Weird Al Page

A very young, Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born on a windy Friday, October 23, 1959 in Lynwood, a suburb of Los Angeles in Sunny Southern California. Bored by suburban life, he began playing the accordion at age seven. Seldom mistaken for polka star, Frank Yankovic, but hoping to cash in on his famous name, young Al was encouraged by his parents, as they enjoyed polka music and saw a great future ahead for polka in general.

In his early teens, he became an avid fan of local radio hero, Dr. Demento. Seeing a doubtful future for polka music in general and inspired by comedy luminaries like Alan Sherman, Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer and Stan Freberg, Al began to take an interest in using his accordion skills in a more useful form. Inspiration hit in 1973 in the form of a parody song entitled, "Belvedere Crusing"- a song written about using the family car. Dr. Demento played the young student's song on his radio program and it became a highly requested hit. Al's new career as a semi-successful song writer was now launched.

Al began writing other songs and they became staples on Dr. Demento's radio playlist, as the good doctor was too cheap to purchase real staples. After graduation from Lynwood High School, he decided to study architecture at California Polytechnic State University. It was hoped that this skill would be useful in "building" new songs. He apparently misunderstood how songs were constructed.

As a way of avoiding architectural studies in general, Al joined the staff of the Cal Poly campus radio station, adopting the name "Weird Al", so as not to be recognized by truant officers and bill collectors.

In 1979, the success of the Knack's current hit "My Sharona" inspired Al to record a parody he dubbed "My Bologna" based on his current craving for lunch meat. The song was an instant hit with Dr. Demento fans, but also found favor with the Knack themselves, who were going through a lunch meat phase themselves. They convinced their label Capitol to issue the satire as a single.

Graduating from Cal Poly in 1980, Al immediately abandoned his architectural dreams and cut a record that he entitled, "Another One Rides the Bus." A song inspired by his lack of adequate transportation. Based on a chart-topping song by Queen entitled, "Another One Bites the Dust", it was recorded live in Dr. Demento's radio studios as a cost cutting measure.

The song became an underground hit, but it was difficult to hear recordings being played underground, so Dr. Demento dug it up and played it and several others for producer Rick Derringer. One of the songs played was "I Love Rocky Road", a deliciously tasteful parody of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock and Roll." Derringer shared a passion with Weird Al for ice cream inspired songs. Derringer helped Al sign with the famed Scotti Brothers [not to be confused with the Scottie Brothers, makers of fine toilet paper] and they issued his debut LP "Weird Al Yankovic" in 1983. The new album featured such creative songs as "Ricky," a tune inspired equally by Toni Basil's hit "Mickey" and Al's fascination with day time TV shows such as the I Love Lucy television series. "Ricky" soon hit the Top 100 charts, and its well crafted accompanying video became a staple of the fledgling MTV network. They also apparently were in need of staples.

After Michael Jackson's "Beat It" became the most acclaimed video in the MTV's brief history, Weird Al recorded his tasty version of the song with "Eat It". A meticulous artist, Weird Al carefully matched scene-for-scene the original "Beat It" video even using the same dancers, camera angles and set caterers. Placed on 1984's "Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D"; the "Eat It" video, became an MTV monster hit, and the Grammy-winning single reached the Top 15.

Other songs on the "Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D" recording included "King of Suede" (a rewrite of the Police's "King of Pain") and "I Lost on Jeopardy" (a send-up of the Greg Kihn Band's "Jeopardy"), and "Polkas on 45," the first in a series of medleys of pop hits recast as polka numbers. Finally, Al had found a way to make his polka past pay off.

In 1985, "Dare to Be Stupid", Al's next album offering, became the first comedy record ever released in the new compact disc format. It's featured hit was "Like a Surgeon", a take-off of the Madonna hit "Like a Virgin." Like his previous album, "Dare to Be Stupid" went gold.

1986's "Polka Party" album fared poorly and charted only briefly, prompting many to pooh-pooh Yankovic's career. A mistake they would soon realize when in 1988, Yankovic returned with the platinum-selling "Even Worse".

Based on Michael Jackson's recent Bad LP. "I'm Fat", the single and video, also parodied Martin Scorsese's lavishly directed video of Jackson's hit "Bad". This video portrayed Yankovic as a grotesquely obese tough guy and won him his second Grammy. In 1989, Al co-wrote and starred in the feature film UHF, which also provided a hit soundtrack.

Al returned in 1992 with "Off the Deep End", which featured the Top 40 hit "Smells Like Nirvana", a parody of Nirvana's landmark single "Smells Like Teen Spirit." After 1993's Alapalooza, he resurfaced in 1996 with Bad Hair Day, his highest-charting record to date thanks to the success of the single "Amish Paradise," a take-off of the Coolio hit "Gangsta's Paradise." The follow-up, Running With Scissors, appeared in 1999.

Except for a brief series of concert appearances at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California in the summer of 2002, and spending time meeting and marrying his new bride, Al has taken the year off to celebrate. [Who wouldn't?] Rumor has it that he is currently working on a new album for release next year in 2003.

To see Jan's Other Weird Al Pages,

click on the links below.....or not.....it's up to you.

Really!

Jan's

Weird Al

Orange County

Fair Pictures 2001

Jan's

Weird Al

Orange County

Fair Pictures 2002

Be sure to see "Weird Al"

when he comes to a town near you.

"Sure, you can go to the links below,

Al says it's ok. He'll wear a duck on his head to prove it. Not that he wouldn't anyway. He's been known to do that, you know. Quite mad really.....shame too, ...such a nice boy"