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You suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = "Weird Al" Yankovic
| Img = Weird-Al.jpg|"Weird Al" Yankovic|200px
| Img_capt = "Weird Al" Yankovic
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Alfred Matthew Yankovic
| Alias = "Weird Al" Yankovic
| Born = ] ]
| Origin = ]
| Instrument = ], ], ]
| Genre = ], ], ]
| Occupation = ], ], ], ]
| Years_active = ]–present
| Label = ] (1979)<br />Placebo Records (1981)<br />] (1981)<br />] (1983–1997)<br />] (1997–present)
| Associated_acts = ]
| URL =
| Current_members = "Weird Al" Yankovic (]–present)<br />] (]–present)<br />] (]–present)<br />] (]–present)<br />] (]–present)
| Past_members = Joe Earley<br />]
| Notable_instruments = ]
}}

'''Alfred Matthew Yankovic''' (born on ], ]), better known as '''"Weird Al" Yankovic''', is a ]-winning musician, ], ], ]ist, and ].
He is known in particular for his humorous songs which make light of ], parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts, or both. His works have earned him three gold and five platinum records in the U.S. His career longevity is notable among contemporary performers, and he had his first ] top ten album and single in 2006, nearly three decades into his career.

==Biography==
After hearing ]'s ] show (a ] radio program featuring humorous music), Yankovic sent the Doctor a tape of a song entitled "Belvedere Cruisin'", a song about his family's ], in 1976. Another song included on the tape which never received airtime was entitled "Dr. D Superstar", a parody of "]"<ref name="unlabeled tape">{{cite web|url=http://weirdal.com/rare89.htm |title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Rare Items: UNLABELED TAPE |accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>. He was a ] at Lynwood High School at the time, but that tape was the start of his eventual career.
Three years later, Yankovic was an ] student at ] and a ] at the university's radio station (]). According to Yankovic he has been called "Weird Al" since High School and used the nickname on air. Since "]" by ] was on the charts and The Knack was scheduled to play at Cal Poly, Yankovic took his accordion into the restroom across the hall from the radio station (to take advantage of the ] acoustics) and recorded a parody entitled "]", with a B-side called "School Cafeteria". The Knack met Yankovic after a show at his college, thought the song was funny, and arranged for it to be released on their label, ], which gave Yankovic a six-month contract. Dr. Demento's listeners frequently put this track atop his "Funny Five" list.
In 1980, Yankovic was working in the mail room at ], Dr. Demento's radio network at the time, when he developed another parody called "]", a parody of ]'s hit, "]". While practicing the song outside the sound booth, he ran into ], who told him he was a drummer and agreed to bang on Yankovic's accordion case to keep a good steady beat to the song. They rehearsed the song just a few times before going live on The Doctor Demento Show. "Another One Rides the Bus" became so popular that it got Yankovic his first television appearance, ''The Tomorrow Show'' with ]. On the show, Yankovic played his accordion, and again, Schwartz banged on the accordion case in addition to providing comical sound effects. The rare 1981 Placebo EP release of this song has the track "Happy Birthday" as a B-side. "Happy Birthday" is a dark song about the world's problems and imminent destruction, with the sarcastic suggestion that ] is the natural solution. The Placebo EP recording of the song was remixed into stereo by Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz in 2005 for inclusion on a ] charity compilation featuring various other comedy musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.FunnyMusicians.com/ |title=Laughter is a Powerful Weapon Volume 2: Funny Musicians for a Serious Cause |accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>
1981 brought Yankovic on tour for the first time as part of Dr. Demento's act. His stage act caught the eye of manager Jay Levey, who loved it and became Yankovic's manager. Levey insisted that the act would sound better if he had a full ], so he held auditions. ] became Yankovic's ] player, and ] played ]. With Schwartz on ], the band was complete. Yankovic's first show with this band was not successful at all. Yankovic and his band were the opening act for ]. The unimpressed audience threw items at the group, and they were booed off the stage.

In 1985, Yankovic co-wrote and starred in a ] of his own life entitled '']'' that intertwined fact and fiction of his life up to that point. The movie was co-directed by Jay Levey, who would direct '']'' (see below) four years later.

In 1991, ] joined the band on keyboards, allowing Yankovic to concentrate more on singing during concerts. ] produced all of Yankovic's albums until the 1992 release '']''. After Derringer's departure, Yankovic began to produce his own albums.
]
In January 1998, Yankovic had ] eye surgery and shaved off his ], radically changing his trademark look. Yankovic commented that "Millions of girls actually found me hot for the first time!" Although his "official" look does not feature facial hair, he is often seen with a goatee; most notably, on the album art for the ] release, '']''.

