“Weird Al” Yankovic

Running with Scissors (Volcano)
An interview with “Weird Al” Yankovic
at The Casino on Hampton Beach, NH
by Scott Hefflon

Your albums are coming out like clockwork now, every three years.
Well, it’s not the ’80s anymore where I’d crank out an album a year.

And no “theme” compilations in between…
That was the label’s doing.

And you’re on a different label now, right?
Yeah, Scotti Bros. got sold off and doesn’t exist as a record company anymore, so I’m now the property of Volcano Records.

You were their biggest band, pretty much their only band, weren’t you?
I was the one that was keeping them in business.

How’d you wind up on Volcano?
Scotti Bros. was bought out by an English company called Pearson. Actually, Pearson bought out America Records, which was the parent company of Scotti Bros. They bought it out for the TV division of which Baywatch was the cash cow. Pearson wound up with a record company they didn’t particularly want, so they sold it off to the highest bidder. That was Volcano.

You were just along for the ride?
Pretty much, but they’ve been really great. The fact that they paid a lot for my record contract goes a long way to show that they want to exploit my talents and do as much as they can with and for me.

Are they’re all for lots of videos and tours and stuff?
The first two videos for Running with Scissors have been relatively pricey and they haven’t blanched too much, so I take that as a good sign. They seem very enthusiastic about promoting the record.

I’ve seen the video for “The Saga Begins,” what’s the second video?
The new video, which debuts August fourth, is “It’s All About The Pentiums.”

Excellent. Great fuckin’ song. It’s funny that you (note: I didn’t say ‘a gangly, white, goofy guy like you,’ but I think that’s implied) can do a big beefy rap with all the tough “Uh-huh, yeah” lines and it sounds good.
Uh-huh, yeah.

“Albuquerque.” Over 11 minutes. Longest song you’ve done, or pretty much anyone else except for Iron Butterfly. Tell me about it.
The song’s gotten quite a reaction from fans. I thought it would be fun to do a little stream-of-consciousness thing, and some people are saying, “It’s the best thing you’ve ever done!” (Which either says a lot for the song, doesn’t say a lot for everything else he’s ever done, or perhaps says that people shouldn’t be listened to.)

You’ve often ended your CDs with an “out there” song. Alapalooza‘s was “Bohemian Polka,” Bad Hair Day‘s was “The Night Santa Went Crazy,” a song I recall you had to edit…
Yeah, I try to sequence the records so the songs that I think are the better songs on are the first half. But I always try to end strong. So the songs that I think are the weakest are around the middle of the second side (on a 50-minute CD, about 35 minutes in, but getting better by the 40 minute mark. In other words, “Truck Drivin’ Song”).

Side, huh?
Yeah, I’m old school. Well, cassettes still have sides…

This is your 20th anniversary, right?
Yeah. “My Bologna” was recorded in 1979, so I guess that makes it 20 years…

How long did it take between recording your first song and any kind of label interest?
Let’s see, “My Bologna” was ’79, “Another One Rides the Bus,” another one-off single, was in 1980, and then I graduated from college and worked in a mail room for a few years while trying to get a record deal. I think we got signed to Scotti Bros. in ’82, and our first record came out in ’83.

So this is your first record not on Scotti Bros..
Yeah, but it doesn’t really feel all that different because we’re working with a lot of the same people. All the people working for Scotti Bros. found themselves out of a job, so a lot of them are now working freelance for us. Our art director, our publicity manager are the same people we’ve worked with for years. We like to work with the same people, and we’re very loyal to them as they’re loyal to us. We try to keep the family together.

Speaking of art direction, Running with Scissors is a concept as far as artwork is concerned, but doesn’t have anything to do with any of the songs…
Right. It was a conscious decision. At first I was thinking about doing a Star Wars-related cover, and we had the cover all lined up, but I really didn’t want this album to zone in on one cut. I thought it was time to have a generic cover, if you will, or have something that encompassed all the songs. Aside from being a bizarre sight gag, it was – not to get to deep here – kind of a metaphor for taking more chances with this record.

