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From his love of accordions and Hawaiian print shirts to his popular puns and trademark dance moves, "Weird Al" Yankovic has made a career out of making us laugh.
Funny music is often dismissed as light and irrelevant, but Yankovic's fourteen successful studio albums prove there is more going on than comedic music's reputation suggests. In this book, for the first time, the parodies, original compositions, and polka medleys of the Weird Al universe finally receive their due respect. Lily Hirsch weaves together original interviews with the prince of parody himself, creating a fresh take on comedy and music's complicated romance. She reveals that Yankovic's jests have always had a deeper meaning, addressing such topics as bullying, celebrity, and racial and gender stereotypes.
Weird Al is undeterred by those who say funny music is nothing but a low-brow pastime. And thank goodness. With his good-guy grace still intact, Yankovic remains unapologetically and unmistakably himself. Reveling in the mischief and wisdom of Yankovic's forty-year career, this book is an Al-expense-paid tour of a true comedic and musical genius.
List of contents
Foreword, by Dr. Demento
Introduction-Still Weird Al
Chapter 1-This Is the Life
Chapter 2-The Prince of Pop Parody
Chapter 3-Policing and Playing with Language
Chapter 4-Sugar and Spice and Everything Almost Nice
Chapter 5-The Art of Self-Deprecation
Chapter 6-President Al
Chapter 7-The Woke Joke
Chapter 8-Junking Gender
Chapter 9-Al-most Famous
Conclusion
About the author
Lily E. Hirsch is a writer, musician, and reformed academic (former professor at Cleveland State University). Her work has been featured in national publications such as Ms. Magazine, the Guardian, and the Washington Post, as well as humor sites like Slackjaw, Belladonna Comedy, and Frazzled. She is the author of eight previous books including Weird Al: Seriously and Can’t Stop the Grrrls: Confronting Sexist Labels in Music from Ariana Grande to Yoko Ono. She lives with her kids, husband, and very old dog in Bakersfield, California.
Summary
This is the first book to address in a serious way the impact of the music of “Weird Al” Yankovic. Through original interviews with the man himself, Lily Hirsch addresses Yankovic’s relationship to past parody song and his unique approach to the art form, inviting music enthusiasts of all stripes to reconsider Yankovic’s music.