Yankovic is of no relation to the famous accordionist ], but Weird Al did play accordion and sing backing vocals for one of Frankie's final records. Frankie Yankovic also made a ] in a special by Weird Al for the 1986 Grammys. Weird Al jokes that his parents made him take up accordion because, "apparently, my parents felt the world needed ''two'' accordion-playing Yankovics." When the elder accordionist died in 1998, a woman Weird Al knew on the east coast called him and errantly told him, "I'm sorry your dad died," which gave him "a good jolt" at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#1298 |title="Ask Al" Q&As for December, 1998 |accessdate=2006-10-23}}</ref>

Yankovic married Suzanne Krajewski on ], ]. Their daughter, Nina, was born ], ]. They also have a pet ], Bela (pictured atop Yankovic's head on the cover of his album, '']''), and a pet ] named Bo Veaner.
On ], ], Yankovic's parents, Nick, 86, and Mary, 81, were found dead in their ] home, apparently the victims of ] from their fireplace that had been recently lit. The flue was closed, which trapped the carbon monoxide gas inside the house, suffocating them. An hour after his wife notified him of his parents' death, Yankovic went on with his concert in ], saying that "since my music had helped many of my fans through tough times, maybe it would work for me as well" and that it would "at least ... give me a break from sobbing all the time."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/msg.htm|title=A Message From Al|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>

It is often noted<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spokane7.com/music/stories/?ID=401 |title=Weird Al's shtick still draws a crowd |accessdate=2006-10-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061022/music_nm/yankovic_dc;_ylt=ApNNCUJ7ySaVVaeqonrnAFhxFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM- |title=Revenge of the "Nerdy" for spoof artist Yankovic |accessdate=2006-10-22}}</ref> that Yankovic's career in novelty and comedy music has outlasted many of his "mainstream" parody targets, such as ], ], ] and ]. Furthermore, most ] are often ]s, but Yankovic's continued success (including a top 10 single and album in 2006) has enabled him to escape the "one hit wonder" stigma often associated with novelty music.

A biographical booklet was released with the 1994 box set compilation '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://php.indiana.edu/~jbmorris/FAQ/al.booklet|title=Permanent Record: Al In The Box|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>

==Yankovic's songs==
{{main|List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic}}
Yankovic is best known for his song parodies ("]"), though he has actually recorded a greater number of original humorous songs ("]" and "]"). His work depends largely on the satirizing of ], including television (''see ]''), movies ("]"), food (''see ]''), popular music (the polkas), and sometimes issues in contemporary news ("]"). Although many of his songs are parodies of contemporary radio hits, it is rare that the song's primary topic of lampooning is that artist. Yankovic's humour lies more in creating unexpected incongruity between an artist's image and the topic of the song, contrasting the style of the song with its content, or in pointing out trends or works which have become pop culture clichés.

Unlike other parody artists such as ] and ], Weird Al strives to keep the backing music in his parodies the same as the original. While Lehrer reproduced the songs on piano and Sherman reproduced them on guitar, Yankovic and his band essentially play the original song with new lyrics. One example is 2006's ]. The song starts almost identically to ], and the difference between the songs can go unnoticed until the lyrics begin.

In addition to his parodies, Yankovic also includes a medley of various songs on most albums, each one reinterpreted as a ], with the choruses or memorable lines of various songs juxtaposed for humorous effect. Yankovic has been known to say that converting these songs to polka was "...the way God intended".
Some of his original songs are ]s or "style parodies", where he chooses a band's entire body of work to honour/parody rather than any single hit by that band (for example, ] with "]", or ] with "Dog Eat Dog"). Sometimes, it is obvious as to which band's style Yankovic is parodying, but often it is subjective. One person may hear influences from one band, while another may hear influences from a different band. Some style parodies are in the style of a ] of music, rather than a specific band.

The Dr. Demento Society, which issues yearly ] re-releases of material from Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes, often includes among these unreleased tracks from Yankovic's vaults, such as "Pacman", "It's Still Billy Joel To Me", or the live version of "School Cafeteria".

