Weird Al: Seriously

by Lily E. Hirsch, Dr. Demento (Foreword)

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.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Humor, Comedy, Memoir, Biography Memoir

240 pages, ebook

First published March 15, 2020

Reviews

[Ciara]

It read a little like each chapter was a term paper - thesis and supporting paragraphs analyzing Al’s lyrics and how they related to themes in society and the original song/artist. You know, like when you dig deep for meaning that may not actually be there because you’re trying to get an A in English? But even the author admits she may be overthinking some of Al’s potential underlying motivations, so it’s fine. And it definitely made me make some connections I didn’t listening to the songs on my own.

All in all, I enjoyed this read, despite the overanalyzing. It made me remember songs I love, discover some I missed, and learn some background on others and on Al himself. I closed the book more convinced that Weird Al is a stand-up guy with an unmistakable talent.

One suggestion for a later edition - please block print the lyrics of the songs being written about! I couldn’t remember all the references and found myself looking up a lot. Seems like it’d be easier to just have them available (maybe in the back if not in the chapters?).

[Neal Obermeyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ordered this book because of the glowing review in the Washington Post. I’ve always enjoyed Weird Al, even if I kind of outgrew that phase in my teens. But this book is a tediously over-serious attempt at some kind of academic study of Weird Al’s career, and it manages to fail at that while sucking the joy out of his work — even as author Lily Hirsch clearly appreciates Al’s career and admires the man behind the music.

The narrative is strangely cited, in many cases littering the flow by going far beyond what is necessary (for example, if you’re quoting a Trump speech, you don’t need to credit CNN and you definitely don’t need to include the reporter’s byline when it’s literally a speech transcription). But then there’s no citation for things like the claim that Don McLean almost sings the lyrics to “The Saga Begins” on stage by mistake. You’ll be treated to passages from message board user jilly7902 and other similar experts, including transcriptions of back-and-forth message board exchanges. The author also gets taken for a ride by quoting “Phil McCracken.” Google is not always your friend when it comes to research.

There is however quite a bit of original reporting here, including some interesting reflection from Al, but the act of reporting is captured in mind-numbing detail. MANY passages throughout the book are like “In our first interview, I asked Al this, and this is how he responded. Later, in an email, I asked him this, and this is what he said to that.” Or “I asked Al this, and he replied that he’s never been asked that; I am proud, because he has done many interviews...”

A lot of it is also repetitive and unnecessary and should’ve fallen victim to an editor. For example, there are several different explorations of “White and Nerdy.” You’ll read about Coolio’s initial reaction to “Amish Paradise” and his later re-evaluation several times in the book (Yet even though we read many many times that Al only releases songs with the artists’ permission, somehow we never get the story of how this song could come out with Coolio being so opposed). Several sections on “Don’t Download this Song” are almost identical to each other. Elsewhere, songs are used as excuses to give tangential history lessons that are excruciatingly long while simultaneously too short to do their topics justice. You’ll encounter things like “Weird Al had a song called ‘White and Nerdy,’ so here’s the history of nerdiness.”

It’s such a chore to get through. On the bright side, it’ll make you want to put the book down and just listen to a lot of Weird Al’s material. So as much as I disliked this book, it directly contributed to some smiles this week!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a remarkably unfunny book for being about Weird Al. It's like the author decided to write her master's thesis on analyzing his songs, and while that kind of pedantic depth may be interesting to some, I found this book incredibly boring. It's jarring to hear my favorite Weird Al original, the hilarious "One More Minute," described as "a sort of doo-wop throwback with supporting male vocals," "insulting but also remarkably violent," and having the last verse crammed with "an overload of illustrative imagery," while the song also fits into a history of biting break up songs like "You're So Vain." What. The book is not chronological, it's divided by subjects like language, self-deprication and gender, and as such is all over the map time-wise so all the songs are brought up many times over, which makes it confusing. This time jumping also means that the author can skim the surface of the Coolio debacle about three times, but somehow never provide the entire story, one that I know from other readings. There are some interesting tidbits of information but finding them is a slog, especially when you have to wade through the literal dictionary definition of a pun. Why.

[Mosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caveat: this review is written from the perspective of a "Weird Al" fan for over thirty-five years AND the perspective of a high school English teacher for almost twenty years.

