parodied, being too much of a parody itself.
Perhaps he was right, but for a different reason. Parody requires twisting easily identifiable icons and rock and roll was too new to have the sort of figures and themes that could be played off of.
But by the late 70s/early 80s, it did and Al Yankovic was there with accordion in hand. From his parody of the Knack with "My Bologna" and the support of Dr. Demento (blessed be his name), he got a contract with Capitol Records. "Another One Rides the Bus" and "I Love Rocky Road" on his well received first album led the way to "Eat It" which landed him permanently on the cultural landscape. While he trades on silliness, his band is no joke, a very talented lot with his drummer Joe "Bermuda" Schwartz playing the part of Spike Jones' George Rock, his on-stage foil and gagman.
Happy birthday, Weird Al.
Here's some Spike Jones and Weird Al to celebrate:
- What Is Classic Rock?
I was flipping around the radio channel and when I got to the classic rock station, they were playing some late 90s hair band and it immediately made me think "hey, that's not classic rock." But then I started thinking about the referent of that vague...
- Poe's Law Nevermore?
Our friends Scott Aiken and bob Talisse have an interesting post up about the argumentative effects of Poe's law. Poe's law is: Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such...
- Roots Of Nerd Rock
There are a set of bands that are comprised of and have music aimed at nerds. Go to see Moxy Fruvous, They Might Be Giants, or Weezer and you'll be comfortably in the company of nerds galore. How far back does this movement go? Who are the founding...
- "weird Al" Yankovic - Word Crimes
You may remember that about a year ago Robin Thicke's song "Blurred Lines" created a storm of controversy when many critics complained that it trivialized sexual consent, thereby implicitly (if not explicitly) promoting rape culture ("I know you want...
- Hyde Park 1969 Redux...can The Rolling Stones Pull It Off?
Four decades plus...can the ageing Stones pull together a concert? "Rolling Stones to return to Hyde Park for concert after 44 years" Ageing rock band hit the road again, with Hyde Park concert and Glastonbury festival among gigs lined up for this summer...
Philosophy
The Feast of Saint Weird
My Fellow Comedists,
This weekend we celebrate the 50th birthday of Weird Al Yankovic. I remember listening to a call-in interview show where a listener asked him if "Weird Al Yankovic" was his real name. Without missing a beat he responded that no "Weird Al" was not his given name, that his mother named him "Weird Alfred."
Weird Al is the contemporary Spike Jones. In the 40s, he led the City Slickers, a band that parodied big band swing hits of the day. They were goofy, they were clever, and most of all, they were extremely talented musicians. Spike Jones' run came to an end in the 50s with the rise of rock and roll which he said could not be parodied, being too much of a parody itself.
Perhaps he was right, but for a different reason. Parody requires twisting easily identifiable icons and rock and roll was too new to have the sort of figures and themes that could be played off of.
But by the late 70s/early 80s, it did and Al Yankovic was there with accordion in hand. From his parody of the Knack with "My Bologna" and the support of Dr. Demento (blessed be his name), he got a contract with Capitol Records. "Another One Rides the Bus" and "I Love Rocky Road" on his well received first album led the way to "Eat It" which landed him permanently on the cultural landscape. While he trades on silliness, his band is no joke, a very talented lot with his drummer Joe "Bermuda" Schwartz playing the part of Spike Jones' George Rock, his on-stage foil and gagman.
Happy birthday, Weird Al.
Here's some Spike Jones and Weird Al to celebrate:
- What Is Classic Rock?
I was flipping around the radio channel and when I got to the classic rock station, they were playing some late 90s hair band and it immediately made me think "hey, that's not classic rock." But then I started thinking about the referent of that vague...
- Poe's Law Nevermore?
Our friends Scott Aiken and bob Talisse have an interesting post up about the argumentative effects of Poe's law. Poe's law is: Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such...
- Roots Of Nerd Rock
There are a set of bands that are comprised of and have music aimed at nerds. Go to see Moxy Fruvous, They Might Be Giants, or Weezer and you'll be comfortably in the company of nerds galore. How far back does this movement go? Who are the founding...
- "weird Al" Yankovic - Word Crimes
You may remember that about a year ago Robin Thicke's song "Blurred Lines" created a storm of controversy when many critics complained that it trivialized sexual consent, thereby implicitly (if not explicitly) promoting rape culture ("I know you want...
- Hyde Park 1969 Redux...can The Rolling Stones Pull It Off?
Four decades plus...can the ageing Stones pull together a concert? "Rolling Stones to return to Hyde Park for concert after 44 years" Ageing rock band hit the road again, with Hyde Park concert and Glastonbury festival among gigs lined up for this summer...