The Untold Story of Weird Al Yankovic

The Untold Story of Weird Al Yankovic

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're discussing The Untold Story of Weird Al Yankovic.

For this video, we’ll be taking a look at the life and career of the singer, musician and comedian known for his musical parody and comedy tunes.

Responsible for recording satirical versions of some of the most famous hits of all time, Yankovic’s career has lasted for over 45 years, and continues to this day. Many of us have heard at least a few of his parodies in our days, and likely got a good laugh out of it.

Early Life

Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born on October 23rd, 1959, in Downey, California. He was the only child of parents Mary Elizabeth Vivalda, a stenographer of English and Italian descent, and Nick Yankovic, a decorated WW2 medic of Serbian descent. His father, Nick, always instilled a personal philosophy in which you should do what made you happy in his young son Alfred, which led to the latter’s musical career. Right around Alfred’s 7th birthday, a salesman came by his school offering music lessons. Given the choice between the guitar and the accordion, Al’s parents opted for the accordion. He took to the instrument, as is now apparent. Yankovic was a precocious child, getting into kindergarten early and going from first grade to third. He later obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in architecture from California Polytechnic State University, but it’s safe to say his heart was always in music.

Dr. Demento, The Knack & Adding “Weird” to Al

In 1970, Barry Hansen, professionally known as Dr. Demento, started a radio program devoted to comedic, novelty and just plain strange music and recordings. Young Al was a fan of the program, and managed to get one of his own recordings into the DJ’s hands during a school visit, with one of his tracks played on air as early as 1976. Yankovic credits Dr. Demento with the start of his career, and has said “if there hadn't been a Dr. Demento, I'd probably have a real job now.” During his college days, Yankovic involuntarily acquired the nickname “Weird Al” while in residence, due to his so-called eccentricities. He eventually embraced it and adopted it as his professional handle, initially while as his university’s DJ. In 1979, Yankovic gained attention when he recorded a spoof of The Knack’s “My Sharona” entitled “My Bologna”, (buh-LOAN-nuh) which Dr. Demento played on his show. The song was also heard by The Knack’s frontman Doug Fieger (FYE-gur), who recommended it be released as a single to the band’s label. So later that same year, Al Yankovic’s first single was released, with the b-side featuring a song titled “School Cafeteria.” Capitol Records also offered him a recording contract.

Success in the 1980s: Stage, Screen & Album Releases

Al continued to rise in fame thanks to Dr. Demento, joining the good Doctor’s touring stage show in 1981. His act grabbed the attention of manager Jay Levey (lee-vee), who helped Al form a band and open for larger acts. 1982 saw Yankovic release his first Top 40 hit, “I Love Rocky Road”, a parody of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” This allowed him to sign with Scotti Brothers Records, with which he released his first complete album, his self-titled debut, in 1983. His second album dropped in 1984. Titled “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic in 3-D”, it featured the single “Eat It”, spoofing Michael Jackson’s wildly popular song “Beat It”. It was accompanied by a music video that aired on the then-blooming MTV. In the late ‘80s, Yankovic penned a screenplay for the feature film “UHF”, which performed badly at the box office. This sent him into a bit of downtime for about 3 years.

Return to the Scene in the 1990s

Though Yankovic began recording his album “Off the Deep End” in 1990, due to complications in finding a strong hit and then securing permissions for a lead parody, the album wasn’t released until 1993 - much to Weird Al’s chagrin. However, the album’s first single, “Smells Like Nirvana”, found its way onto the Billboard charts, making it Yankovic’s second Top 40 hit. A renewed sense of purpose led to two more studio albums, “Alapalooza” and “Bad Hair Day”, featuring successful singles “Jurassic Park” and “Amish Paradise” respectively. The albums and singles made the Billboard charts in respectable positions. During the 1990s, Yankovic also released a number of compilation albums, including 1994’s “Permanent Record: Al in the Box”, a four-disc set.