Lily Hirsh's analysis of "Weird Al"'s career presents as a scholarly look at his work, citing numerous sources and digging beneath the surface for a sophistication and depth that most people overlook when listening to a comedy act. Unfortunately, she misses the mark on many occasions. More importantly, she's not analyzing Al's work as much as she's deconstructing it, looking for issues that might be there in her eyes, but were not necessarily intended by Al.

With over ten pages of sources listed, this appears to be a well-researched volume, but her use of those sources is inconsistent. On page xxii of the introduction, Hirsch quotes John Thomerson and Linda Hutcheon (providing endnotes), but who are they? She gives no mention of their credibility. On page 23, she quotes "one fan named John"; the endnote mentions the title of an article she's quoting, but doesn't give any additional information: who's John? Where and when was the article published? When discussing puns, Hirsch literally writes, "Merriam-Webster defines [puns] as...". This is the laziest style of writing possible and one I've worked for years to get my students to avoid. She routinely cites website and forum users such as jilly7902, Kevb01987, Roe Kit, and a "poster called Dude". These sorely lack the necessary logos for this type of work.

Her writing also fails to use her sources effectively while still keeping the focus on her writing. When discussing Al's gig opening for Missing Persons, two-thirds of the paragraph is her quoting Al (10); that's more transcription than authorship. When she does focus on her own writing, she routinely goes off topic. When writing about "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, she spends the last third of the paragraph writing about Al meeting Paul McCartney at a party. If she wanted to tie this in to how "Eat It" made Al famous, that could have worked, but she doesn't do that; it's simply tacked on with no clear purpose. Similar digressions occur throughout the book. When writing about Al's use of language, she spends two-thirds of page 43 discussing Al's relationship with Mad magazine, both as a fan and their first guest editor, but it doesn't relate to the topic at hand. Hirsch writes about the relatively mean-spirited nature of "Achy Breaky Song" in a section discussing how Al occasionally shows a vicious streak; she includes how, in an effort to soften the harshness of his song, Al donates the proceeds to Billy Ray Cyrus's favorite charity. In an attempt to connect that to another song, Hirsch writes an entire paragraph about how Al donated proceeds from "Perform This Way" to the Human Rights Campaign - not a word relevant to the topic of Al's insulting side - before going into the next paragraph about Al's cruelty (if it can be labeled as such) to Billy Joel. These are not isolated incidents. She strays from her message consistently throughout the book.

Hirsch's writing is also inconsistent. When writing about Cee-Lo Green's hit, she refers to it as "F*** You", but when discussing Coolio coming around to what Al did with "Gangsta's Paradise", she quotes him asking "who the fuck" he was to get upset about it. Why edit profanity in some cases but not others? When writing about Al's appearance on 30 Rock, she writes that Jane Krakowski plays Jenna and Tina Fey plays Liz, but when writing about a Funny or Die skit three pages later, she doesn't mention Aaron Paul or Olivia Wilde. This inconsistency is distracting.

I know this book isn't self-published, but it feels like it. It contains numerous diction errors, such as Hirsch's discussion of Al's "first major debut" (how many debuts can he have? it's redundant). She says that Al would "produce" twelve more albums after in 3-D. With the exception of Peter and the Wolf, Rick Derringer produced all of Al's albums until Off the Deep End; she means Al would release twelve more albums. As a musicologist, Hirsch should know the difference. When discussing "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi", Hirsch writes that "Yankovic infers his Jewish membership" via the various references. I'm hoping against hope that this is a subtle reference to "Close But No Cigar", where she uses "the word infer when she obviously meant imply", but I'm pretty sure I'm clutching at straws here. The book also contains factual errors, such as her assertion that the "Word Crimes" line about Prince writing words using numbers is "a reference to the singer's adoption of a symbol in place of his name in 1993" (46). This doesn't make sense, as the symbol is not a number; in addition, Prince's first use of numbers for words dates back to 1984's "I Would Die 4 U". Hirsch writes that, in "TMZ", "his character is megafamous" (164), but the song doesn't have a character; if it does, that character is the listener Al is singing to: "You're sort of famous, a minor celebrity", but even that character is hardly megafamous. Hirsch refers to 1984's "Like a Virgin" as Madonna's "first hit" (148); it was Madonna's first number one single, but "Holiday" was a top twenty hit, while "Lucky Star" and "Borderline" both landed in the top ten in 1983. These are all easily fixed with some quick research.

