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Ask Al

Why is weird al is not sending messages at ask al why? Favi4et 22:51, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

If you're asking when will Weird Al answer more questions, the submission page specifically states "The next 5 answers will be posted... when he's good and ready!" So just be patient. If you're having problems actually submitting questions, check things like your cookies and cache. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 00:54, 26 February 2007 (UTC)
The other explanation could be that... he's Weird. Wahkeenah 01:11, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

He aint never going to be ready and good. 64.109.167.144 13:20, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

Uh, ok? When he's good and ready he will, which will probably be soon. Or maybe during a dead time of the tour. Lamename3000 04:02, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Futurama?

It says at the start of the article he has appeared in "shows such as The Simpsons, Futurama, and Behind the Music." In what episode of Futurama did he have a cameo in? I've seen them all, and never seen him.

I know he appears briefly in The Cryonic Woman in one of the cryonic tubes, but not a major role in the ep. I believe this is his only appearance on the show. --WillMak050389 14:13, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

It's not a speaking role. He's just seen in the background in a cryogenics tube.The Great Morgil 23:57, 3 March 2007

(Eulric 00:55, 23 June 2007 (UTC) Weird Al is not in any episodes of Futurama I own all four volumes and seen them all twice he is not in any episodes although that would be cool and it might happen since he was on the Simpsons.

Captialization

I respect and observe Wikipedia's naming standards for article titles, but I have been going through (and it's taking a long time) and making the in-article (ie. not having to do with an actual link) song and album names as they have been published since the start -- with all first letters captialized (save for "eBay"). The only one I'm not touching right now is the extended title for the UHF album (not sure if that "and" was capitalized). T.J. Fuller, Jr. 05:52, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

Common used words such as the, a, of, in are not supposed to be capitalized per just common English. Look at the title of the cover of any book you own, and it will show the non-capitalization. The mid-title words should not be capitalized. Michael Greiner 14:59, 9 March 2007 (UTC)
That is the general guideline for English-language titles, but things such as iPod and eHarmony are proper nouns that go against that standard. Now, I know that those can be debunked as items of trademark, but does artistic license mean nothing? I mean, when a guy releases his stuff in a capitalizationally-consistent manner, doesn't that stand for anything? T.J. Fuller, Jr. 04:02, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Music

Albuquerque was played on 10 March 2007 as part of the Straight Outta Lynwood tour. regen_nz 9:44 11 March 2007

To be specific it was performed as the encore. - John 210.246.0.177 21:45, 10 March 2007 (UTC)
I'm not sure why this is being discussed here. --Maxamegalon2000 21:47, 10 March 2007 (UTC)
Thus, the line in question regarding Albuquerque as a one-time concert song has been removed. I 100% support that. Thanks!Lamename3000 07:50, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
There's another error - it says he also played Drive Thru in NZ - but he only played some of it. (Relevant as the article is refering to the length of the song) 203.97.51.149 19:42, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
Fixed. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 06:12, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
He also performed Alberquerque as an encore at the Melbourne performance of the tour (and one would assume he will at every performance). Drive Thru was also played in a shortened version (as were many other songs, such as A Complicated Song). Glennnnn 04:15, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

He played Abluquerque as the Encore in Tweed Heads too. Guess it's a staple now then :D

Also as an encore in Wollongong as well Ka5hmir 07:14, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

Albuquerque was played at every show on the tour. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 09:46, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

Cover or Original?

i could never figure out if Wierd Al's songs would be considered covers, or if they counted as originals.

His songs are either originals or parodies. (Depending on the song of course) Michael Greiner 21:30, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
He also does Polka medleys of original songs.
A little less than half his songs are parodies (such as "Eat It" and "Like a Surgeon"). Most of the rest are original songs (such as "One More Minute"), but most of the originals are called "pastiches", meaning that they're in the style of a particular artist he likes ("Dare to be Stupid" is in the style of Devo, but it's not a parody of any specific song). There are the polka medlies, in which he doesn't re-write the lyrics or the melody, but each song is generally only represented by a verse and/or chorus (and, of course, done in a different style). There are only two oddball selections which could be considered cover songs. "George of the Jungle", from Dare to be Stupid, is note-for-note and word-for-word a cover of the classic TV theme song. And "Bohemian Polka" is his only polka tribute that's all one song rather than a medly, and thus could be considered to be a cover tune, but in a completely different style.
And for the record, it's Weird Al, the word "Weird" isn't that hard to spell, especially when it's staring you in in the face at the top of this page, in your browser's titlebar when you're viewing this page, and scattered around elsewhere on the article and talk page. - Ugliness Man 07:59, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

I think misspelling is allowed on a discussion page. The Manchurian Candidate 03:38, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Weird Al Star Fund

Donations have started up again. Seems like the fee for the star have been raised $10,000 by the moneybag grabbing people in the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Maybe someone can add that in? I still haven't figured out the correct way to cite sources yet, but all the info is on the main WASF page. Lamename3000 07:35, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Updated. Check WP:CITE for info on citing sources. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 00:49, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

Spicks and Specks

Should I add that Al guest-stared on the Australian music quiz show 'Spicks and Specks' on Wednesday 14th of March?

