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:''This article is about the musician. For his self-titled album, see ''].

{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = "Weird Al" Yankovic
| Img = WeirdAlYankovic.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 = ]&ndash;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/>]
}}

'''Alfred Matthew Yankovic''' (]: {{IPA|}}; last syllable rhymes with "stick") was born on ], ] in ]. Better known as '''"Weird Al" Yankovic''', he is an ] ], ], ], ]ist, and ].
Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that make light of ] and that parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts.

Since receiving his first accordion lesson a day before his seventh birthday, he has recorded more than 150 parody and original songs and sold more comedy albums than any other artist.<ref name="catalog">{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/catalog.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Catalog|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/bio.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Biographies|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref> His works have earned him three ]s amongst nine nominations, three ] and five ] in the ]. Yankovic's first Top 10 ] ] and ] were both released in 2006, nearly three decades into his career.

In addition to recording his albums, Yankovic has written and starred in his ] and ], directed ]s for himself and other artists including ] and ], and had guest appearances in television shows such as '']'' and '']''.

==Biography==
The only child of Nick Yankovic (], ]—], ]) and Mary Yankovic (], ]—], ]), Alfred was born in ] and raised in the neighboring town of ].<ref name="faq">{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/faq.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref> Nick was born in ] and began living in California after ], during which he was awarded a ].<ref name="booklet">{{cite web|url=http://php.indiana.edu/~jbmorris/FAQ/al.booklet|title=Permanent Record: Al In The Box|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://deddygetty2.home.comcast.net/spotlight.html|title=99th Recon|accessdate=2006-11-09}}</ref> He believed "the key to success" was "doing for a living whatever makes you happy" and often reminded his son of this philosophy.<ref name="booklet"/> Nick married Mary Vivalda in 1949. Mary, who had come to California from Kentucky, gave birth to Alfred ten years later.<ref name="booklet"/>

Alfred's first accordion lesson was ], ] a day before his seventh birthday. A door-to-door salesman traveling the Lynwood neighborhood offered the Yankovic parents a choice of accordion or guitar lessons for a local music school. Yankovic claims the reason his parents chose accordion over ] was "they figured there should be at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world," referring to ], to whom he is no relation.<ref name="booklet">{{cite web|url=http://php.indiana.edu/~jbmorris/FAQ/al.booklet|title=Permanent Record: Al In The Box|accessdate=2006-08-24}}</ref> He continued lessons at the school for three years before continuing to learn on his own.<ref name="faq">{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/faq.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref> Yankovic's early accordion role models include Frankie Yankovic and ] (the accordionist on '']''). In the 1970s, Yankovic was a big fan of ] and claims John's '']'' album "was partly how I learned to play rock 'n roll on the accordion."<ref name="booklet"/> He would repeatedly play the album and try to play along on his accordion.

Yankovic began ] a year earlier than most children, and he skipped the second grade. "My classmates seemed to think I was some kind of rocket scientist so I was labeled a nerd early on," he recalls.<ref name="booklet"/> As his unique schooling left him two years younger than most of his classmates, Yankovic was not interested in large social events at school. He claims to have been a "straight A" student throughout high school, which earned him the honor of becoming ] of his senior class.<ref name="booklet"/> Yankovic was fairly active in his school's extracurricular programs, including the ] (in which he "usually brought home some kind of trophy"); a play based upon '']''; the yearbook program (for which he wrote most of the captions); and the Volcano Worshipers Club, "which did absolutely nothing. We started the club just to get an extra picture of ourselves in the yearbook."<ref name="booklet"/>