Hirsch's writing also becomes repetitious. It's as if she wrote each chapter in isolation, forgot what she wrote, and then writes it again later on. She writes about George Harrison's version of "Got My Mind Set on You" on page 67 and writes about it again a hundred pages later (both times omitting the fact that, while Al was parodying Harrison's version, Harrison's song itself was a cover of a James Ray tune over twenty year earlier. She also addresses the Coolio/Al feud no fewer than four times over the course of the book; once is enough.

The book also has moments where Hirsch seems to miss the point of some of Al's work. When discussing "Skipper Dan", she writes that the song is "perhaps drawing on the memory of his early attempts to break into the music industry" (163), but she misses the irony in that, with the exception of Al's ill-advised vanity tour, everything Skipper Dan does is parallel to what Al does every tour; the songs, the jokes, the costumes - "every time it's the same". In her discussion of "Lame Claim to Fame", she references the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game, citing how Al "know[s] a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy... who knows/Kevin Bacon" (164). That ellipsis skips over the entire joke; those two extra "who knows a guy" makes it exactly six degrees. That's the joke. And when delving into "Don't Download This Song", Hirsch says Al "shows concern about fair compensation" (168) before pleading that he needs the money for "another solid gold Humvee/And diamond-studded swimming pools." She implies that the concern is genuine before he "plays up celebrity excess" (168), but that concern is facetious and serves to set up the joke. She also misses the irony in the song when Al begs the listener not to use "sharing sites/Like Morpheus or Grokster or LimeWire or KaZaA"; he goes to great lengths to inspire people not to use file-sharing sites while telling them what sites not to use.

I'll admit most of these issues are problems with presentation rather than content. The problems with content can more easily be summed up with the issue of deconstruction compared to analysis. Hirsch spends her time deconstructing Al's lyrics, putting her own thoughts on what she hears rather than what Al intended. And much of that deconstruction comes across as in-depth, when there isn't much of a case to be made. Hirsch writes that Al's "Trapped in the Drive-Thru", with its mundane subject matter of going out for a burger, "arguably highlighted Kelly's deviance well ahead of the more recent, high-profile news coverage" (26). She's looking for a connection that doesn't exist; the character Kelly sings about, while he may be unfaithful, is not Kelly himself, does not commit the crimes Kelly was convicted of. When writing about Al's political subtexts, she references his appearance in 2016's "Bad Hombres, Nasty Women" and how Al "does not betray his political views" (105), but on the next page she acknowledges that Al "creatively was responsible for basically nothing" (106). If this is case, then this entire discussion of Al's politics is moot. And in Hirsch's look at "Polka Face" in the "Junking Gender" chapter, she writes how Al's inclusion of "Poker Face", "Womanizer", and "I Kissed a Girl" indicates a theme "of female empowerment" (155), meanwhile the polka contains eleven other songs that have nothing to do with it; the song also contains three songs referencing drugs and alcohol, but that doesn't give it a deep connection to substance abuse.

Again, this all comes back to the idea of deconstruction compared to analysis. To be analysis, there has to be intent on Al's part, but as he said to Hirsch in reference to her questions about his take on gender, it's "nothing [he's] consciously doing" (156). One of the many reasons I love Al and his work is how he goes out of his way to accommodate the person talking to him. He has been repeatedly asked about the feud with Coolio, but every time he's asked about it, he answers it as if it's the first time he's heard the question. I think that's his way of putting people at ease around him. I also think he does this by never directly contradicting or correcting people; he lets them have their views even if what they're positing is not what he intended. On some level, I think Hirsch knows all this; she acknowledges the distinct possibility that she is "another author overthinking it" (184). I think that captures this book perfectly.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I expected a book about this subject to be a little more.....fun? This is a critical, in-depth look at Al's writings, his word choices, and style written much like a thesis paper. Me? I'd rather listen to his songs than dissect them.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like Weird Al, and also like to have something to read at bedtime that is vaguely interesting but not overstimulating so you can get ready to sleep, this is the book for you. I don't know what I will do at bedtime now that it's finished. It's so weirdly serious! I mean, I guess it says that in the title, but she's not kidding. It's downright academic.