The Makeover & #1 Album

In 1999, Yankovic released his tenth studio album, “Running with Scissors,” along with his new look, having had Lasik eye surgery, let his locks grow out and shaved his signature mustache. As Weird Al himself put it: "If Madonna's allowed to reinvent herself every 15 minutes, I figure I should be good for a change at least once every 20 years." Yankovic’s next 3 full-length studio albums were the Grammy-winning “Poodle Hat”, the Billboard Hot 100 hit containing “Straight Outta Lynwood” and Billboard 200 top 10 charting, “Alpocalypse”. In 2014, his 14th and probably final traditional studio album was released. “Mandatory Fun” became his first and only album to hit number one on the Billboard charts. Though it marked the end of his record deal, Yankovic promised future releases on more modern platforms and EPs. He also has done and continues to do a number of voiceover roles, notably as Darkseid in “Teen Titans Go!”

The Death of His Parents

In April of 2004, Yankovic’s parents, 81-year-old Mary and 86-year-old Nick were found deceased in their California home. According to the Los Angeles Times, the couple were discovered by relatives who grew concerned after not having seen the two in some time. Upon entering the home, they found that the fireplace had been lit, yet the flue was left closed, so a lack of ventilation likely produced a lethal amount of carbon monoxide. Weird Al Yankovic happened to be on tour when the tragedy occurred. Hours after he heard the news, Yankovic resolved to take the stage. Sometime after, he would go on to say “Since my music had helped many of my fans through tough times, maybe it would work for me as well ... it would at least give me a break from sobbing all the time.”

Personal Life

Al Yankovic has always projected a wholesome musician sort of vibe, in that he’s been reported to have never taken any illicit substances, avoids profanity and alcohol, and is a church-going Christian. He is married to Suzanne Krajewski, a 20th Century Fox executive he met in 2001. The couple have one child together, Nina, who was born in 2003.

Artist Reactions & Refused Parodies

Though parodies are basically fair game in the music industry, Yankovic always gets permission from the artists to use their original songs. If the band or musician doesn’t permit use, Yankovic does not move forward with his version. Most parties do allow the parodies, as some consider it a rite of passage in the popularity game. For example, upon allowing Yankovic to parody “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, the members of Nirvana considered it proof that they had made it in the industry. Michael Jackson was also a big enthusiast of Yankovic’s work, allowing for parodies “Eat It” and “Fat”. When Yankovic parodied “American Pie” with the Star Wars themed “The Saga Begins”, he gained thumbs up from both Don McLean and George Lucas. Though most are fans of the comical versions, some are not. Yankovic claims that only around 2 to 3 percent of approached artists decline the use of their songs. Prince famously rejected Yankovic on multiple occasions. Yankovic was also refused the rights to record polka-style melodies of some Led Zeppelin, U2 and Weezer tunes. Meanwhile, despite James Blunt’s approval, his label took back the permission Weird Al was given to release the “You’re Pitiful” version of “You’re Beautiful”, so it has yet to appear on any official releases (besides Yankovic’s website and social media).

An Influential Man

Weird Al has inspired a number of artists and writers. Lin-Manuel Miranda has said that Yankovic had a big impact on him while composing “Hamilton.” Television producer Michael Schur - the name associated with shows such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” - has said that the artist also influenced his comedy writers. Andy Samberg of SNL and The Lonely Island fame unsurprisingly considered Yankovic to have greatly marked him while growing up. In fact, Yankovic appeared with Samberg’s comedy trio in an episode of “Carpool Karaoke: The Series”, which was likely a dream come true for the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actor.

The Biopic

In 2010, Funny or Die released a trailer for a non-existent film titled “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”. In it, Aaron Paul portrayed a vastly exaggerated and dramaticized version of Yankovic. A long-awaited actual film with the same title will be released in 2022 with Daniel Radcliffe in the titular role. The biographical comedy will likely share some similarities with the 2010 short, considering its producer Eric Appel is directing the feature and Yankovic himself co-wrote the script. Honestly, we wouldn’t expect anything less of a Weird Al biopic: the man made a career of satire. His life story should be told in the same way.