A fan of ]'s ] show (a ] radio program featuring humorous music) since 1971 or 1972, Yankovic first sent Demento a homemade tape in ].<ref name="booklet"/> The tape's first song was entitled "Belvedere Cruisin'," a song about his family's ]; another song included on the tape which never received airtime was entitled "Dr. D Superstar," a parody of the title song from the musical '']''.<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> Demento admits "'Belvedere Cruising' might not have been the very best song I ever heard, but it had some clever lines I put the tape on the air immediately."<ref name="booklet"/> Yankovic was a ] at Lynwood High School at the time, but that tape was the start of his eventual career.
During Yankovic's sophomore year as an ] student at ], he became a ] at the university's radio station, ]. According to Yankovic, he had been called "Weird Al" in the university's ], but he "took it on professionally" as his persona for the station.<ref name="booklet"/> In summer 1979, shortly before his senior year, "]" by ] was on the charts and 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 "]" and sent it to Dr. Demento, whose listeners frequently requested the parody. Yankovic met The Knack after a show at his college, and introduced himself as the author of "My Bologna." Knack's lead singer, ], admitted he liked the song and suggested that ] vice president Rupert Perry release the song as a single.<ref name="booklet"/> "My Bologna" was released as a single with "School Cafeteria" as its B-side, and the label gave Yankovic a six month recording contract.<ref name="btm">{{cite video|people=McNamara, Michael (Director)|title=|medium=TV series|publisher=VH1|date=1999}}</ref> Yankovic, who was "only getting average grades" in his architecture degree, began to realise his comedy music may hold a future career for him.<ref name="booklet"/>
On ], ], Yankovic was a guest on the Dr. Demento Show, where he was to record a newly-written parody live on the air. The song was called "]," a parody of ]'s hit, "]." While practicing the song outside the sound booth, he met ], who told him he was a drummer and agreed to bang on Yankovic's accordion case to help Yankovic keep steady beat to the song. They rehearsed the song just a few times before recording the song live.<ref name="booklet"/> "Another One Rides the Bus" became so popular that Yankovic's first television appearance was a performance of the song on ''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.
1981 brought Yankovic on tour for the first time as part of Dr. Demento's stage show. His stage act in a ] nightclub caught the eye of manager Jay Levey, who was "blown away."<ref name="booklet"/> Levey asked Yankovic if he had considered creating a full ] and doing his music as a career. Yankovic agreed, so Levey held auditions. ] became Yankovic's ] player, and Jay's friend ] played ]. Schwartz continued on ]. Yankovic's first show with the 1981 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.<ref name="btm"/>

In 1982, Yankovic recorded "I Love Rocky Road," due to the influence of his new producer, ]. It managed to become a hit on Top 40 radio, leading to Yankovic's signing with ]. In 1983, Yankovic's first ] was released on Scotti Bros.

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 also featured some clips from Yankovic's trip to ] and some clips from the '']'' specials. ''The Compleat Al'' was co-directed by Jay Levey, who would direct '']'' four years later. Also released around the same time as ''The Compleat Al'' was ''The Authorized Al'', a biographical book based on the film. The book, resembling a scrapbook, included real and fictional, humorous photographs and documents.

In 1991, ] joined the band on keyboards, allowing Yankovic to concentrate more on singing during concerts.

A factual biographical booklet of Yankovic's life, written by Dr. Demento, was released with the 1994 box set compilation '']'' and is available for viewing . The Dr. Demento Society, which issues yearly ] re-releases of material from Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes, often includes unreleased tracks from Yankovic's vaults, such as "Pacman," "It's Still Billy Joel To Me" or the live version of "School Cafeteria."
]
In January 1998, Yankovic had ] eye surgery and shaved off his ], radically changing his trademark look. Yankovic reasoned, "If ]'s allowed to reinvent herself every 15 minutes, I figure I should be good for a change at least once every couple of decades."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20010208173222/http://www.weirdal.com/bio.htm|title=Archive.org for www.weirdal.com/bio.htm for Feb 8, 2001|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref> He parodied the reaction to this "new look" in a commercial for his nonexistent ] special. The commercial featured Yankovic in the short-haired wig from the music video for '']'', claiming his new look was an attempt to "get back to the core of what I'm all about," that being "the music."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEWNmJoUfZk|title=Weird Al MTV Unplugged Promo|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</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.<ref name="faq"/>
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>

Yankovic's career in novelty and comedy music has outlasted many of his "mainstream" parody targets, such as ], ], ] and ].<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> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tweak.com/phonetag/weirdal/|title=Tweak: Phone Tag - Weird Al Yankovic |accessdate=2006-10-16}}</ref>

==Yankovic's work==
===Music===
{{main|List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic}}
While Yankovic's song parodies (such as "]") have resulted in success on the Billboard charts (''see ]''), he has actually recorded a greater number of original humorous songs ("]" and "]").<ref name="faq"/> 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 Yankovic's songs are parodies of contemporary radio hits, it is rare that the song's primary topic concerns lampooning the original artist as a person. 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 (such as the ] song "]"), or in pointing out trends or works which have become pop culture clichés (such as "eBay" and "]").