Hey wikipedians, just thought I'd say that the atlanitc records sucks shirt wasn't there at the tweed heads concert, so maybe it was a one time thing? WHO KNOWS.

Dude i think he should make up a nick name!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. for God's sake every one keep spelling it wrong!!!!!!!!!, he doesnt deserv that!!!


There never was an "atlantic records sucks" shirt. Ever. There was the White and Nerdy hoodie, but that's about it in the way of White & Nerdy-based shirty goodness.

And as for your complaint about his name, well, that's just stupid. Learn to use proper grammar (for a start, exclamation marks are only needed once, go at the end of sentences, and replace full stops). Taylor 11:17, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Way to rip off an IP's head. A read of WP:BITE is order for you. BTW, Al did wear an "Atlantic Records Sucks" shirt while performing You're Pitiful at a concert in Australia (might have been New Zealand). Michael Greiner 14:03, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
Indeed, I have seen the Atlantic Records Sucks shirt in person, and have linked to a photo of said shirt in the references. It was not merchandise (as our angry friend Taylor apparently seems to believe); it was part of his hilarious YP outfit. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 01:53, 13 April 2007 (UTC)
I just saw Weird Al in concert last night (8/5/07) in Raleigh NC and he performed "you're pitiful". His last shirt was indeed the "atlantic record sucks" shirt. the main page needs to be changed. he also had a spongebob face t-shirt, and the last thing he removed was his pants to reveal a tutu and fishnet stockings. i'm not making this up. it did fit though with the songs message of being "pitiful" to be dressed so weird. Yoduh99 15:57, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

Picture: vote for change

Do we prefer the current one, or would we like a new, clearer one? I could crop the new one, such that "you can actualy see his face" to quote the person who reverted my edit of the new one. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 02:43, 29 March 2007 (UTC)


Honestly, I think once his US tour starts next month we'll have a lot more options. --Maxamegalon2000 03:08, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
Good point... Feel kinda silly now. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 05:36, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
I really like the current one. I don't think we should change it to any concert pictures, unless they are clear pictures from after concert meet+greets, for example. Lamename3000 05:47, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
I have row five tickets on the center aisle for a concert in August so I'll try to take some pictures then. --Michael Greiner 03:43, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia Release Version 0.7

I have passed the nomination for this article to be part of Wikipedia Release Version 0.7 based on it's quality and importance. Greeves (talk • contribs) 02:05, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

The Devil Went Down to Jamaica?

This song is commonly tagged by being Weird Al, but the Not Al says its by David Allen Coe, and thats not right either, cos I can't find the album with that song on it. So who did TDWDtJ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 4.154.241.58 (talk) 06:10, 21 April 2007 (UTC).

Travis Meyer. Look right under it.[1] Gdo01 06:13, 21 April 2007 (UTC)
How ironic, Weird Al perpetuating the exact "misinterpretation" issue he himself hates :-) SmUX 00:29, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
The Not Al page isn't maintained by Weird Al. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 04:16, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Personal Life

I read somewhere that Al was a born again christian, if this is true should it be included on here? It may not be true however, does anyone know?

If he became a christian, we should include it, but definitely not call him "born-again".--Orthologist 13:45, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
There is a discussion in the talk page archives about religion. Michael Greiner 19:30, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Why would you not call him "born again"? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.8.9.240 (talk) 21:43, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Because he's always been Christian. Born again people are ones who lost their faith and regained it. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 02:02, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

I personally don't find "Weird" Al to be that weird.


0-------------------- sign your freakin comment person above me He has NOT "always been a Christian." "born-again" refers to a spiritual term used by Christians, click on it to read more. either way i dont care if you put it in. theres no reliable sources yet saying this is true anyway --Joooeeeelllll 05:48, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Okay, explain why (or how you know that) he hasn't always been Christian - has he converted faiths or anything? If it's a matter of semantics you're upset about, would you prefer I'd said "He's always followed the Christian faith"? In future, it'd be appreciated if you were more civil on the talk page. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 06:31, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

So, I guess my post should have gone here - sorry, I am new to this. There is a source that states that Weird Al is active in his Church community, and another that names the specific church. But like I said below, I would not want to link to it. Even though the name of the church is up on the internet, it is difficult to find. I was able to find the webpage only by Googling "Weird Al [SPECIFIC NAME OF CHURCH] - happening to already know what church he attends. (I know because my close friend attends the same church.) I do not know when he became a Christian, etc., but you could call him Born Again, yes, because he was born into the world on his birthday (first birth), and then burried his spiritually-dead self to be reborn spritually alive in Christ at the point when he made the decision to turn his life over to Him. In away he said, "die, selfish desires, die - I choose God's way, not my way." He disowned his sin-nature, and made the decision to follow God instead of his sinfulness. That is essentially what being "born again" is all about. However, I would not personally use that lingo (born again) becuase it is so frequently misunderstood/misinterpreted. It is what many people would call "Christianese," and unfortunately, brings up the picture in many people's minds of one person hitting another upside the head with a leather-bound King James Bible! Incidentally, even if he was raised Christian and was one virtually his whole life, there was still a point when he chose to make his faith his own, and not simply his parents'. There was still the point when he made the decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly.Psychandtheology 04:12, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

