"Weird Al" Yankovic has a new album out this week, Straight Outta Lynwood."Weird Al" is one of the very few things from my childhood that seems just as funny and good to me now as it did then. It's 25 years later, but this guy is still making great music (in his original material), and showcasing a great sense of humor. There are certainly not many musicians with that history in the former category, and only a few more comedians in the latter category.
That said, every few years when Al does put out a new album, it makes me feel old. Back in the 80s, when a new record would hit (yes, I owned most of them on vinyl, not CD), I'd recognize every song he'd selected to parody, and most of the music referenced in his regular polka medleys. But with each new CD, I recognize less and less of the music he's tackling, and end up finding more and more enjoyment in the original material instead.
This time out, the only song I can truly claim to recognize is the parody of Green Day's American Idiot. I recognize most of the other names in the crosshairs -- Usher, R. Kelly, Taylor Hicks. But then there's Al's song White & Nerdy, a parody of Ridin' by Chamillionaire. Yes, for the first time ever with a "Weird Al" album, there's a parody of song I'd never heard from a musician I'd never heard of either.
When I was buying the CD tonight at Best Buy, a high-school-aged kid was ringing me up, sees the disc, and says, "oh, is this the one with the 10-minute R. Kelly song on there? Yes! This is awesome!" Kind of an unintentional back-handed compliment. I was buying an "awesome" CD, but not for this song I'd never heard.
So, yeah, these kids today are totally leaving me behind.
That said, I've listened to about half the CD so far, and it has been as great as all the others -- maybe more so -- even with my relative ignorance of pop music. A lot of the originals are "sound-alikes" of more (ugh... I suppose I have to say "classic") classic music that I do recognize. And the lyrics are very clever and completely hilarious regardless. I give it the big thumbs up.
...Or whatever the cool kids do these days to convey their approval.
4 comments:
I heard about this last night watching VH1's Best Week Ever. they highlighted the Ridin' song and showed some of the video. a few months ago when my car cd player was acting up, I switched to the radio (I usually never listen to plain old radio) and flipped to a variety of stations. the R&B/rap station played Ridin' like every half hour. so I totally get the super-funny parody of that cool tune.
I can't wait to hear the rest. hopefully I'll be able to recognize some more...
the mole
Okay, now I feel better after not knowing who Dane Cook was. You are a step ahead of me because you did know, but at least other people are losing touch of the "younger kids' stuff" too.
I definitely thought of your Dane Cook story as I looked at Al-bum. (Oh, BTW! Dane Cook is the host of Saturday Night Live tonight. That made me think of you, too. :-) )
Great, great album.
(I have a special fondness for Canadian Idiot, for obvious reasons.)
And no, I don't recognize anything except from Green Day.
I guess we're all getting old fast.
Pancreas is totally hilarious.
I love that stuff.
FKL
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