Unlike other parody artists such as ] and ], Yankovic 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. Instead of using instrumental versions of the original songs, Yankovic and his band transcribe the original song by ear and re-record the song for Yankovic's parody version.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdalforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4730&view=findpost&p=306317|title=World of Weird Al Yankovic Forums - Ask Jim|accessdate=2006-10-30}}</ref>

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." Because the polkas have become a staple of Yankovic's albums, he has said he tries to include one on each album because "fans would be rioting in the streets, I think, if I didn't do a polka medley."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/Weird_Al_talks_new_album_2007_tour-10776.html?t=1|title='Weird Al' talks new album, 2007 tour|accessdate=2006-10-26}}</ref>
Some of Yankovic's original songs are ]s or "style parodies," for which he chooses a band's entire body of work to honor/parody, rather than any single hit by that band (for example, ] with "]", ] with "Everything You Know is Wrong", or ] with "Dog Eat Dog")<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0100|title="Ask Al" Q&As for January, 2000|accessdate=2006-10-30}}</ref>. Some style parodies are in the style of a ] of music, rather than a specific band (for example, ] with "Good Enough For Now").

Yankovic has contributed original songs to several ]s ("]" from '']''; "]" 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 '']''.

Yankovic's recurring jokes include the number ] (as seen on the covers for ] and ]) and the names Bob, (the ] interviews often mention the name<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVGiUu2ciYY|title=Weird Al Interviews Avril Lavigne|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref>) Frank ("Frank's 2000" TV") and Leroy Finkelstein (music video for "]"). Also, a ] called ] is a recurring character in ] and the ] specials. The Harvey the Wonder Hamster theme song was first officially released on the ] album. Yankovic has also 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=Al-oholics Anonymous' 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. To date, these "epic" songs have never been played live because of their length and complexity, except one performance of "Albuquerque" in ].<ref name="setlists">{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/setlists.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Concert Set Lists|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref>

====Reactions from original artists====
Under the "fair use" provision of U.S. ] law—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.<ref name="faq"/> 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 name="faq"/> On his ''Behind the Music'' special, Yankovic stated that when he called Cobain to ask if he could parody the song, Cobain gave him permission, then paused and asked, "Um...it's not gonna be about food, is it?" Yankovic responded with "No, it'll be about how no one can understand your lyrics."<ref name="btm"/>

] is also a big fan of Yankovic. Jackson has twice allowed him to parody his songs ("]" and "]" became "]" and "]"). When he granted Yankovic permission to do "Fat," Jackson allowed him to use the same set built for his own "Bad" video from the '']'' video.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://music.aol.com/artist/weird-al-yankovic/140212/biography|title=Weird Al Yankovic - Biography - AOL Music|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</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 some of his live shows.<ref name="setlists"/> Yankovic also has a cameo appearance, along with many other celebrities, in 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, and even told Yankovic that the parody's lyrics sometimes enter his mind during live performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0999|title="Ask Al" Q&As for September, 1999|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref> 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 writing, "He's actually ] pretty good on it, it's crazy I didn't know he could rap like that." He also wrote "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>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/mixtape_monday/091106/|title=MTVNews.com - Mixtape Monday: Lil Wayne, Juelz To Drop Real Album; Ness Drops Da Band|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</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. While Coolio claimed he was upset, legal action never materialized, 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>
For the ''Poodle Hat'' ] special, Yankovic raised the question of artistic expression in a false interview with Eminem. As usual, Yankovic edited the footage of a previous Eminem interview and inserted himself asking questions such that it made Eminem sound like a hypocrite on the matter of an artist's right to ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfwex5gfnWo|title=Weird Al Interviews Eminem|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</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>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/interviews/hotwired.txt|title="Weird Al" Yankovic Interview by Michael Small of Hotwired.com|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref>

] guitarist ] is a self-proclaimed Yankovic fan, but when Yankovic wished to create a polka medley of Led Zeppelin songs, Page refused.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0699|title="Ask Al" Q&As for June, 1999|accessdate=2006-10-27}}</ref> Yankovic was, however, allowed to re-record a sample of "]" for a segment of "Trapped in the Drive Thru."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/09/19/weird-al-yankovic-dishes-on-james-blunt-discusses-his-role-as-the-whitest-nerdiest-rock-star-ever/|title=Weird Al Yankovic Dishes On James Blunt, Discusses His Role As the Whitest, Nerdiest Rock Star Ever|accessdate=2006-10-27}}</ref>

], also a Yankovic fan, refused Yankovic permission to record a parody of ]' "]," entitled "Chicken Pot Pie" because McCartney is a vegetarian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/interviews/alicon.html|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: The Icon Profile|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref> However, like "Snack All Night," "Chicken Pot Pie" has been performed numerous times in concert.<ref name="setlists"/> 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.