As I said below, either add the source or don't add the info to the article. --Michael Greiner 04:17, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
The way I read it, including this information would violate WP's stance for biographies of living people, specifically the presumption of privacy. Details of the church Al attends (even if publically available), while not "harming" him directly, is violating privacy details. Plus, again, beyond stating that he converted to Christianity, is it absolutely necessary to include such details? What does this do to help understand Al's bio? --Masem 04:41, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
I agree with you, Masem. I would NEVER divuldge on a public site like this - even this talk forum, as anyone can view it - what church Weird Al attends. (Even if Wikipedia's policy demanded it instead of forbade it!) So, I can accept that means that since we can't cite it without violating his privacy, we cannot describe the sort of church he attends, either (since we would lack a citation for it withough divulging the actual church). Like I said, I'm new to this, and just trying to ask questions to figure out how the rules work, and whether Weird Al's Christianity can be ellaborated on at all while working within ethical boundaries and the rules of Wikipedia. - psychandtheology 66.215.84.7 05:35, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
When contributing to the article, I generally follow my self-set rule which states "don't say anything that Al himself hasn't already confirmed." That way, I figure, we're safe from invasions of privacy and all the mess that can cause. So in this case, unless he specifically states "I go to this church", it should be left just mentioning he's a Christian. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 09:52, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Vegan

He has been Categorised as Vegan, and is in the "Vegan Bands" list, but this article makes no mention of his full conversion to Veganism. Vampus 17:39, 10 May 2007 (UTC)

Read this archived discussion, Talk:"Weird_Al"_Yankovic/Archive_2#Vegetarian_or_Vegan. There is a paragraph that describes his eating preferences in the "New look, personal life, and career to present" section of the article. Michael Greiner 22:24, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
Just read it now, but it doesn't explain why the main article lists him as one thing (vegetarian) and the category section lists him as another (Vegan). Vampus 02:21, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

He is a vegetarian; nowhere has he ever confirmed he has stopped eating dairy products. Stop changing it! ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 02:39, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

I submit the following: [2]. --Maxamegalon2000 20:17, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

He is a vegetarian, and also tries to avoid eating eggs and dairy products. This is on either his main website or his Myspace - I think the former. I was say, then, that the most accurate way to put it is that he is a vegetarian with vegan tendencies.66.215.84.7 05:28, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

That last comment was from me (sorry, forgot to sign in). Anyway, here is the reference (probably going to do this wrong): http://www.weirdal.com/faq.htm Psychandtheology 06:26, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Presidents

Is it worth mentioning in the reactions section that in several live performances the Presidents of the United States of America have concluded Lump with the line "And that's all I have to say about that", a la Weird Al's Gump, as opposed to "Is this lump out of my head" as is heard in the original recording? If any resources are needed, the line shows up in the live version of Lump on Pure Frosting and in several performances on YouTube. 74.75.214.89 01:46, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

You would have to find a secondary source that notes this; anything else would be original research. --Maxamegalon2000 02:06, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Weird Al on SNL & Fridays

My wife told me she remebers Al appering on SNL & Fridays in the 1980s. She also told me, although I don't know if it went on any albums, that he did a parody of a parody of American Pie called Chicken Pot Pie, and a parody ofTaxman called Pac-Man. Is this true? Should we put it in? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 63.228.104.241 (talk • contribs).

Find a reliable source. BTW, Chicken Pot Pie is a parody of Live and Let Die by Wings. Michael Greiner 01:33, 6 June 2007 (UTC)
I don't know about Fridays, but she may be confusing SNL with "Welcome to the Fun Zone", a summer replacement series for SNL starring Dr. Demento; Al appeared on the show's premiere, and the song "Fun Zone" was originally written as a title song for the series. --Maxamegalon2000 03:39, 6 June 2007 (UTC)
The parody of American Pie was "The Saga Begins" SmUX 00:31, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
"Chicken Pot Pie" and "Pac-Man" are real parodies by Weird Al. However, they were concert-only songs and thus haven't been released. See [3] for more information. --Temporarily Insane (talk) 01:00, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Are These Weird Al, Or Not?!?

My wife is a HUGE Al fan. We have all his albums, and my Wife says she had something called "The Basement Tapes" that had the below song parodies on them. I couldn't find any of them on the NOT AL PAGE, so could a true fan tell me if any of these are real, or if my wife is thinking of BOB RIVERS, or someone else? If they are really AL, can we put them in his SONGS BY WIERD AL page?