One of the changes and chances here; you look a lot less – and I mean no insult, here – um, goofy.
I’m still a geek on the inside, and that’s the most important thing. The change wasn’t really a calculated thing… A friend of mine convinced me to get laser eye surgery. In principle, it seemed like a pretty cool idea. It’s quick, it’s painless…

So you bypassed the contact route and went full-out?
Yeah, I got fitted for contacts years ago, but my eyes are very, very sensitive and I didn’t want to deal with that. I didn’t really have a problem with glasses – you put them on, you take them off, it’s not that big a deal. But I thought it’d be cool to see my feet in the shower or live the life the non-bespeckled do.

Wasn’t it risky or scary?
No, not really. But they make you sign all sort of scary things. Like (getting into character here) “Well, no one’s gone blind from this yet, but if you do, you’re not going to be maaaad, are you?” Actually, my manager was more freaked out by it than I was. He was thinking, “You’re going to have to wear fake glasses on stage because as a recognizable trademark icon, you have to maintain this image.” And I did for a little while. I did a cameo on The Drew Carey Show wearing fake glasses and a fake mustache. That was my epiphany. I realized at that moment on camera that I was wearing a “Weird Al” Halloween costume.

How’s the response been to your new look?
Pretty good. A lot of fans are resistant to the change. They wanted me to look the same forever. My detractors say I have that “bad perm” look, but I just have bad hair naturally, I guess. When my hair’s short, it’s almost like an afro. It’s extremely, extremely curly. But over the years, as my hair’s gotten longer, it’s got straighter because of, ya know, gravity.

Your first single, while lyrically based on the new Star Wars movie, is musically based on “American Pie,” a classic rock song by Don McLean. What resistance have you felt?
What might be considered to be my core audience may’ve never heard the song, although they probably’ve heard of or seen the movie. So that’s kind of a drag. MTV isn’t playing the video that much because they don’t consider that song part of their demographic anymore…

But Lenny Kravitz can cover “American Woman” by The Guess Who for The Spy Who Shagged Me and it’s OK because Heather Graham dances and writhes about in the video.
There you go. I thought it’d be cool to do “American Pie” because it’s the kind of song no one’s going to do a cover of, but then to do a parody of it…

It’s not a very funny song… I noticed you didn’t do a ’50s-style song on Running with Scissors. “One More Minute” and “Since You’ve Been Gone” are two of my favorites…
Thank you. I try not to repeat myself…

Sorry, what?
I said I try not to repeat myself…

Oh, OK. And I notice you’ve never really covered a metal song – except to parody metalheads in general with “Young, Dumb & Ugly” – and even when you parodied a song by a punk band (The Offspring) with “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi,” it wasn’t a punk song… Is it hard to find a metal or punk anthem that’s universal or something?
What would you consider a metal hit? Something by Metallica?

Yeah, I guess all the popular “metal” songs are all the moody Metallica songs that don’t exactly lend themselves to, ya know, humor.
[Suddenly, the PA starts booming and anything said is lost. During transcription, my cat ran outta the room like I’d set him on fire. I found him hiding under the couch (my cat, not “Weird Al”) and promised I’d remember to put my cigarette in the ashtray before petting him from now on.]

Another thing I’ve noticed is you only do Spice Girls, Hanson, and The Backstreet Boys in your polka medley, “Polka Power!” Is that because the bands are a parody anyway so parodying them would be redundant?
[laughs politely and doesn’t answer]

How’ve things gone with Coolio? Last I heard, he still claimed not to’ve given you permission for “Amish Paradise” and was, ya know, pissed at you.
I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him. I’ve stayed out of his way as he’s requested. I certainly hope he’s calmed down a bit. I couldn’t be more sorry about the way the whole situation has turned out, and I don’t know what else I can do beside apologize over and over and over.

That’s the first and only time there’s been any trouble, right?
Yeah, it’s the only time there’s ever been any real hard feelings.

