I feel bad because I kind of wrestled this story from CB. We both saw Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and loved it. But I’m a bit of a fangirl for Al (a Weirdling? A Yankook?). His music is fine, but it’s him as a person I get giddy over. Weird Al not only started kindergarten early, he skipped second grade. So he graduated high school – as valedictorian – two years younger than his classmates. And got a BA in architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly SLO is a state school, however its architecture program is one of the best in the country. We liberal arts Poly students weren’t allowed in the architecture buildings, we could only steal a peak through the windows and wonder about what was happening in those hallowed halls. (Kidding, we hung outside trying to snag a senior looking to “unwind”.) The point is, Al is a very intelligent and talented man who pursued a degree in architecture at one of the most competitive schools in that field, and ended up with a lucrative musical career no one could have predicted. So how did he get where he is? By standing out. Not vibing with the sports crowd and opting to DJ for the college radio station at Poly rather than getting drunk with the co-eds earned him the derogatory nickname “Weird Al.” Instead of letting them isolate him as the class weirdo, Al reclaimed the word and excelled at being different in a way that made him a five-time Grammy winning, platinum album selling multi-millionaire.
If there’s one thing that “Weird Al” Yankovic knows for sure after four decades in the entertainment business, it’s that weird is the way to go.
“We’re trying to reclaim the word,” Yankovic tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Historically it’s been sort of a derogatory thing like, ‘Don’t be weird,’ ‘Oh, that person’s weird,’ like it’s bad to be different. No. That’s what you aspire to. You want to be different. You want to stand out from the crowd. What’s the point of doing the same thing everybody else is doing? Come on, be weird!”
The beloved accordion-playing musician and comedian, who first rose to fame in the ’80s with hits like “Eat It” (a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”) and “Like a Surgeon” (inspired by Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”), has won five Grammys and sold more than 12 million albums.
With no plans to retire, Yankovic, who just celebrated his 63rd birthday, says that although there are “people who still don’t get what I’m trying to do or they think I’m a hack,” he is grateful to his devoted fan base for their unwavering support over the years and what he calls a “comfortable” level of fame.
“I feel extremely accepted. I’ve got great fans that’ve followed me for decades, and they’re extremely supportive,” he says. “I don’t have crowds following me on the street or people going through my garbage when I’m sleeping, but every now and then somebody will recognize me and go, ‘Hey, how you doing? What have you done since “Eat It” ‘?”
“You want to be different. You want to stand out from the crowd.” It’s true. People want to be unique so much we have to keep coming up with new ways to call ourselves weird. For a while it was ‘quirky’ and now those who want to stand out call themselves the ‘obnoxious one.’ While I appreciate Al’s drive to reclaim the word weird, I doubt we’re ever going to embrace it in the way he hopes. But I agree with what he’s saying and different has always appealed more to me than blending in. And I’m all for doing something that brings you joy. What’s funnier is that Al is a sweet, happily married, respectful vegetarian who is beloved by the musicians whose music he’s parodied. The ‘weirdest’ thing about Weird Al is how normal he is in the crazy business of music.
I can’t really talk about Weird without spoiling it. We were told it was a tongue in cheek look at his life but all I can say is you have no idea. And it’s a flipping riot. You keep thinking it’s going to be cheesy, but it gets funnier instead. The cameos are fantastic, Daniel Radcliffe is a dream and Evan Rachel Wood is darling. The whole thing is just so, well, different.
Lastly, I love that Al took a swipe at Pity Me Musk:
Oh no, they suspended @danielradcliffe's Twitter account! Wasn't it obvious he was doing a PARODY???
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) November 7, 2022
Humble beginnings: Did you know that prior to his career-defining role as “Weird Al” Yankovic, actor Daniel Radcliffe appeared in a number of movies about a boy wizard, in which he played the title character? #MovieTrivia
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) November 8, 2022
Photo credit: Instagram, Twitter, Cover Images and Getty Images
I have to see this film. LOL at this dude just taking the piss out of Elon.
Where is it streaming???? I want to see it too.
Freevee. Free with ads and you don’t have to register, which is nice.
I absolutely love this man.
Weird is a riot! It’s like it’s own genre.
Really enjoyed it. Radcliffe is committed, Evan Rachel Wood is so great as Madonna. The movie is so fun!!
Loved this movie from start to finish and you’re so right, I kept waiting for it to be cheesy but it was just so damn funny. And DR is my new crush for sure, he is so damn versatile
I Loved Weird. Laughed a lot. However, I have no idea who any of the cameos were. I could tell when the camera lingered on someone that they must be famous, but I honestly didn’t know who most of the actors were or who the people they were pretending to be.
Great flick and SO many cameos — it was fun to “find the actor” in very small roles: Jack Black, Lin Manuel Miranda (!!), Quinta Brunsen (as Oprah), Patton Oswald, Conan O’Brien, Josh Groben, Michael McKean, Will Forte. By all accounts, Weird Al is one of the nicest musicians/celebrities in the business and clearly has lots of famous friends and fans.
Questlove of The Roots has a podcast called Questlove Supreme. Weird Al was one of his guest. Al is easily one of the best guest you can have because he is so open about his life and is willing to talk about it. There were things I did not know about him I learned from the podcast and Questlove was the ultimate fan and knew all kinds of information. I recommend a listen.
Love, love, LOVE him! I’m waiting to watch the movie until my husband gets back from out of town and I can barely contain myself.
Loved the movie. Every time I thought it couldn’t get more funny/ridiculous the next scene happened.
We watched it last weekend and LOVED it! My bf described it as a Weird Al version of a music biopic and it’s so true. I wasn’t sure what I expected going into it, but it was definitely not that! Weird Al seems like a great guy, love that he’s getting recognition for being great!
I went through a period of listening to A LOT of Weird Al because it was the only thing my kids could agree to have on in the car (younger sister wanted sticky-sweet pop songs, too cool older brother got sick of that real quick, Weird Al was a common denominator) and I have a lot of affection for him because of it.
We were just talking about this movie last night! My husband and I are both 70’s/80’s babies so it’ll be fun and nostalgic. He’s such a mensch! Glad to see him getting these accolades, he’s always been a good guy and a great entertainer.
That movie was FIRE!!!! I loved every minute. Daniel was outstanding. Also Evan Rachel Wood. I also love that Al was in it and he made up a lot of stuff (obviously so) just for fun and the hell of it. He always seems like such a NICE man, too. I love that!