You will pick up some interesting factoids and the most distressing thing you'll have to contemplate is whether "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" plays too much on Jewish stereotypes considering that Al is not actually Jewish.

[Ryan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic exploration of a man whose career has seemed to be built on the opposite. This is different than the normal celebrity books. Anecdotes are replaced by analysis, and while some of the connections Lily Hirsch makes seem as unlikely as radioactive hamsters actually living on a planet near Mars, the idea of examining the philosophy behind Al’s parodies for truths both about Al and society at large is lovely.

[Brad Linden]

I approached this book expecting a “serious” discussion of Weird Al, i.e. analyzing his impressive musical talent, his cultural impact, the longevity of his career… Instead, this book is “serious” in that it is essentially an academic dissection of Al’s lyrics. It’s insightful and well-researched, but I was really hoping for something more…fun.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. I love that Weird Al was critiqued academically. Hirsch had me with at her first quote, from philosopher Roland Barthes and her using it to segue immediately into a discussion of food and how food is a way to enter into parodic territory ("eg "Eat It, "Fat," "Taco Grande").

I enjoyed thinking about parody and its purpose, the hallmarks of parody and how it differs from mockery, the intersection between humor and seriousness, the necessity of relevance, the staying power of fame, what it means to be "big enough to be parodied by Weird Al," and learning all the ways that Weird Al has permeated our culture. (For example, I've gotta rewatch the Weird Al episode of "30 Rock", in which Al parodies a song Jenna sings, and then she re-parodies it back...) I like that the public-facing visage of Weird Al as an all-around good and well-meaning celebrity seems to be the truth (even if he's self-effacing, saying he'd like to be remembered for his nice shoes).

I loved how academic this was. Indeed, when listening to "Perform This Way" or "Drivin' a Truck," I don't *think* about the gender implications, but I know that a big trucker in a pink angora sweater and high heels is funny because it subverts our expectations. Similarly, the interrogation of insider/outsider status, like with "White n Nerdy" or "Amish Paradise". And I like that Hirsch took those themes apart and in doing so elevated Weird Al's work.

Sometimes the writing felt frenetic; Hirsch would toss out a lyric as evidence of a certain broader cultural critique from one song, and then another song, without going into a deep dive on the mechanics or the work a particular song was doing. As the book progressed and she dealt with meatier topics represented in a single song, her arguments became more cogent.

But, overall, delightful. And I loved getting a glimpse into the details of Weird Al's life and cultural relevance.

[Emily VA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pop culture analysis isn’t my usual book genre. Fundamentally, I don’t know enough or care enough about most pop culture to seek it out or enjoy analysis of it.

But the first music I ever owned was a single of Eat It (on one of those small records!). And one of my Lame Claims to Fame is sitting about 6 feet from Weird Al at the 1998 Alcon in Evanston, IL, while watching UHF on screen in front of us.

I’m not a Weird Al super fan - I’ve gone on to listen to lots of other music more than I listen to Al, and sometimes I find Al’s music either too weird or too dependent on me being familiar with poplar music that I don’t know. (A bunch of my friends were in town for that 1998 Alcon and staying with me, and I wasn’t going until they called in a panic for me to bring a camera because Al had just popped out from behind stage after playing a video for apologizing for not being there).

But I was curious, and so I enjoyed this book dissecting what Al does and how he does it.