Legally, if you’re doing a parody, didn’t the Supreme Court rule that you don’t have to get permission?
It’s a gray area, sampling and parodies. I could more than likely get away with it if I chose to, but that’s not the way I like to do business. It’s my own personal policy to get permission from the songwriters because I respect them, and I want them to feel that they’re in on the joke. I want them to not feel as if I’ve stepped on their toes or taken advantage of them. I want them to know that it’s my way of paying tribute to their work.

You’ve done a movie, UHF, have you thought about doing a musical?
I’d love to do another feature film, and a musical is an interesting idea, but it’d probably be a hard sell. But it’d be fun.

Little Shop of Horrors was probably the last somewhat successful musical, and it’s considered to be a kind of cult classic, as is UHF. But some spoofs and comedies – like Hotshots!, Top Secret, and such (and Naked Gun 33 1/3, which he appeared in with Vanna White but I forgot to mention) – had musical segments…

[Unfortunately, the PA blared at this moment and I can’t hear what his thoughts on the matter are. And my kitty is eyeing me warily.]

You mentioned you think your demographic is teenagers?
I think it’s multi-generational, really. People who got into my music in the early ’80s are still fans, thankfully, and it seems a new generation discovers me with every record. So when I look into the audience, I see a really mixed crowd.

My roommate was telling me that they played “Polka Power!” at Manray, Boston’s Goth club, and 7/8th of the people freaked. I mean in a good way. So even black-garbed, morbidly-fixated, malnourished youths and flabby guys in zippered leather mask get down to “Weird Al.” Or some of them, anyway.
I’ve seen some definite Goth types show up and stand in the front row…

How about, um… Well, you’ve covered a number of rap/hip-hop/whatever tunes, but you kinda make light of them; do you get any hommies in the audience?
It’s kind of hard to say, really. I mean, I haven’t noticed any obvious gang-bangers throwin’ signs and packin’ heat… It’s kind of a family show, so I often look out and see whole families together. It’s pretty cool.

We mentioned before how you had to edit “The Night Santa Went Crazy” due to graphic content…
It’s not that I had to, it’s that I wrote the gory version which I sneak into the show and I put as a bonus track on the “Amish Paradise” single, but my close circle of friends reacted badly when I killed off Santa at the end of the song. So I watered it down for the album…

I love the “amusing anecdote” in “Albuquerque” when you chastise the screaming, bleeding guy for “completely missing the irony of the whole situation.”
Yeah, I love that part. (Laughs at his own lyrics. If you haven’t heard the song, “Nyah, nyah. I know something you don’t know.”)

Has anyone ever done a parody of one of your songs?
Dr. Demento said an acappella group did a parody of “Trigger Happy,” an original from a few albums ago, but I haven’t heard it yet.

Have you ever heard bands covering your stuff? Is there a “Weird Al” tribute band out there?
(laughs) I guess a Top 40 band could slip something in just for laughs, but I haven’t heard about (slipping into in cheesy announcers voice) “Weird Al” Mania – not the real thing but an incredible simulation! Not available in stores!

Seeing as you’ve been doing parodies throughout the ’80s and ’90s, can you say what musical trends you’ve seen that you like, that you don’t like, and how music has changed as a whole over the last 20 years?
This’ll be a really broad stroke, but I’d have to say I like the music of the ’90s better than that of the ’80s. The pop of the ’80s, looked at as one big chunk, was very keyboard and synth dominated, kind of soulless… I think Nirvana helped bring back the guitar to popular rock music. I like a lot of what’s been called alternative music -which we all know really isn’t alternative at all – because it’s often a bit quirky and left-of-center, yet it’s still guitar-oriented rock’n’roll.

Pop in the ’80s, while thin-sounding by current standards, was all about one recognizable melody, whether it be a simple keyboard line (“The Axel Foley Theme” for example) or vocal line (name any hit by Madonna or Michael Jackson in the ’80s and practically anyone can sing a snatch). While ’90s pop occasionally has melodies you can’t get out of your head, everything is so full and overwhelming, you almost lose that one distinguishable element.
I still get to perform my favorite songs from the ’80s every night, but I know what you’re saying. I also think that the ’90s has a great lack of superstars. Real rock’n’roll phenomena are few and far between. In the ’80s, you had Michael Jackson, Prince, and Madonna as bona fide superstars, and I can’t even think of anyone who you’d call a superstar these days. I mean, one of the reasons we did a Puff Daddy song was because I thought he left a real impact on the music world, even though “It’s All About The Benjamins” wasn’t any kind of mega-hit or anything.