Yankovic has put two ] messages into his songs: the first, in "Nature Trail to Hell", said "Satan Eats Cheez Whiz"; the second, in "I Remember Larry", said "Wow, you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/#secret|title="Weird Al" Yankovic Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>

His latest three album releases feature the longest songs Yankovic has ever released. The "]" track from '']'' is 11 minutes and 23 seconds; "Genius in France" from '']'' runs for 8 minutes and 56 seconds; "Trapped in the Drive Thru" from '']'' is 10 minutes and 53 seconds long. These are often referred to as "epics" by his fans.
Yankovic has contributed original songs to several ]s ("]", from '']''; "Polkamon" from the movie '']'', and a parody of the ] title sequence in '']''), in addition to his own film, '']''. Other songs of his have appeared in films or television series as well, such as "]" in '']''.

===Reactions from original artists===
Under the "fair use" provision of U.S. ] law &ndash; affirmed by the ] — one does not need permission to record a ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/92-1292.ZS.html|title=Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc., 510 U.S. 569 (1994)|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> However, as a personal rule, Yankovic has always requested permission from the original artist before recording his parodies, as a means of maintaining good relationships within the music community. While artists are generally pleased with Yankovic's parodies, there have been a few notable exceptions.

====Positive====
] of ] said that the band felt they had "made it" after Yankovic recorded "]", a parody of the grunge band's smash hit, "]".<ref>http://www.weirdal.com/faq.htm</ref> ] called Yankovic an American "rock genius" in his ]. On his ''Behind the Music'' special, Yankovic stated that when he called Kurt to ask if he could parody the song Cobain asked, "Will it be about food?" Yankovic responded with "No, it'll be about how no one can understand your lyrics." Cobain is then said to have responded with, "O.K. then."

] is also a big fan of Yankovic. Jackson has twice allowed him to parody his songs. When he granted Yankovic permission to do a parody of "Bad" ("Fat"), Jackson allowed him to use the same set built for his own "Bad" video from the '']'' video.<ref>http://music.aol.com/artist/weird-al-yankovic/140212/biography</ref> Though Jackson was a good sport about "Eat It" and "Fat", he requested that Yankovic not record a parody of "]", because he felt the message was too important. However, Yankovic has performed a concert-only parody "Snack All Night" in his live shows. "Weird Al" also has a cameo appearance, along with many other celebrities, on Jackson's music video for ].

The song "]" (a parody of ]'s "]") accurately states the entire plot of '']'', despite being written before the film's release. Yankovic got the plot details from ] websites. He was slightly unsure about ] proposing to ], so he attended a $500 screening to confirm. McLean was pleased with the parody (though the rumors that he performs in the video were false); additionally, ] loved the song and a ] representative told Yankovic "You should have seen the smile on his face."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/weirdal.asp|title=TheForce.Net - Jedi Council - Interviews - Weird Al Yankovic|publisher=TheForce.Net|author=Chris Knight|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref>

] also put Weird Al's parody "]" on his official ] page saying "He's actually ] pretty good on it, it's crazy I didn't know he could rap like that". He also said "It's really an honor when he does that. Weird Al is not gonna do a parody of your song if you're not doing it big." <ref></ref>

====Negative====
One of Yankovic's most controversial parodies was 1996's "]", based on "]" by hip-hop artist ]. Reportedly, Coolio's label gave Yankovic the impression that Coolio had granted permission to record the parody, but Coolio maintains that he never did. Complicating the issue further, "Gangsta's Paradise" already samples heavily from a ] song, "Pastime Paradise". While Coolio claimed he was upset, legal action never materialised, and Coolio accepted ] payments for the song. After this controversy, Yankovic has always made sure to speak ''directly with the artist'' of every song he parodied. At the ] booth at the 2006 ] Yankovic and Coolio made peace. On his website, Yankovic wrote of this event, "I don’t remember what we said to each other exactly, but it was all very friendly… I doubt I’ll be invited to Coolio’s next birthday party, but at least I can stop wearing that bulletproof vest to the mall."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#042706|title="Ask Al" Q&As for April 27, 2006|accessdate=2006-09-02}}</ref>

In 2003, Yankovic was denied permission to make a video for "Couch Potato", his parody of ]'s "]":
:"Last year, Eminem forced me to halt production on the video for my 'Lose Yourself' parody because he somehow thought that it would be harmful to his image or career...".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eminemfans.info/?page=Biography|title="Unofficial Eminem Fan Site: Biography|accessdate=2006-09-26}}</ref>

====Refused parodies====
On numerous occasions, ] has refused Yankovic permission to record parodies of his songs. However, Yankovic has stated in interviews that he has "approached him every few years see if he's lightened up".<ref>http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/interviews/hotwired.txt</ref>

] guitarist ] is a self-proclaimed Yankovic fan, but when Yankovic wished to create a polka medley of Led Zeppelin songs, Page refused. Yankovic, however, was allowed to re-record a sample of "]" for a segment of "Trapped in the Drive Thru".