Although I’m still trying to wrap my head around whether Black Nerds might find White & Nerdy exclusionary or not. (My little white kids LOVE it and hum it for days if I play it, and I worry that they’ll sing it to their little black friends on the playground and reinforce all the terrible stereotypes about how to be nerdy is to be white, and therefore black nerdy kids might have to chose being black or nerdy. Which is too bad, because it’s a super catchy song, and as a portrayal of nerdy culture, it’s an awesome anthem…)

This book seems like it should have dug into that question… and there is a section on that song in the chapter on race and religion. But this question that’s been nagging me for YEARS didn’t get answered. *sigh*. However, I did find enough of the other ideas interested to give it four stars.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard to rate. On the one hand it's exactly what it purports to be: a scholarly examination of the underlying themes that permeate Weird Al's large body of work. There are plenty of gems in there, but on the other hand, the book as a whole is rather dry. Maybe that was inevitable--don't they say explaining a joke kills it? So I think that's what happens here a little. Still, it is nice to see someone seriously discuss one of the most underrated musical talents of our time and if you're a huge fan, I think this book is still worth your time.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part biography, part examination of the larger themes of Weird Al's works. I enjoyed hearing about his interactions with those he parodies and the links he goes to in order to secure their permissions. Per Chamillionaire: "It's one thing to go platinum. Where do you go from there? Then Weird Al calls."

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book expecting something totally different than what I actually read. The first few chapters were like reading musical theory and whatnot. It was very dry and boring, honestly. For a short book, this sure took some time to read. It certainly got better as it went along, but if you are looking for some insight into Weird Al’s music and analysis of lyrics and genre styles, this is definitely for you. For others who want some fun insight to a wonderful and storied artist, I would recommend going elsewhere.

[Nicole Pramik]

Five Stars for Weird Al, because he is awesome and deserves nothing less.

Zero Stars for this book.

Being a hardcore Weird Al fan for decades, I was expecting to glean more insight into his creative genius, musical background, and parody/lyric writing process. Sadly, Hirsch spends more time discussing a topic Weird Al himself has declared he stays far away from - politics. I was baffled as to why she felt the need to include (let's be fair here) her own personal tirade against a *certain* politician rather than respect the fact that Weird Al is as far from being a socio-political artist as Gordon Ramsey is a connoisseur of Big Macs.

It's about as disrespectful as declaring The Lord of the Rings is a color by numbers allegory for WWII when Tolkien himself stated it was no such thing and he wasn't fond of allegory. I'm fine with analyzing lyrics, and that always leaves room for interpretation; but, truth be told, none of Weird Al's songs stand as political metaphors - or metaphors for anything else for that matter. (Unless one wishes to explicate the philosophical underpinnings of "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars," but I think that song speaks for itself.) But that's all part of the fun. Weird Al fans don't enjoy his music because it's deep - we enjoy it because it's clever comedy that makes us laugh.

Furthermore, as other reviewers have noted, this book reads more like a graduate thesis than a deep dive into a pop music icon's creative process and musical/comedy contributions. Not only that, but the text itself lacks any sense of warmth or humor. Instead, it approaches its subject with a cold, almost disinterested, tone - the exact opposite one might expect from a book with Weird Al, the "King of Suede" and Hawaiian shirts himself, as its focus.

Overall, Weird Al: Seriously reads like a product of the "publish or perish" mentality. It lacks any true appreciation for its subject matter but, instead, veers off into discussion points that have nothing to do with what it's supposed to be about: Weird Al and his brand of parody. I caught myself saying, "Seriously?" before I even got to the end of this book.

Weird Al might have wisely advised us, "Don't Download This Song," but I'd take it one step further: don't read (or download) this book.

[Liz Borunda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot emphasize how much I loved this book. As a long time Weird Al fan, I never thought much about the lyrical content as a child. After seeing him on his last tour and being much older, I began to really think about Weird Al means to our culture and how he's an amazing bridge into serious topics. I always appreciated how he was used as introduction to comedy to younger audiences without being inappropriate (especially important for stricter households). This book really helped me think more about his music and what these topics means. While he does say "oh hey its all for jokes, that's the main priority" we must admit...its not alllllllll jokes. Al still wrote the lyrics and for young minds listening to the these songs, these impressions are still important to positively shaping their ideas of gender and race and furthering their minds to think deeper about certain topics if they choose so.