SONGS:

  • 1) My Pants Fell Down.......(Parody of "Send In The Clowns")
  • 2) Are You Gonna Feed My Squrriel... ("are you gonna be my girl")
  • 3) If You Like Ronald McDonnald ( "(Escape) The Pina Colda Song")
  • 4) Wild Rice..... ("Wild Boys")
  • 5) Stairmaster To 7-11 ("Stairway to Heaven")
  • 6) Freeballin'.... (Free Fallin')
  • 7) Bored at the PTA ("Born In The U.S.A.)
  • 8) Wish It Wern't Platonic... ("Ironic")
  • 9) Stacy's Dad... ("Stacy's Mom")
  • 10) She Shops......("She Bop")
  • 11) Old Wigga.... ("Gold Digger"
  • 12) Barley Alive....("Stayin' Alive")

I don't remember hearing any of these, even on Dr.Demento's shows, where I know he played alot of Al's homemade recordings, (Like "You don't take your showers...") but I could be wrong.-- T. Sanchez 6/15/07

[4] <-list of released songs. I highly, highly doubt that any of these songs are by Al. The basement tapes songs were recorded in the 80's, well before most of the songs parodied on your list were written by their original artist. Michael Greiner 02:18, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

(Eulric 00:57, 23 June 2007 (UTC) On Weird Als talk page at his website he gives a list of supposedly written songs by him that arent really by him.

Nevermind... My wife just told me she was thinking of G.G. Allin --207.225.245.31 19:20, 23 June 2007 (UTC)T. Sanchez

#8, maybe its different, but i know the band KC AND THE GLOWORMS did a song called "is it a plutonic" as a parody of ironic.....but maybe theres another one called platonic --Joooeeeelllll 05:40, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Songs

Isn't there a song list for Weird Al, because missing on some songs isn't very helpful. I only know one educational Weird Al song though. It's called Pancreas. But anyway, someone should make a list of all the songs that Weird Al has made, not just the ones he wins awards for. ☺EfansayT/C☺ 10:51, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic already exists. It was linked to right under the heading of "Yankovic's work" in this article. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 11:07, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

Weird Al Can't Play The Accordian?

My wife has recently told me that Al cannot play the accordian anymore due to the wrist pains, and the like. She has told me that John Linnell plays on alot of the albums, uncredited. Is this true? Should we put this in as fact?—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.225.245.31 (talk • contribs).

Considering your wife's batting average with these assertions, I'd say no, and ask how sounds are made to come out of the accordion he holds during concerts. --Maxamegalon2000 04:37, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
Well, my wife is pretty versed in this subject. As a victim of Down Syndrome, she found joy and humor in his music, and has followed his career for years. I know her knowlege would be concidered "original research", but still, this is something we should look into. If verified, it should go into the article, as it is a pretty important fact.- --207.225.245.31 18:54, 23 June 2007 (UTC)T. Sanchez
As you said, if you can find a source. However, I doubt the veracity of this claim since his latest CD includes a video that shows him in the studio for Straight Outta Lynwood, and I'm pretty sure I saw him playing there. --Temporarily Insane (talk) 01:08, 24 June 2007 (UTC)
No one can play an accordian, Al however plays the accordion. BTW, I found nothing concerning/supporting this. Michael Greiner 01:29, 24 June 2007 (UTC)
SORRY...the spell check on our computer has not worked since I spilled an entire mountain dew Big-Gulp onto the keyboard. What website or interchat did you go to to find out this is not true?

If it is not, I will not put it into the article, and tell my wife she was wrong. She maintains her claim it this point, however. T. Sanchez 4:38 25 June 2007