], also a Yankovic fan, refused Yankovic permission to record a parody of ]' "]", entitled "Chicken Pot Pie", because McCartney is a vegetarian. It has been performed numerous times in concert, however. This is not unusual for Yankovic, as his concerts often feature parodies for which the artist did not give permission or could not otherwise be released. However, all these "concert only" songs remain unreleased by Yankovic.

In 2006, Yankovic gained ]'s permission to record a parody of "]". However, after Yankovic had recorded "]", Blunt's label, ], recanted this permission. The parody was pulled from Yankovic's ''Straight Outta Lynwood'' due to his label's unwillingness to "go to war" with Atlantic. Yankovic released the song as a free download on his ] profile, as well as his official website, since it was not Blunt himself objecting to the parody.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5482774|title=Free 'Weird Al' Yankovic!|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> In the "]" video, Yankovic's character is seen vandalising the record label's ] entry with the exclamation "YOU SUCK!" After the video was released online, Misplaced Pages's Atlantic Records article mirrored the video with numerous "]" editing it. Yankovic has said that he does not approve of the vandalism, though he admits being amused by it. The page has since been locked by Misplaced Pages.<ref name="Herald">Adams, Cameron. “.” ''Herald Sun'', ], ].</ref>

==Misattribution and imitators==
Because Yankovic is arguably the most successful parody artist, songs posted to ] networks are often misattributed to Yankovic due to their humorous subject matter. Much to the disdain of Yankovic (known for his clean lyrics), this includes songs that are racist, sexually explicit, or otherwise offensive. A young listener who had heard several of these offensive tracks by way of a file sharing service confronted Yankovic online, threatening a boycott due to his supposedly explicit lyrics.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#100205|title="Ask Al" Q&As for October 2, 2005|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> Quite a few of the songs, such as "Star Wars Cantina," "Star Wars Gangsta Rap," "Yoda Smokes Weed," "Chewbacca, What a Wookie", "The Devil Went Down to Jamaica" and several more, have a '']'' motif.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://free.house.cx/~eil/etc/notal_list.html|title=The Not Al Page: The most popular songs he didn't even write (or perform)!|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> The large number of ''Star Wars'' related songs attributed to him is somewhat surprising, as to date Yankovic has only sung two Star Wars related songs: a parody of ] hit "]", called "]", and of ]'s "]" about '']'' called "The Saga Begins". There are also others such as "Windows 95 Sucks", and "I Ran Over the Taco Bell Dog". In addition, some of these parodies are only a minute long.

Yankovic cites these misattributions as "his real beef with ] sites":
{{quote|If you do a search for my name on any one of those sites, I guarantee you that about half of the songs that come up will be songs I had absolutely nothing to do with. That particularly bothers me, because I really try to do quality work, and I also try to maintain a more-or-less family-friendly image – and some of these songs that are supposedly by me are just … well, vulgar and awful. I truly think my reputation has suffered in a lot of people's minds because of all those fake Weird Al songs floating around the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/060918download|title="Don't not download this song"|accessdate=2006-09-23}}</ref>}}
A list of songs '''not''' by Yankovic can be found at . Alternatively, a list of all commercially released songs recorded by Yankovic can be found on his website's .

==Weird Al Star Fund==
The Weird Al Star Fund is a campaign started by Yankovic's fans to get him a star on the ]. Their mission is to "solicit, collect, and raise the necessary money, and to compile the information needed for the application to nominate 'Weird Al' Yankovic for a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame." Fans worldwide have sent donations to raise the $15,000 needed for a nomination. In addition to the preferred method of cash donations, many methods were used to raise money for the cause, such as a live benefit show held ] ], and selling merchandise on the official website and ], including t-shirts, calendars, and cookbooks. On ] ], the campaign hit the $15,000 target -- just 5 days before the ] ] deadline to submit the necessary paperwork. However, Yankovic was not included on the list of inductees for 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,19348,00.html?rssceleb|title=Damon, Diddy, Ponch Got Star Power|author=Gina Serpe|publisher=E! Online News|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> His application will automatically be reconsidered in 2007 for the possibility of receiving his star in 2008.