There's a lot more seriousness and conversations stemming from his lyrics than I previous thought. I loved how this book took the analysis of his lyrics and important topics like gender, race and celebrity culture. There is JUST SO MUCH. I really enjoyed Hirsch's writing, her many citations throughout the book and how Hirsch explored what parody is and the topics of comedy. The most scholarly approach on Weird Al and Hirsch really nailed it. Even I've had people who don't listen to Weird Al, reading this book! Highly recommend this book to any music listener who just likes to enjoy conversations in regard to music in general. And since it's Weird Al, it's ultimately just WAAAYYY better.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 4 out of 5]

God bless Weird Al Yankovic. He started his musical career just as I was entering adolescence and seeking out my own musical comedy interests independent of my parents' records and tastes. In 3-D wasn't the first album I bought with my own money, but it was in the mix of early purchases, and I recall watching the video for Ricky countless times at the tail end of music video blocks inserted between programming on cable before our local provider added MTV to the line-up. I don't remember if it was on HBO, Spotlight, or Nickelodeon (maybe you remember?), but it made an enormous impression on me as I branched out from enjoying the parody artists gifted me by my father - Stan Freberg, Allan Sherman, and the Usual Gang of Idiots at MAD - into new parodies of the radio hits I picked for myself. He's been a constant companion ever since. This book is a fine appreciation of Weird Al's work. It's a scholarly approach, which made it a longer reading experience than I expected, but it does a fine job of situating Weird Al's art in the broader library of American satire and parody. The author freely confesses to being guilty of dissecting the frog, to cite EB White's simile for analyzing humor, and on occasion over-explains jokes that don't really need to be unpacked. Nevertheless, the enterprise is all well-intentioned, and the deep dive into published interviews, social media conversations, and prior writings creates a fine mosaic portrait of Weird Al's life and art. The book benefits from the author's personal touch and one-on-one conversations with Weird Al.

[Goth Gone Grey · Rating 2 out of 5]

He was only kidding...

...can't you take a joke?

I've been a huge fan of His Weirdness since early Dr. Demento days, starting with cassette tapes and working my way through the decades to downloads - more difficult to wear out from repeated listenings.

The good about this book?

Identifying sources for inspiration for many of his songs, as I followed Al more than the original artists.

Actual interviews with Al, though many were interpreted in convoluted ways to back up the author's "serious" views like this:

"Even Yankovic’s early hit “My Bologna” muddles cultural standards of gender, flipping the heteronormative search for love by turning a longing for Sharona into a quest for lunch meat."

Add in references to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and hypersexual males, and quite frankly...

I spent more time than I should have reading the author's political views in this book and refuse to spend more time with this review...

...especially when I have such a great library of parody and original music to listen to. Thank you, Your Weirdness, for everything.

**Cranks Taco Grande up to 11 while making a quesadilla**

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit that I spent 1/2 the book angry and deeply that it wasn’t what I expected when I picked it up at the library. This is NOT a funny book. This is NOT a middle grade book; the cover is deceptively juvenile looking. This reads more like a master’s thesis to convince the reader to take Weird Al seriously. Very dry and repetitive. While I enjoyed reading about how Weird Al approaches serious topics of gender, sexuality, race, and otherness through parody, it would have been much easier if the lyrics, so frequently alluded to, were included in the book. I really liked finding out that Weird Al stays away from being vicious or completely offensive, like how he dropped “spastic” from a song when he learned that while a spaz in the US is a term for a lovable clutz, it is a slur for people with certain disabilities in many other countries.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

While exceptionally well researched and generally well written, this is not a book full of laughs. As other reviewers have noted, this is far more an academic exercise than a fun run through the humor and satire of "Weird Al." Did I learn a lot? Yes. Did I glean a good analysis of his style and themes in his music? Yes, again. But I was left often feeling like I was working through a textbook than a joyful or lighthearted romp into what makes Yankovic funny.

That's not to suggest for a moment Hirsh is not totally enthralled with her subject. It's clear she finds the man a satirical genius and loves his work. To go into the detail of his work, the author is clearly on board with the style and humor in the music. Plus, she informed me of a few items of "Weird Al's" work that was new. So, overall, good stuff.

But I didn't laugh.

So if you pick up this book....just be aware.

[Peter Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an exhaustive examination of the very serious and important work of one of my favorite musical artist’s extraordinaire, Weird Al Yankovic. At times, the info felt a little tedious and once or twice a little repetitive, but it’s clear that Al is a master of his craft, but his humility would never allow him to admit it.