How does spilling something on your keyboard affect the spell check ability of your computer? Also, with all the mis-labeled songs credited to Al floating on the internet, it is hard to take any original research as any credible source. LN3000 00:09, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
I am not sure what happened to our computer spell check, but I will do research on it at the library. In any event, no one has told me where I can go to find out if the above (Linnell playing on the albums) is true or not. At this point, I am only about 90% sure it actually happened, because, as I said, my wife has alot of info on Al in her files. I will do more researches (looking on webzines, interchats, and others) and update this page when I find what I am looking for. I will also check TMGB homeweb and look there.- T. Sanchez 5:19 pm, june 26 2007
Good luck with catching that wild goose. It's BS, pure and simple. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 05:31, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
Actually... Here is a .mp4 (and here is a .wmv version) of Weird Al playing the accordion live on Australia's Triple J radio show Myf, Jay and The Doctor. You'll have to skip forward a little bit, as it's the whole vodcast of jtv (or is it jtv XL?). It's a video, and proof that Al can still play the accordion and doesn't need a member of They Might Be Giants to play it for him. Shall we consider this dropped once and for all, please? ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 10:46, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
Well... I think that T. Sanchez is right about one thing. I know for a fact that someone credited as J.Linnell has played on at least Dare to Be Stupid and Polka Party!, because I'm reading the albums credits as we speak. I don't know what instrument he played on these albums, but considering the squeeze box is his trade... Also, footage of Al playing currently does not mean he can play it all the time. Playing one song is alot different than laying down multi tracks and songs in a studio over a period of months. An ex-ballplayer may be called on to throw out the first pitch of a game, but he ain't gonna take the team to the playoffs. Anyhow, Cheers! Charles 10:00, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
Explain his live concerts, then. And the Straight Outta Lynwood making-of documentary and common bloody sense. I'm sorry, this is really frustrating me and I think it's best if I stop checking the talk page for a while, eh? ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 01:53, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
Also explain why Al alone is listed for playing the accordion for his last 4 studio albums. (SOL, PH, RWS, & BHD) Also, Gromreaper please stay on the page at least until July 9th. (Day when I come back from vacation, so can keep the page in check) --Michael Greiner 03:57, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
Ok, just for you. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 13:04, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
Oh, and I see no mention of a "Linnell" on "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Players, and the only guest accordionists are Frankie Yankovic and Those Darn Accordions. Case freaking closed now, I believe. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 01:39, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
Oops, not yet. There's still the matter of the Dare to be Stupid album credits, isn't there? Charles has seen them! So have I. Don't want to take my word? Very well then, be my guest.
My copy of the LP
Cropped to show the credits. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 01:56, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
I guess my wife is wrong. Sorry To waste your time Gromreaper, and others.--Fernwood 17:52, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that Weird Al had some issues with his wrist that were resolved. I mean, accordians don't look to be exactly ergonomic, and I can EASILY see how they could cause issues if you played a lot. In fact, I'd be surprised if Weird Al never had any concerns about his wrists. But then, I'm sure a little physical therapy would (and presumablely did) do the trick. No big deal.Psychandtheology 06:35, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Song Writting Question

Does anyones know; A) Are all of Al's song parody wirtten by him, and B) If not, should we mention in the article that he sometimes works with outside songwriters, (which I have heard he has), somewhere in the article. In a nutshell: can and/or do people send him material to record, how do they do it, and what percent of submissions get recorded? I feel, if any of this does happen, we should find a place for it. --Fernwood 02:40, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Al has explicitly said don't send him stuff about your own parody ideas. Seen here halfway down the page. So, in a nutshell, people can send him stuff to record, but he will record 0% of that stuff and throw it out. Michael Greiner 03:37, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Can I send my song ideas to Al? Sorry, for legal and personal reasons, Al does not accept song ideas from fans (he's got plenty warped ideas on his own!) You might try following in Al's footsteps by recording your songs and sending them to Dr. Demento - maybe you'll hear yourself on the radio!

All of Al's songs are written by him. The only song that the idea came from another source was "Like a Surgeon" which was suggested directly from Madonna, and it is already noted in the article (I assume, since it's common knowledge). Al obliged. That is the only case of Al using someone else's suggestion. Every other song is 100% from the mind of Al. LN3000 03:54, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
Um...the Madonna thing's there now... Seems it wasn't there like I thought; I was going to put it in months ago but I guess I couldn't get the wording right then. Hope it sounds alright now. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 13:49, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
Yeah, sorry I assumed it was there. I mean, why WOULDN'T it be? :D It's such a well-known and frequently talked about story in regards to Al. Thanks for adding that in. LN3000 15:46, 28 June 2007 (UTC)
Actually, I doubt he writes ALL of the music himself. This has not been proven. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.35.187.128 (talk)
What, did your wife say something about Allan Sherman's ghost helping Al write "Confessions Part III"? It's a fact that Al writes his songs entirely by himself. Here is a link where he describes how and when he writes the lyrics to his songs. Here, he talks about the music-writing process. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 05:54, 30 June 2007 (UTC)
That's not the same anonymous user... --Temporarily Insane (talk) 15:04, 30 June 2007 (UTC)
He didn't write George Of The Jungle, Or any of the Lyrics in his Polkas. He also does not write the MUSIC to the song parodies. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.35.187.128 (talk)
(My god, that's a lot of :s!) Haha, appears you caught me out on a technicality. Good work, anonymous user person. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 02:35, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

Weird Al/Dom Ameche Question

How did Al meet Dom Ameche, and how did he get him too appear on the Peter & The Wolf album. Also, since this album is long out of print, and only my wife has heard it in our household, what did he do on the album. My wife cannot remeber, but she said it was pretty funny!--71.35.187.128 19:01, 2 July 2007 (UTC)

Your wife again? Ugh.... Don Ameche was not in Peter and the Wolf. Al's mention of him was a JOKE. LN3000 21:12, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
No Personal Attacks. Read the rules of Wikipedia before you post again.--71.35.187.128 23:35, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
I didn't see a personal attack there. Some of us are just getting tired of the sudden arrival of a number of anonymous users whose only edits are the addition of absurd claims and questions to talk pages backed only by the recollection of the user's wife. --Maxamegalon2000 23:45, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
Thank you! There's a difference between saying "You're a worthless loser who needs to kill yourself immediately" (personal attack) and saying "We're sick of nonsense being added here repeatedly." (trying to maintain a sensible talk page) ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 02:36, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
Please excuse me, I didn't mean it as a personal attack. LN3000 03:18, 3 July 2007 (UTC)
No "claims" were made. Only some questions about the artist, and if certain edits should be made. No "nonsense" has been added. None. Nothing absurd. Nothing. This is slander.

