60 Fun Facts About Weird Al

In which California city was Alfred Matthew Yankovic born in 1959?

He was raised in nearby Lynwood, and his 2006 album title is a nod to that hometown.

Which instrument did Yankovic begin learning the day before his seventh birthday?

A door-to-door salesman offered his parents a choice of lessons, and his parents figured the world needed one more Yankovic playing it, a nod to polka star Frankie Yankovic, no relation.

What subject did Yankovic earn his bachelor's degree in at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?

He was valedictorian of his high school class and started kindergarten a year early, so he was two years younger than most classmates.

'Belvedere Cruisin'', the first Yankovic song Dr. Demento aired in 1976, was about what?

The 16-year-old handed Demento a homemade cassette recorded in his bedroom on a cheap tape recorder, and it went on air immediately.

'My Bologna' (1979) is a parody of which hit by the Knack?

Knack singer Doug Fieger liked it so much he pushed Capitol Records to release it as a single, and Yankovic got $500 for the master tape.

Where did Yankovic record the original 1979 version of 'My Bologna'?

The room sat across the hall from campus radio station KCPR, where he was a DJ, and he chose it because the tiles made an acoustically perfect echo chamber.

How did Yankovic originally get the nickname 'Weird Al'?

He first took it as an insult, then adopted it as his on-air persona as a DJ at Cal Poly's radio station.

'Another One Rides the Bus' (1980) parodies a hit by which band?

Queen guitarist Brian May has said he was amused by it, and the song gave Yankovic his first TV appearance on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder in 1981.

Who produced Yankovic's first six albums before he took over production himself?

The former McCoys guitarist won two Grammys for the work; he also recreated Eddie Van Halen's solo for 'Eat It'.

In which country did 'Eat It' reach No. 1 on the singles chart?

It outranked 'Beat It' there, which had peaked at third, and remains his only No. 1 single anywhere.

Yankovic's "Al TV" specials, with fake celebrity interviews and phony ads, first aired on which network?

Ten specials aired in all: the first eight on that network from 1984, and the last two on VH1 in 2006.

Which star reportedly came up with the title 'Like a Surgeon' for 'Weird Al' Yankovic?

She wondered aloud to a friend when the parody would happen; the friend knew Yankovic's manager Jay Levey and the idea travelled from there.

For the 'Fat' video, Michael Jackson let Yankovic use the subway set built for which of his own videos?

The set had not yet been torn down in Culver City, and the video went on to win a Grammy for Best Concept Music Video.

How many Grammy Awards has Yankovic won?

He has been nominated a further eleven times and has four gold and six platinum records in the U.S.

'Dare to Be Stupid' is a style parody of which band?

The song later landed on the soundtrack of The Transformers: The Movie (1986), which Yankovic reckons introduced more people to it than his own album did.

Who played janitor-turned-children's-TV-host Stanley Spadowski in UHF?

The film also gave Trinidad Silva his final role, and it is dedicated to his memory.

UHF (1989) was shot in and around which city?

Orion agreed to finance the film on a $5 million budget, and it delivered the studio's best test scores since RoboCop before flopping against Batman and Indiana Jones.

Under what title was UHF released in some overseas markets?

The term UHF meant little to overseas audiences, so the film got a more explanatory name; it later became a cult title on home video.

Which snack, created on screen in UHF, became Yankovic's signature food?

It is a hot dog in a split Twinkie with squirt cheese, dipped in milk; he now makes it with tofu dogs.

Yankovic got Kurt Cobain's OK for 'Smells Like Nirvana' by phoning him on the set of which show?

Cobain's one question was whether the parody would be about food; the answer was no, it would be about nobody understanding his lyrics.

Michael Jackson refused to let Yankovic parody which song as 'Snack All Night'?

Jackson felt the original's message was too important, and the refusal pushed Yankovic toward the grunge parody that revived his career.

Which artist maintained he never gave permission for 'Amish Paradise', even though his label had?

The two made peace at a 2006 Consumer Electronics Show booth, and he later called his own refusal stupid.

Yankovic's 1998 laser eye surgery cost him nothing because he agreed to what?

He considered wearing fake glasses afterward to keep his look, decided against it, and shaved his moustache too.

Which artist repeatedly refused Weird Al's parody requests and had management tell him not to make eye contact?

Yankovic got around it once by borrowing the 'When Doves Cry' video look for his 'UHF' clip, and wrote 'Traffic Jam' as a style parody without asking.

Which strict vegetarian turned down 'Chicken Pot Pie', a parody of 'Live and Let Die'?

He suggested 'Tofu Pot Pie' instead, but the chorus was built around clucking sounds, so Yankovic only ever played it in concert medleys.

What prompted Yankovic to become a vegetarian in 1992?

The book was John Robbins' Diet for a New America; he says he tries to be vegan but might sneak a slice of cheese pizza on the tour bus.

In which year did Yankovic finally receive his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

A fan-run fund had been raising the nomination fee and reapplying every year since 2006; he got the 2,643rd star, across the street from the Chinese Theatre.

Which album became Yankovic's first to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200?

Instead of a lead single he dropped eight music videos over eight straight days, and they racked up more than 20 million views in the first week.

Yankovic flew to Denver to personally ask which artist for permission to parody 'Fancy'?

He gauged the song's saturation by asking his daughter whether kids at school were talking about it yet; the parody became 'Handy'.

Whose manager initially rejected 'Perform This Way' without ever forwarding it to the artist?

After the singer heard it online she approved it and called being parodied a rite of passage; all proceeds went to the Human Rights Campaign.