When I was in high school, I was on the yearbook crew (of course I’m a nerd) and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came on the radio. As I continued working, I sang along, but of course sang the Weird Al lyrics. I suddenly realized that the girl next to me was also singing those same lyrics. We locked eyes and both admitted that those were the only lyrics we knew, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the room. I was excited to find someone else like me!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't resist this book about "Weird Al" Yankovic's musical career. I'm a big fan of him and love a good (or some may think "bad") pun and parody. Some people have mentioned surprise he's lasted as long as he has. I suppose some of that can be attributed to people not understanding how much staying power well done parodies and puns have.

Touted as the most "normal" guy in the musical field as well as the nicest. Not all of his parodies have aged well and if he thinks that it may have caused some discomfort for some he often will choose to donate proceeds from that song to a charity. (Proceeds from "I Perform This Way" went to a LGBTQ+ charity since Lady Gaga is a supporter.) He's tried hard to be pretty neutral and often mocks himself as much as others. He's always gotten permission from the artists before releasing with the one exception, which was a misunderstanding, of Coolio's song. However, later Coolio admitted that he over-reacted and had been taking himself way too seriously and wished he hadn't because he thought it was quite funny. The only musician to routinely refuse his requests to do a parody was Prince. Don McLean who wrote "American Pie" that Al did a parody of called "The Saga Continues" said that his kids played the parody so much that he almost sang those lyrics on stage instead of the original.

The author breaks down some of the parodies seeing the more subtle nuances in his work as well as to how much research he puts into it. Al admits that once he starts writing his entire focus is on that and it's the part of his creative phase his wife hates. For example, he spent 1 week in the library reading up on ducks while writing the parody, "I Want a New Duck". He doesn't like getting political or get up on a soap box with his stuff. It's more subtle than that. When he was asked why so many of his parodies seemed to be poking fun at toxic masculinity he responded, "Because it deserves to be mocked." He also like to do parodies to tone the seriousness down some.

There's a wealth of information in this book and I found it quite fun to read. I know that I have a whole new respect for the subtleties of parody.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent, mainly as a sort of overview of Weird Al's career to date, putting his decades of work into some context. I think she underplays the mystery of his enduring success — it is kind of remarkable when anyone consistently puts out popular music for decades, and historically novelty acts are not enduring successes because the novelty wears off. Pretending like it's vaguely insulting to suggest that it's weird for Weird Al to still be popular into his 60s feels off.

I really like the idea of critically appraising Weird Al's works on their own merits, and indeed taking a serious look at humor in general. That said, I think that Hirsch does go a bit too much into the standard danger territory for critics where she is in danger of reading a lot into Al's songs that isn't there. His work plays with gender and power dynamics and what, but it's not exactly high concept and it seems like he's doing it more because that's the kind of thing people are interested in, and where there are points of tension to exploit for humor, rather than because he's trying to get a specific message across. If he were trying to do that, I think people would find it kind of insufferable (particularly if he went around saying, "Oh yeah, the song Fat is really about body positivity, it's a message of empowerment" or something like that).

One thing I did like about this book is that it made me want to go back and listen to a bunch of Weird Al songs again, which was fun. I did find some of them a little funnier or more interesting after having read the book as well, which is a positive. However, after about an hour of that I was kinda done with my Weird Al kick for a while.

[Katherine Bishop · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Weird Al. I love humor studies. I love musicology. I love academic books.

I do not love this book.

I bought it for a friend who shared the above interests (based on some positive reviews) and we co-read it … sorry, Adele. Glad I sent other stuff as well.

Hirsch researched this voluminously. Usually that’s a good thing in my experience. But in this case it’s often overkill. She cites seemingly tangential references like a student with overly pedantic and demanding professors (been there), many of which should have been edited out for a popular audience. They often add no more than a hat tip.

This book is both over- and under-analytical: my fault for hoping for more systematic musicology and musical analysis, sure—but hers for not digging in enough with a fair few of her analyses. Repetition is the most egregious sin, for those counting. It feels like a series of conference papers or short essays tacked together without enough organizing or editing. Anecdotes and songs crop up over and over, creating a sense of deja vu (not as new thoughts necessarily).

I’d say it’s weirdly serious but it does what it says on the tin.