In 2006, Yankovic gained ]'s permission to record a parody of "]." However, after Yankovic had recorded "]," Blunt's label, ], rescinded 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 vandalizing the record label's ] entry with the exclamation "YOU SUCK!" After the video was released online, Misplaced Pages's ] 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 semi-protected by Misplaced Pages.<ref name="Herald">Adams, Cameron. “.” ''Herald Sun'', ], ].</ref>

====Live performances====
Yankovic often describes his live concert performances as a "rock and comedy multimedia extravaganza".<ref name="yahoocache">{{cite web|url=http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:09MwL6eaJ3sJ:launch.yahoo.com/read/interview/12027570|title=Weird Al Yankovic Interviews on Yahoo! Music (Google Cache)|accessdate=2006-11-10}}</ref> Apart from Yankovic and his band performing his classic and contemporary hits, staples of Yankovic's live performances include a medley of parodies, many costume changes between songs, and a video screen on which various clips are played during the costume changes.<ref name="yahoocache"/> A concert from Yankovic's 1999 tour for the '']'' album (''Touring With Scissors'') was released on VHS in 1999 and on DVD in 2000.<ref name="catalog"/> Titled '']'', the concert was recorded at the ] in ] on ], ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/100299.htm|title=Weird Al Photo Gallery - Backstage "Pep Talk"|accessdate=2006-11-10}}</ref> For legal reasons, video clips (apart from those for Yankovic's own music videos) could not be shown for the home release, and unreleased parodies were removed from the parody medley for the performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0300|title="Ask Al" Q&As for March, 2000|accessdate=2006-11-10}}</ref>

2003 saw Yankovic on tour overseas for the first time. Prior to 2003, Yankovic and his band had only toured the Unites States and parts of Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/livepage.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Live Performances|accessdate=2006-11-10}}</ref> Following the success of '']'' in ], Yankovic performed eleven shows in Australia's major and capital cities in October of that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/phtour.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Poodle Hat '03 & '04 Tourdates|accessdate=2006-11-10}}</ref> In 2006, Yankovic expressed interest in beginning the tour for '']'' in March 2007. Yankovic plans to start the tour in ] with Australia to follow, before touring the United States in the summer. While he claims he would like to tour ], Yankovic is awaiting the sales performance of ''Straight Outta Lynwood'' in the continent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.myspace.com|title="Weird Al" Yankovic Blog|accessdate=2006-11-10}}</ref>

===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 '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0599|title="Ask Al" Q&As for May, 1999|accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref> However, it was unsuccessful in theaters, likely due to a release in the summer of 1989, going up against '']'', '']'', '']'', and others.

The film has since become a ], with out-of-print copies of the VHS getting as high as $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 in the form of a ] letter<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0500|title="Ask Al" Q&As for May, 2000|accessdate=2006-10-26}}</ref>). To apparently make it more accessible, the film was titled ''The Vidiot From UHF'' in Australia and parts of Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098546/|title=UHF (1989)|accessdate=2006-10-26}}</ref>

UHF shows the creation of Yankovic's signature food—the ]. The snack consists of an overturned ] split open as a bun, a ], and ]. Yankovic has stated that he has switched to using ] hot dogs since becoming a vegetarian, but still enjoys them as his favorite snack.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#1095|title=Midnight Star "Ask Al" Q&As for October/November, 1995|accessdate=2006-10-26}}</ref>
{{-}}

===Notable television appearances===
]
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 (as such, it is often compared to '']''). 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, and 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, though he got married shortly after it aired.<ref name="btm"/>

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)."

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

===Directing career===
"Weird Al" Yankovic has directed many of his own ]s; he has directed all of his music videos from 1993’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 and the title sequence to '']'', for which he sang the title song.<ref name="vidfacts">{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/videtc.htm|title="Weird Al" Yankovic: Video Facts|accessdate=2006-10-26}}</ref>

In addition to his own, he has directed several videos for ] (The '']'' sequences in "River"), ] ("]"), ] ("]"), ] ("Redneck Stomp" and "Party All Night"), and ] ("Wail").<ref name="vidfacts"/> He has cameo appearances in his videos for Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hanson (as the interviewer) and Ben Folds (as the producer fixing Folds' "shitty tracks").