At over 11 minutes, which track is the longest song Yankovic has ever recorded?

He wrote it to close Running with Scissors as a deliberately meandering odyssey meant to annoy people for the whole runtime.

'Trapped in the Drive-Thru' parodies a serial 'hip-hopera' by which artist?

The original artist let Yankovic license the whole multi-chapter work at the rate of a single song, which kept the album intact.

'The Saga Begins' recounts The Phantom Menace to the tune of which song?

Don McLean approved and said his kids played it so much the parody lyrics crept into his own concerts.

Which number is a running joke in 'Weird Al' Yankovic's lyrics and album covers?

He first used it as a random filler figure; once fans noticed the repeats he started planting it on purpose.

'Bob', a Bob Dylan style parody on Poodle Hat, has lyrics composed entirely of what?

The video mimics Dylan's cue-card clip for 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', and every line reads the same backwards.

Poodle Hat (2003) won Yankovic his first Grammy since 1988. Why had he been shut out for so long?

From 1993 to 2003 the prize was Best Spoken Word Comedy Album, which left musical comedy with nowhere to compete.

The Weird Al Show (1997) aired Saturday mornings on which network?

The network wanted educational programming in the mould of Pee-wee's Playhouse, the fit was awkward, and it was cancelled after one season.

Who plays Yankovic in the 2022 film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story?

Aaron Paul had played him in the 2010 Funny or Die fake trailer that inspired the feature, which was shot in just eighteen days.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was released on which streaming service?

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival first and went on to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie.

In a 2003 Simpsons episode, Yankovic sang 'The Ballad of Homer & Marge' to the tune of which Mellencamp song?

The episode, 'Three Gays of the Condo', won an Emmy, and he has since appeared as himself on the show three times.

Yankovic directed the music video for 'Rockin' the Suburbs' by which artist?

He cameos in it as the producer fixing the tracks, and has also directed clips for Hanson, the Black Crowes and Jeff Foxworthy.

Which musician joined Yankovic's band on keyboards in 1991, freeing him up to concentrate on singing?

He completed a core lineup that has now played together for decades: Schwartz on drums since 1980, Jay and West since 1983.

What is the title of Yankovic's 2011 children's picture book?

It follows 8-year-old Billy pitching wild career ideas to his class, hit No. 4 on the New York Times picture-book list, and got a sequel, My New Teacher and Me!

'The Hamilton Polka' was built from the show's score, handed to Yankovic by which composer?

He had hoped for a few singles and got a full medley instead; it became the first polka to chart on Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart.

Yankovic was one of many celebrities in the 1989 video for which Michael Jackson song?

Jackson was a genuine fan and twice approved parodies, which Yankovic says made other artists far more willing to say yes.

What backmasked message is hidden in 'Nature Trail to Hell'?

His only other backwards message, in 'I Remember Larry', tells the listener they must have an awful lot of free time.

Before quitting to pursue music full time, Yankovic worked in the mail room of which company?

He quit once the 'Ricky' video broke MTV's top 100, taking it as a sign that his career was in music.

'Canadian Idiot' parodies a 2004 punk anthem by which band?

Despite mixed reviews it is one of his best-charting songs, reaching No. 82 on the Hot 100, and fans made hundreds of homemade videos for it.

Which former child actor set Yankovic up on the blind date where he met his wife, Suzanne?

She was a marketing executive at 20th Century Fox; they met in 2001 and their daughter Nina was born in 2003.

The title of Yankovic's 2006 album, a nod to his hometown, spoofs a record by which hip hop group?

It became his first top-ten album and his first to be certified platinum, nearly three decades into his career.

Which parody became Yankovic's only US top-10 single, peaking at No. 9 in 2006?

It was also his first platinum-certified single, and the video features Donny Osmond dancing alongside Key and Peele.

Which rapper credited a Yankovic parody of his hit with helping him win a Grammy?

He posted the parody on his own MySpace page before Yankovic did, saying it made the record so big it was undeniable.

A door-to-door salesman offered Al's parents lessons on which instrument as the alternative to accordion?

They joked there should be 'at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world', a nod to polka king Frankie Yankovic, no relation.

Which manager was 'blown away' by Yankovic's 1981 Phoenix nightclub act and held auditions for his band?

Steve Jay joined on bass and his friend Jim West on six-string; the new band opened for Missing Persons days after its first show.

In which Wisconsin city did Yankovic play a concert hours after learning his parents had died in 2004?

His parents died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning from their fireplace; he called the show and later dates 'therapeutic'.

Which label rescinded permission for 'You're Pitiful' even though James Blunt himself approved the parody?

Yankovic released it free online and later showed himself vandalising the label's Wikipedia page in the 'White & Nerdy' video.

What was the title of Yankovic's unrealised parody of Beck's 'Loser'?

Beck, then new to the industry, refused but said in 2022 he wished he had agreed; 'Loser' still opens 'The Alternative Polka'.

How large was the local orchestra that backed every show of Yankovic's 2019 Strings Attached Tour?

Union rules capped orchestral shows at 90 minutes, so he chose deep cuts like 'Harvey the Wonder Hamster' that suited strings.

Which Led Zeppelin member, a self-declared fan, was 'less than thrilled' at a Zeppelin polka medley idea?

Polka medleys count as covers under copyright law, so Yankovic must negotiate royalties for every song included.

In the 1970s, which Elton John album did Yankovic cite as a reason he learned rock 'n' roll on the accordion?

He began kindergarten a year early and skipped second grade, which he said got him labelled a nerd early on.