Style parodies in album articles.

I went to the Dare to Be Stupid article and noticed that for the song "Slime Creatures from Outer Space", it referred to it as a style parody of "Hyperactive" by Thomas Dolby. I edited it, removing the song title. Then I started looking at the articles for some other albums, and many of them have specific songs mentioned as the subject for style parodies. I want to present my case here before I start mass editing. Below is my argument, and I'd like some feedback.

Style parodies are, by definition, not song parodies. For example, "King of Suede" is a parody of "King of Pain" by The Police, but "Velvet Elvis" is just a general style parody of The Police (that album's article currently names 2 Police songs as inspiration, but doesn't blatantly refer to it as a style parody of those songs). Many of his style parodies bear strong similarities to specific songs ("Germs" has elements of both "Terrible Lie" and "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails), and in such cases, similarities may be noteworthy if there's general consensus, but I think it should be phrased differently. In the "Slime Creatures" example, if there was consensus that the similarity to "Hyperactive" is noteworthy, perhaps it should read 'style parody of Thomas Dolby, with similarities to the song 'Hyperactive'"... maybe that's too wordy, but something to that effect would be appropriate. There needs to be a clear line between straight parody ("King of Suede") and inspiration ("Velvet Elvis"), and simply stating that it is a "style parody" before naming the specific song (which in some cases is pure OR) is insufficient and possibly misleading.

I felt it was more efficient to discuss this here and come up with some sort of general idea, rather than mention it in the individual album articles. Thoughts? Reflections? Pie? - Ugliness Man 23:27, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Sure, I'll have some pie. Anyway, yes, I agree with everything you said. The Straight Outta Lynwood article is a good example of how style parodies should be handled. It really bugs me when I see a single song listed as the sole inspiration for the style parody, because Al specifically states they're not meant to sound like one song but the artist's entire catalogue. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 01:34, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
If it's not a direct parody, it's not a parody. End of story. Sounding similar to something is not making light of it. Are the Stone Temple Pilots a "Parody" of Pearl Jam? Is Tom Petty a parody of Bob Dylan? Are the Monkees a "parody" of the Beatles? If Al claims he is doing "Style Parodies" he needs to use a different term. My source on this is pretty solid — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.35.187.128 (talk)
If this wasn't what you meant, ignore this comment. I think you're missing the point of a style parody. Weird Al intentionally makes his "style parodies" sound like an artist (even if they're sometimes humorously over the top). "Bob", for example, was styled that way musically after Al realised if he sang the nonsense palindrome lyrics with a nasally twang, it reminded him of a song Bob Dylan would write. "Mr Popeil" was written specifically to sound like a song by The B-52's. "Dare to be Stupid" was written to be an over the top parody of Devo's musical style. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 07:20, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
According To My Wife's book Comedy Through The Ages By Harry Anderson, there is a difference between satire and comedy. Could that have something to do with it. Is Al doing satire, and not parodies? Should we change it in the article?--Fernwood 02:47, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
Sorry, I can't see how that relates to the topic in question. Satire uses irony to make a statement about society ("Don't Download This Song" is satire), whereas a musical parody uses another artist's music and the parodist makes light of the song or something. The question Ugliness Man was asking was the distinction between a "style parody" (mimicking an artist's sound with no song in mind - for example, "Close But No Cigar" and CAKE) and a straight "parody" (such as "Eat It") and whether a style parody is written to sound like one song by the original artist. Weird Al has done songs with satire, parody songs and style parodies and it is mentioned as such in the article. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 07:20, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
To expand on Gromreaper's comment, the lyrics of "Don't Download This Song" are satirical, while the song itself is a style parody of "We Are the World". --Temporarily Insane (talk) 16:22, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
This returns to the original problem which I discussed at the start of this thread. There are obvious similarities to "We Are the World", but it is a style parody in general of the various charity supergroups of the 80s, including Band-Aid, Northern Lights, and USA for Africa. - Ugliness Man 05:31, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for adding that, Ugliness Man. I will add that when I first heard "Don't Download This song" it reminded me of "Hands Across America", especially during the chorus. Algonacchick 13:23, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Split Screen Photos

Would it be helpful to have a split screen, showing the "Old" and "New" looks Al has had. He looked alot different before his eye & plastic surgery... it could be helpful, since this "New" look is brought up in this article, and some of the album articles as well. I don't think we need to worry about copyright violation if the old photo is more than five years old, according to my source.