Most people will recognize the name Puff Daddy, and most will recognize the style in general, but only a segment of the populace will recognize the song specifically at all.
It seems your pop phenomena these days are The Spice Girls, Hanson, and The Backstreet Boys… It’s just not the same thing…

“Bohemian Polka,” your version of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has always impressed me. Was that harder to arrange than others?
The polka are always the hardest to arrange because I have to work out all the horn parts, not to mention get permission from every single songwriter…

Do people ever turn you down?
Yeah, but it’s pretty rare. Most artists get the joke and they realize it’s done in good fun.

Do most give reasons why they’re turning you down?
Well, Prince never has, it’s just “No.” And Paul McCartney turned me down for “Chicken Pot Pie” because he’s a strict vegetarian and he didn’t want me to do a song which condoned the consumption of animal flesh. Which is ironic because I’m a vegetarian as well. But at least there was a valid reason, so I respect that.

Mad Magazine used to do two-page song parodies, but I think they stopped because it’s very hard to find songs that readers from 12-45 will all know.
Frank Jacobs did a lot of those. He’s brilliant. It’s not like I invented song parody, and it’ll be around for a long time after I’m gone. I just happen to have the job for the time being.

Why haven’t there been other well-known musical parody artist?
I really don’t know. I seem to get credit for everyone else’s song parodies. Whenever people hear a spoof, they automatically think, “Oh, this must be a new ‘Weird Al’ song.” Even if it’s a woman singing…

Well, you are changing your image…
True, true…

What do you have your sights on? What haven’t you done that you wanteto do?
Right now, I’ve completely shut off my brain. I have not one single idea for the next record. But after every record, I sit down and say, “What haven’t I done yet?” By the end of my life, I want to’ve covered every conceivable genre in every conceivable way. Since I play the accordion, people said I had to do a zydeco number, so I did.

And “Grapefruit Diet” (based on Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’ “Zoot Suit Riot”) was your first swing song, right?
Yeah, I think so. All my records have been pretty diverse, but I think this one is probably the most diverse of all. It always cracks me up to hear the tracks “flow” from “It’s All About the Pentiums” to “Truck Drivin’ Song.”

And you sequenced it way on purpose?
Oh yeah, to get the most jarring segues I could.

“Truck Drivin’ Song” is actually kinda similar to Monty Python’s “The Lumberjack Song,” isn’t it?
Yeah, that didn’t occur to me until I was halfway done writing the song. What’re you gonna do? I had to sing that song first thing in the morning so my voice would be low enough to hit the notes.

One sweeping generalization: One major difference between your parodies in the early ’80s and those of the late ’90s is that now you match/exaggerate the style of the music as well as lyrics as opposed to “Hey, here I am singing goofy words to a melody you recognize.”
Well, the first album was rushed out, so we didn’t really have a lot of time to worry about details. And honestly, I’ve never claimed to be an impersonator, so I don’t maintain that I sound like the original artist. But the band tries their hardest to make their instruments sound like the original record, and I do what I can to emulate the style and patterns of the singer… to an extent.

But that gives you something else to parody. It’s not just the words, you also parody the style, sound, and often the videos…
Definitely. It’s a lot more well-rounded and detail-oriented than it used to be.

I asked you three years ago about your songwriting process, and you were kind enough to give me the mental image of you sitting around, watching TV in your underwear…
You’ve kept that image in your head for three years? I’m sorry. I’m really sorry about that…

What was your songwriting process for this album?
Well, I was wearing this leather, studded cod-piece and… Actually, I’ve converted from keeping all my ideas in a notebook to keeping all my ideas in computer files, so now I spend 90% of my waking hours in a corner of my house in front of the computer…

Wearing a leather, studded cod-piece?
If that.