Posted on 07/26/2014 12:41:28 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The massive "Weird Al" Yankovic cult knew it was only a matter of time until the rest of the world joined their ranks, but few people could have foreseen what happened this past week when his new album Mandatory Fun became the first Number One comedy album on the Billboard charts since 1963's My Son, the Nut by Allan Sherman.
That was back when JFK was president and few people in America had heard of a new Liverpool band called the Beatles. There were still new episodes of The Twilight Zone on television. It was a long, long, long time ago.
We happened to be visiting Yankovic at his house in the Hollywood hills for an upcoming story for Rolling Stone when his longtime manager Jay Levey told him the album was likely to debut on top of the charts. Tears welled up in Yankovic's eyes and his wife Suzanne comforted him. "Sweetie," she said. "It's just people loving you like they always have."
Over the course of four hours, we spoke to "Weird Al" about his long career and took a tour of his entire house, down to his impressive collection of Hawaiian shirts in the basement. Here are 16 things we learned that day.
1. He's never taken illegal drugs.
"A couple of times I’ve had Morphine because I’ve been in extreme pain," he says. "But I've never done drugs recreationally. I've been around people that smoked dope, pot, Mary Jane, reefer. I enjoyed being around those people in college because it was very easy to make them laugh. But it was never my thing and my parents drilled into me not to ever take drugs, so out of respect for them I never did."
(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...
Bm
Actually, I still have all the old newsletters somewhere from the Weird Al Fan Club... yes, I was a Close Personal Friend of Al... I even wrote him once and he wrote back and answered every question on the back of a signed 8x10 B&W headshot... on actual photographic print paper... Sadly, the Trapper Keeper I had that in was stolen.
Again, we are looking at perhaps the greatest recording artist of the 21st century here. "Weird Al" has another 30 to 40 years to rack up more number one recordings. Bigger than Elvis. Bigger than The Beatles. Bigger even then Aspirin Echo - who you haven't heard of yet but will be a major force in the 2030s to 2050s.
Again, we are looking at perhaps the greatest recording artist of the 21st century here. "Weird Al" has another 30 to 40 years to rack up more number one recordings. Bigger than Elvis. Bigger than The Beatles. Bigger even then Aspirin Echo - who you haven't heard of yet but will be a major force in the 2030s to 2050s.
You are correct; I am not a fashion consultant. Even so, he needs to ditch that haircut. He looks like an aerial view of a fishing tug making headway in heavy seas.
BTW, I’m the fashionista on the right: http://www.znakovi-vremena.net/Slike/dummies.jpg#twin%20idiots%20393x228
It is difficult to comprehend the enormity of Weird Al's accomplishment since he sported his new, hip look. He is idolized by millions of young fans and is a sex symbol for millions of young women. His new album is sitting atop the Billboard charts (entered at number 1 with a bullet!) and his popularity exceeds that of every "young" star of today, including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and all the other pop stars of the current era.
Weird Al is 54 years old but he might as well be 24 because he sports a youthful appearance and is extremely relevant to the 18-34 demographic. What's even more amazing is that he has decades ahead of him to take his career to even more stratospheric heights. He's been making recordings since 1979 but you get the impression he's only getting started.
Yes, "Weird Al" looks weird and closely resembles Tiny Tim - but in show business, that's not a bad thing at all. It has separated him from the crowd and given him a virtual monopoly on song parodies (most of today's biggest music stars are literally begging him to interpret one of their songs).
Think about it. Weird Al Yankovic is more popular among the young people today than Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, and even Elvis Presley. This is an astonishing achievement and when all is said and done, Weird Al could well end up being the most popular and successful entertainer in the history of pop music - with respect to longevity and consistency.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