Pleasae sign your posts using 4 ~
Other than that, I think a split picture would be more confusing than helpful. Besides, there is already a section detailing "the new look." LN3000 23:09, 4 July 2007 (UTC)
Just compare the photo at the top of the article with the one in the "New look, personal life, and career to present" subsection of his bio. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 00:13, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
My partner and I vote for the split screen.--71.35.187.128 00:26, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
Well, it's nice to know you vote for the split photo, but Wikipedia is not a democracy. LN3000 23:21, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

T.V. Apperances

One oversite I've noticed in the T.V. guest roles, is that he was featured briefly on the tv show Mr. Show. He preformed a parody of a fictional hit song called Superstar Machine. His version was called "Sushi Bar Machine"--Fernwood 00:37, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

False. The parody was performed by "Daffy 'Mal' Yinkleyankle". --Maxamegalon2000 01:28, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
I read the book "Wha Happen'd: A Mr.Show Companion" By Naomi Odenkirk. It was him. He was wearing a wig, and doing an extreme version of himself. They interview Al in the book. --71.35.187.128 03:42, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
Actually, in an interview, Yankovic said "On Mr. Show they once did a lampoon of me where Bob Odenkirk played a guy named “Daffy” Mal Yinkleyankle." [5] --Maxamegalon2000 03:46, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
Incidentally, the book title is "What Happened?: A Mr Show Companion"; "Wha' Happen'd" is the catchphrase of Fred Willard's character in A Mighty Wind. One anecdote relating to this discussion is that during the writing of The Weird Al Show, Bob Odenkirk suggested the names of Fred Huggins' puppets, Papa Boolie and Baby Boolie. Maybe if we find a source, that can be crammed into the Weird Al Show article. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 04:14, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Phonny Calls

I noticed that no one has indicated that Bart Simpson, and the Jerky Boys made an apperance on the track Phonny Calls. I'll put it in the songs section--71.35.187.128 00:57, 7 July 2007 (UTC)--T.Sanchez

The Phony Calls thing was a direct lift from an episode of The Simpsons using Bart Simpson's and Moe Syzlack's voices and isn't really significant for this article. Already mentioned in the Bad Hair Day article. I have no idea where you got the Jerky Boys thing from, though. They aren't in the song. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 04:27, 7 July 2007 (UTC)

A video I saw in middle school...

There was this somewhat strange (probably canadian) film about the future where people are moving to start living and working on the moon, the title of which I never knew and could not identify. It seemed to be edutainment in some form. It included a scene where two lunar prospectors in their remote mining control center are inspecting the finds of their latest crust sample, where they eschew rubies and gold and go insane with joy at the discovery of a pocket of water, saying something like "We got the hydrogen, the oxygen...!"

There was something also about a hotel on the moon...

It was fairly realistic, and involved another scene with someone taking interviews via hologram for entertainment propositions, ending with a cowboy-like figure suggesting a lunar rodeo or something like that.

My point is this: a cameo appearance of someone that looked, sounded and acted exactly like Weird Al, who was apparently the front man of a band based on simple noise who apparently believed that they could be heard through the moon's atmosphere. Their saying, he said was "If a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound? Yes! If it's a really LOUD TREE!!!" And that was about it.

It was one of the funniest things I've ever heard Weird Al say.

I was shown this thing on a lazy day in a 6th grade Industrial Technology class, so it had to be made prior to the year 1994. Does anyone have any idea of what I'm talking about?? Google results in no hits on "really loud tree", sadly. I'd say that this is known even less than his rumored part in Transylvania 6-5000

JJ 12:29, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

According to IMDB.com, your space movie was Living and Working in Space: The Countdown Has Begun, which does indeed have Weird Al in it. I remember reading about this on IMDB ages ago, and thinking "This sounds stupid but intriguing." So there you go. Don't bother looking it up on Wikipedia, because it doesn't seem to have an article. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 12:50, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

"YOU SUCK"

The image about half way down the page of "White and Nerdy" should be on the Atlantic Records page as well.

Take it up at the Atlantic Records article, not here. This is only about the Weird Al article. Michael Greiner 23:14, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, I really don't think that belongs in the article. That would seem aggressive, and they already have a section about the Weird Al dispute. LN3000 23:28, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

If Weird Al didn't write this song, who did?

Pretty Fly (For a Jedi).

I know he already spoofed The Offspring's song with Pretty Fly (For a Rabbi), and it seems unlikely that he would make two songs about one song. Who did this song?  — [Unsigned comment added by 65.168.152.121 (talk • contribs).]