==Awards and album certification==
*"]" &mdash; ] Best Comedy Recording (1984)
*"]" &mdash; Grammy Best Concept Video (1988)
*'']'' &mdash; Grammy for Best Comedy Album (2003)
*Six other Grammy nominations
* The "]" single reached the #1 position on the ] singles chart in ].
{| width=50% align="left"
|-
|'''U.S. ]s'''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
|-
|'''U.S. ]s'''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
|-
|'''U.S. gold long form videos'''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
|-
|'''U.S. platinum long form videos'''
*'']''
|}
{| width=50% align="left"
|-
|'''Canadian gold records'''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
|-
|'''Canadian platinum records'''
*'']''
*'']''
|-
|'''Canadian double platinum records'''
*'']''
|-
|'''Gold singles'''
*"]" (U.S., Canada, & Australia)
|}
<br style="clear:both;">
Source: and

==Discography==
Since Yankovic secured a ] in 1982, he has released many albums and parodies. The following is a comprehensive list of his albums to date, with US release date, and highest Billboard Chart position:

{| class="wikitable"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #139 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small> (Gold)
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #17 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #50 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #177 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #27 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #146 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #17 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #46 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #14 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|-
|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #16 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #17 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #10 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]", "]", "]"
|}

===Singles===
''See: ]''

===Compilation albums (international)===
{| class="wikitable"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #198 <small>(])</small>
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
|}

===Special projects===
* ''Peter And The Wolf / Carnival of the Animals, Part II'' (With ]) - ], ]
**"This warped classical children's record featuring narration and poems written by 'Weird Al' Yankovic and music arranged, composed and performed by synthesizer artist ]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weirdal.com/|title=The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> Yankovic's text modifies the original story considerably: "The Grandfather will be played by... ]! What? He couldn't make it?", while the music features various innovations by Wendy Carlos over the original by ]. Side two of the album is "Carnival of the Animals, Part II" which is in part a homage to ] by ], with Yankovic taking the role of ] in writing humorous poems about various animals that were "forgotten" in the original Carnival. Parts of this recording are reminiscent of the signature style of ]'s public radio program ''Schickele Mix''.
* ], '']'' (])
**Yankovic is listed as an accordionist in the album's extensive production credits.
* ''Babalu Music!'' - ], ]
**A collection of music from and related to the television sitcom '']''. Yankovic's contribution as producer seems not to extend past the title track.
* ], ''Songs of the Polka King, Vol. 1'' - ], ]
** Accordion and backing vocals for "Who Stole the Kishka"
* '']'' - ], ]
** Includes Yankovic's "Polkamon"
*], '']'' - ], ]
** Yankovic performs background vocals for the song "Time".
* ], ''Dog Train'' - 2005
** Yankovic sings a duet with ] on "I Need A Nap".

===Compilation albums (imports, other)===
]'' (2000)]]
* ''Eat It'' - ], ] (Japanese LP)
* ''The Official Music of "Weird Al" Yankovic'' - June 1984 (Japanese LP)
* ''The Best Of Yankovic'' - 1992 (Korean LP)
* '']'' - ], ] (Japanese CD)

<br clear=all>

==Videography==
]
The following is a comprehensive list of his long form videos to date, with the United States release date.
* '']'' - August ]
* '']'' - ] ]
* '']'' - May ]
* '']'' - December 1993
* '']'' - ]
* '']'' - June ]
* '']'' - January ]
* '']'' - ] ]
* '']'' - ] ]
* '']'' - ] ]
===Cameos and special appearances===
<!-- This is for released films and long form videos. Television appearances should be listed below.-->
* '']'' - 1988
* '']'' - 1988
* '']'' - 1991
* '']'' - 1994
* '']'' - 1996
* ''Safety Patrol'' - 1997
* ''Nothing Sacred'' - 1998
* ''Desperation Boulevard'' - 2002
* ''Haunted Lighthouse 4-D'' - 2003

==UHF==
{{main|UHF (film)}}
]
In 1989, Yankovic starred in a full length feature film, co-written by himself and manager Jay Levey, and filmed in ] called '']''. A satire of the television and film industries, also starring ], ] and ], it scored floundering studio Orion their highest test-scores since the movie '']'', however, it was unsuccessful in theaters (likely due to a release in the summer of 1989, going up against '']'', '']'', ''Batman'', and more). It has since become a ], with out-of-print copies of the VHS fetching up to $100 on ] until the release of the ] in 2002. Yankovic occasionally shows clips from the film at his concerts (to which ], the film's current owner, initially objected). To apparently make it more accessible, the Australian release of the film was titled ''The Vidiot From UHF'', a title Yankovic openly loathes.

