My process for the parodies is that I get an idea for a song and then get approval from the artist and then go in and record it and probably try to get it out as soon as possible.
AL YANKOVICMy process for the parodies is that I get an idea for a song and then get approval from the artist and then go in and record it and probably try to get it out as soon as possible.
AL YANKOVICMy hobbies just sort of gradually became my vocation.
AL YANKOVICRight now I’m listening to a lot of Top 40 music, because THAT’S MY JOB.
AL YANKOVICI’ve always enjoyed animation and voiceover work. That’s something that I’ve been proactive about.
AL YANKOVICSo that’s why one of my rules of parody writing is that it’s gotta be funny regardless of whether you know the source material. It has to work on its own merit.
AL YANKOVICI always try to put myself out of my comfort zone and out of my depth, and hopefully somewhere along the line I’ll catch up.
AL YANKOVICA lot of rap songs don’t usually have a lot of melody per se.
AL YANKOVICI don’t like to label myself. I know I’m very hard to pigeonhole.
AL YANKOVICI have a long-standing history of respecting artists’ wishes.
AL YANKOVICIt was difficult to get into my friends’ rock bands when I was a teenager.
AL YANKOVICI love the way they run in fright when I turn on the kitchen light. And when I squish them on the ground, they make a pleasant crunchy sound.
AL YANKOVICYou got me stranded on the bungee tower of love.
AL YANKOVICI suppose I had my rock star fantasies while I was singing into my hairbrush in the bathroom mirror, but I never really consciously said, ‘OK, this is what I’m going to do for a living and I’m going to be Weird Al.’
AL YANKOVICOne of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with in my career is keeping my material topical even though I only release albums every three or four years.
AL YANKOVICThat’s a big part of my life – doing things that I’m not prepared to do.
AL YANKOVICIt’s hard to really articulate what the parameters are that make one song parody-able and another song not, but if I can come up with a good enough idea for it, I go for it, and if not, then I have to move on.
AL YANKOVIC