Not Al. According to a Google search, Chris Bodily did. Michael Greiner 17:06, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

Subway Radio Ads

During the late 1990's, Subway resturants ran some radio ads that Al did, featuring a song called "Give 'em a Sub, 'Bub" These played mainly in the Pacific Northwest. We, (my wife and I) heard them on the radio all the time. Should we put this into the article, along with the other ads he has done over his career (Pepsi, Tometone Pizza)?--65.101.154.39 01:53, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

Find sources. You and your wife don't count because that would be Original research. --Michael Greiner 02:09, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
I'm sorry, but I'm really getting tired of anonymous IPs coming here talking about stuff that only them and their wife know. I'm not trying to attack or anything, but please find sources before you come wanting to add all bits of info into the article just because you think you know some rare fact about Al. LN3000 07:15, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
I second that, but Please do not bite the newcomers. --Michael Greiner 14:34, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
Sorry, maybe I should have lunch or something before I talk next time. :) LN3000 19:11, 14 July 2007 (UTC)
This "my wife said..." garbage has been going on for nearly a month, I don't think it's a question of a "newcomer" anymore. The evidence so far suggests that it's either a troll, or someone who genuinely just doesn't get it. Either way, many of the editors here are getting sick of it, and I don't think it's all that inappropriate or unseemly to express our frustration. - Ugliness Man 02:42, 17 July 2007 (UTC)
Besides, making lists of ads people did 20 years ago isn't really worthy of inclusion in an encyclopedia. It isn't really notable unless they make Al their official spokesman or something. ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 07:19, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

AL'S PAL'S NEWSLETTER

Between 1985 and 2003 a newsletter called AL'S PAL'S was published, and was (at the time) the only source of information of what Yankovic was up to. A modest startup, and 12 pages, at it's peak circulation, (over 2000 subscriptions) it was a full color, 25 page magazine. These newsletters, endorsed completely by Yankovic, would give up to date infor about what songs Al was working on, touring scheduleds, interviews with other band members, and those musicians he was parodying. This publication was superseded by the advent and popularization of the internet, and was not published after 2003. Some noitable issues;

June 1987: Al become Vegan!
March 89: Hip-Hop Issue!
February 2001: Takin' It Back To Da Old School!
March 2004: 25 years of Comedy! (Double Issue)
March 2005: Kickin' It With Vanilla Ice & Hanson!! (Came with free flexi-disc of Demo parodies, including "Barney Got A Gun", "Slip her da Spanish Fly", "Exit Only (No Dudes!), "My Cupholder", "Damn that's A Big One!", "Cornholed", "Wrong Foot Amputated", "John Holmes Moved In Next Door"

This should go into the article, a I have some of the old issues, if we are allowed to use their images.--67.183.220.91 23:41, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

There's so many things wrong there I don't know where to start.
1) Al didn't become a vegetarian until 1992.
2) You said this magazine's last issue was 2003, then you list March 2004 and 2005 as "notable issues".
3) March 2005's supposed flexidisc has roughly 0% real Weird Al songs [6].
4) Since when as Weird Al "kicked it" with Vanilla Ice?
5) The only Weird Al Yankovic magazine mentioned on his official site is Midnight Star, which is described as "an unofficial fanzine from 1993 through 1998." [7] If there was an officially endorsed magazine with a longer publication period, wouldn't you think they'd mention it somewhere?
6) Prove it. If this really did exist, wouldn't this Google search reveal more than 14 results (none of which make any mention of a magazine)? ~~ Gromreaper(Talk)/(Cont) 01:48, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Ah, don't you just LOVE anonymous IPs claiming little-known 'facts' about Al, and suggesting we include it into the encyclopedia article without any proof or sources? No? Neither do I. LN3000 02:23, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Anonymous IP questions

I'm sorry, but these anonymous IPs are very annoying. And they all are from what I assume are the same person, since their IP addresses all point to Denver, Colorado. Please, Mr. Colorado, stop with the unreasonable, unsourced, unverifiable, unbelievable claims about "Weird Al" Yankovic. Thanks, I'd appreciate it. LN3000 02:41, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Transformers Movie

Al can be heard as one of the minor robot characters in the new Transformers movie that is out in theaters right now... he is apparently playing the role of a waste-management vehicle. USER: Chimero 04:36, 19 July 2007 (UTC)

No, he will be playing that role in the animated series Transformers: Animated. --Maxamegalon2000 00:03, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

Not sure if this would qualify as "Original Research"

There is some verification on the internet regarding this, but I don't know if they would qualify as reliable sources. I am personally aware that Weird Al is a very active member of a conservative, Bible-believing Christian church. I do not really want to link to the citation that names the particular church, however, since I beleive that such information broadcasted on Wikipedia would force Weird Al to find a new church - that would be grossly unfair to him. Though there is a citation that I can link to that does not name the church.

What does everyone else think? Should we clarify Weird Al's Christian faith?Psychandtheology 03:50, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

The article already cites Al's current faith, but I would believe adding the specific church would edge on an invasion of privacy, beyond not being a necessary element of the article. --Masem 03:58, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
Once again, anything without sources will not be put into the article. Unless you add the source, any info will be removed. If you add the source it would not be OR. Al has not really spoken about his faith except for saying that he considers himself a Christian. See talk page archives about more discussion on religion. --Michael Greiner 04:09, 24 July 2007 (UTC)
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