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==Directing career==
"Weird Al" Yankovic has directed many of his own ]s; Yankovic has directed all of his music videos from 1994’s “]” to his latest, 2006’s “]”.

He also directed the end sequence of 1986’s “Christmas at Ground Zero” (an original piece juxtaposing ] with ]) from his “Polka Party” LP.

Additionally, he has directed several videos for artists such as ], ], ], ] and ]. He has cameo appearances in his videos for Hanson and Ben Folds. Yankovic also directed the title sequence to '']'', in which he sang the title song.

==Notable television appearances==
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Yankovic had a TV series called '']'', which aired from September 1997 to September 1998 on ]. Though the show appeared to be geared at children, the humor was really more for his adult fans. The entire series was released on DVD by ] on August 15, 2006.

Yankovic has hosted '']'' on ] and ''Al Music'' on ] many times, generally coinciding with the release of each new album. For ''Poodle Hat'', AL-TV appeared on ] for the first time. A recurring segment of AL-TV involves Yankovic manipulating interviews for comic effect. He inserts himself into a previously conducted interview with a musician, then manipulates his questions, resulting in bizarre and comic responses from the celebrity.

VH1 produced a ] episode on Yankovic, however, he was so clean-cut that the producers could not find any of the typical angst-laced problems that make many rock stars' stories compelling (as Yankovic noted in the episode), so they stretched many smaller disappointments and skirmishes during his career into major downfalls to fit the program's classic formula. His two commercial failures, his film '']'' and his 1986 album '']'' were presented as having a larger impact on the direction of his career and Coolio's later disapproval of "Amish Paradise" was played up as a large feud. Much was also made over his apparent lack of a love life. Despite the dramatic angles given to these events, the special was accurate in discussing Yankovic's life and career and received heavy playtime well after its initial airing.

Yankovic was also featured in a 2003 episode of ], singing "Homer & Marge" (a parody of John Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane") with his band. The episode, "Three Gays of the Condo", in which Marge hires "Weird Al" to sing the aforementioned song to Homer in an attempt to reconcile their marriage, later won an Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)".

Yankovic appeared in Adult Swim's '']'' episode "The Munnery" two days before his album Straight Outta Lynwood was released, where the music video for his song "Weasel Stomping Day" (made in ] by the ''Robot Chicken'' crew) debuted. Along with the "Weasel Stomping Day" short, Yankovic also appeared in another short during the episode.

An exhaustive list of television shows on which Yankovic has appeared is available on his .

==Trivia==

* Yankovic's signature food is a ] which consists of an overturned ] split open as a bun, ], and Easy Cheese. He has stated that he has switched to using ] hot dogs since becoming a vegetarian, but still enjoys them as his favorite snack. The twinkie-wiener sandwich can be seen in '']''.
* As a recurring joke, Yankovic often includes the number 27 somewhere in his work.
* Yankovic says that his favorite car is the ], and he tends to feature a brown and white Metropolitan in his films and music videos.

==See also==
* ]
* ]
Other well known artists who have parodied popular music:
: ]
: ]
: ]
: ]
: ]
: ]

==Notes and references==
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==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*
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*{{MySpace-music|weirdal}}
*{{imdb name|id=0946148|name="Weird Al" Yankovic}}
*{{musicbrainz artist|id=7746d775-9550-4360-b8d5-c37bd448ce01|name="Weird Al" Yankovic}}
*, a fan-created MediaWiki-powered wiki knowledge base dedicated to everything Weird Al
*
* ''The Onion'''s biting commentary on this article (10 Nov. 2004)
* attempts to list tracks which are often wrongly attributed to Yankovic and discover their true origins.
* The largest fan-based site for Yankovic, including photos, sounds, and video clips.
* The first parody web page devoted to the parody king. Also home to
* Help get "Weird Al" Yankovic his star on Hollywood's Walk Of Fame
* The grassroots campaign for Yankovic to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

{{"Weird Al" Yankovic}}

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Revision as of 20:47, 23 October 2006

You suck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!