==Misattribution and imitators==
Songs posted to ] networks are often misattributed to him due to their humorous subject matter. Much to the disdain of Yankovic, 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 "I Wanna Be a Stormtrooper" by ], "Star Wars Cantina," "Star Wars Gangsta Rap," "Yoda Smokes Weed," "Chewbacca, What a Wookie" 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":
:"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."<ref name="starfund">{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdalstar.com/|title=The Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Campaign for "Weird Al" Yankovic|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref> Fans worldwide have sent donations to raise the US$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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdalstar.com/tributeshow.html|title=The Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Campaign for "Weird Al" Yankovic|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdalstar.com/promotions.html|title=The Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Campaign for "Weird Al" Yankovic|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref> On ] ], the campaign hit the US $15,000 target, just five days before the ] ] deadline to submit the necessary paperwork.<ref name="starfund"/> However, Yankovic was not included on the list of inductees for 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=8ce9efb9-2eb5-4f61-85ab-c5c2ffb9d885|title=Damon, Diddy, Ponch Got Star Power|author=Gina Serpe|publisher=E! Online News|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref> His application will automatically be reconsidered in 2007 for the possibility of receiving his star in 2008.

==Selected discography==
''Main articles: ] and ]''

Since Yankovic secured a ] in 1982, he has released many albums and parodies. The following is a list of his full length albums to date, with United States release date, highest Billboard Chart position and ]:

{| class="wikitable"
!align="center"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #139 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Gold
*Singles: "]," "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small> (Gold)
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #17 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Platinum
*Singles: "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #50 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Platinum
*Singles: "]," "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #177 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "Living With a Hernia," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #27 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Platinum
*Singles: "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #146 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #17 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Platinum
*Singles: "]," "]," "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #46 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Gold
*Singles: "]," "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #14 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Platinum
*Singles: "]," "]," "]"
|-
|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #16 <small>(])</small>
*Certification: Platinum
*Singles: "]," "]," "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" (Australia only)
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #17 <small>(])</small>
*] for Best Comedy Album (2003)
*Singles: "]," "]"
|-
|align="left"|''''']'''''
*Released: ], ] <small>(])</small>
*Label: ]
*Chart Positions: #10 <small>(])</small>
*Singles: "]," "]," "]," "]"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/|title=The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site|accessdate=2006-11-12}}</ref>
|}

===Notes===
While "Canadian Idiot" was not released as a single and (currently) has no music video, the song received enough digital purchases to warrant placing on the ].

''Poodle Hat'' did not have any physical singles, but a low-budget music video was made for "Bob" to show on 2003's ] special. Additionally, the video for "Couch Potato" (which received some radio play) was cancelled in pre-production, due to ]'s objections towards a video for the parody being released.

===Awards and nominations===
*"]" &mdash; ] for Best Comedy Recording (1984)
*"]" &mdash; Grammy for Best Concept Video (1988)
*"]" &mdash; Grammy for Best Comedy Album (2003)
*Five other Grammy nominations
* The "Eat It" single reached the #1 position on the ] singles chart in ].
{|
|-
|'''U.S. gold long form videos'''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
|-
|'''U.S. platinum long form videos'''
*'']''
|-
|'''Canadian gold records'''
*''"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D''
*''Even Worse''
*'']''
*'']''
*''Running With Scissors''
|-
|'''Canadian platinum records'''
*''Off the Deep End''
*''Bad Hair Day''
|-
|'''Canadian double platinum records'''
*''Alapalooza''
|-
|'''Gold singles'''
*"Eat It" (U.S., Canada, & Australia)
|}
<br style="clear:both;">
Source: and

==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 in the TV appearances section.-->
* '']'' - 1988
* '']'' - 1988
* '']'' - 1991
* '']'' - 1994
* '']'' - 1996
* ''Safety Patrol'' - 1997
* ''Nothing Sacred'' - 1998
* ''Desperation Boulevard'' - 2002
* ''Haunted Lighthouse 4-D'' - 2003



==Notes and references==
<div class="references-2column">
<references/>
</div>

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*
*{{MySpace-music|weirdal}}
*{{imdb name|id=0946148|name="Weird Al" Yankovic}}
*{{musicbrainz artist|id=7746d775-9550-4360-b8d5-c37bd448ce01|name="Weird Al" Yankovic}}
* at ]
*, MediaWiki-powered wiki dedicated to everything Weird Al
*

{{"Weird Al" Yankovic}}

{{featured article}}

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Revision as of 23:45, 17 November 2006

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