Parody artist “Weird” Al Yankovic, who’s bringing his legendary stage show to The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester this Sunday, wants to be taken seriously. Well, sort of.
“I would like being taken seriously enough to do the things that I want to do,” the three-time Grammy Award winner told Newsday Westchester. “When I walk into a meeting, I don’t want people to think I’m just going to be bouncing off the walls, like, ‘This guy’s out of control! We can’t work with him!’ I just want to be given enough leeway to be considered to do the things, creatively, that I want to do.”
Releasing his first album 30 years ago, Yankovic has written hit songs like “Fat” (parodying Michael Jackson‘s “Bad”), “Smells Like Nirvana” (Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”) and “White & Nerdy” (Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’”) — but he’s also been serious about penning children’s books. His first, “When I Grow Up,” was a New York Times bestseller, and on June 25, HarperCollins is releasing his second, “My New Teacher and Me!”
“I’m going to be in a different city every day for a week, signing books and trying to help it up the charts,” he said. “It’s something I had a really great time doing and will hopefully do some more.”
Before then, however, the star of the cult hit “UHF” will be on the road for the usual reason: to perform his most popular parody songs to emphatic fans of all ages. In a Q-and-A with Newsday Westchester, Yankovic reflected on respect, success and all those concert costume changes.
What does it mean to have earned the respect of everyone from “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul, comedian Patton Oswalt and pop star Lady Gaga?
As anybody would, I appreciate the respect of my peers. I definitely went through a stage in my career when I was sort of, well, maybe not respected quite so much. [Laughs.] It was difficult getting my phone calls returned from artists. My manager would call up another manager and say, “Oh, I work with Weird Al Yankovic,” and they’d say, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Which celebrity were you most shocked to hear was a fan of your work?
Michael Jackson. I never dreamed that he would allow me to do parodies of “Beat It” and “Bad.” I mean, Michael Jackson was the biggest artist in the universe, and when I approached him in 1983, ’84 or whenever it was, it was just a shot in the dark. It was just like, “Yeah, well, it never hurts to ask.” So, I was pretty surprised when he came back and said, “Yeah! Sounds great.”
Why do your concerts have such a communal quality?
There’s something for everybody at my shows — from kids to college-aged to middle-aged to the geriatric and dead people. But I’m told it’s a bonding experience because it’s the kind of thing you can bring your kids to, and everybody can have a good time.
How many costume changes does a typical concert involve for you?
Source: New York News Day / MJ-Upbeat.com
By CHRIS SERICO
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