For all of that, however, I loved parts of it such as stumbling on references to Barthes, Adorno, Kembrew McLeod, which I rarely do these days; it felt like driving past Christmas lights in SoCal (odd, maybe, but they still shimmered for me). I learned things about Weird Al. Moreover, I thought about her arguments, which made me ponder further on the subject myself, always satisfying. Hirsch’s dedication to and admiration of her subject is palpable and warming. This book made me want to read Nathan Rabin’s (heavily referenced) and listen to more of Weird Al’s music.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer and songwriter, who is known for his humorous songs and often parodies songs. I was/am a fan and had bought his first eight albums ... the last one I bought was Alapalooza (1993) and I went to that concert. Then for some reason I didn't buy any more. I've see his movie UHF a few times.

I went to his his Alapalooza concert in the mid 1990s. Gord and I went to his Alpocalypse concert in 2011. At that one, there were cameras throughout the theatre as they were taping the concert and he seemed to be playing more to the cameras than the audience so it's wasn't great.

When I came across this book I thought it would be an interesting read. It was okay but I didn't find I got to know Al, though. The book is more like a text book analyzing his songs. I never realized they were so deep ... I just thought they were silly and funny. There were numerous discussions about bullying, being a nerd, Trump and more. I guess I was expecting something more light and humorous given the subject. And I found it got repetitive at times ... as much as I like Amish Paradise and White & Nerdy, they were covered many times with what seemed to be the same information.

But one thing I did as I was reading the book that was fun was stopping and watching his videos on YouTube. And I've listened to his first couple of albums on Spotify and will listen to the rest.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2020/07...

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, that's right, it took me 6 months to finish this book. Yes, I enjoyed it, but this book is best consumed in small doses. A biography it is not. This book is an extremely critical look into the career of Weird Al Yankovic, possibly my favorite person who ever lived. And because of that, it is very heavy. Not so much in the writing itself, but in the way every subject hits you like a pile of bricks. I never realized just how insensitive, outdated and possibly even.....racist? Al's music can be, but it lays it all out there. Perhaps the reason that Coolio was so upset about Amish Paradise wasn't because Al was mocking a religion (because of course Al would take those shots too), or at least mocking the seriousness of his original song, but because he's lived a privledged, middle class life and has no props with the gangsta life that the song was parodying. Same could be said for White & Nerdy - that's just what Al is, how DARE he ride the coat tails of the struggling urban artist? Despite the accusations, the author has quite an appreciation for Al, who was on board with this book and provided direct insight to the author, and provides just as much praise as it does contempt. Close Personal Friends of Al, proceed, but proceed with caution.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lily Hirsch takes a research approach to Weird Al, breaking down his songs and their meanings to the greater world around them, both in their humor and perhaps a deeper meaning. By taking on people like R. Kelly who think way to much of themselves and we now know are sex fiends did he try to take them down a peg or two? Your call but the book makes some interesting points.

How Weird Al stays the NICE GUY, never really has a scandal or has one of his songs be considered offensive or derogatory even when covering songs that easily could, Pretty Fly for A Rabbi, White and Nerdy, Taco Grande...Dealing with Jewish stereotypes, How people are perceived by skin color, and a song that is as male driven as it gets(the original, not the parody) but still comes out likable.

It is the book a researcher would put out and takes that approach, it is NOT going to be for everyone but it is a unique look at a entertainer who has been around and honing his craft for several decades now. Big fans of Weird Al will like the different spin, casual fans may find it too much.

I enjoyed it but it can be dry at times.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a reason I did not want to be an English Lit major -- not very big on the deconstruction of things and trying to find meaning in them. Sometimes I don't mind reading a little bit to see a different side of things -- but even then with post modernism ... well, let me just say, I sometimes wonder if things are deconstructed just a bit too much.

Hirsch's book is not bad, it just isn't stupendous. She makes some interesting points and I can certainly see possibilities I hadn't considered before. So in that she was successful. However, as other have said, it was not a fun book. For the meat of it being less than 200 pages, taking weeks to get through means I could only read it a bit at a time... never reaching a point where I just had to finish it because I was so engrossed in what she was talking about. And now that I'm done, probably never picking it back up again.

That sounds pretty harsh? I suppose it is, but she still gets 3-stars because it was interesting even if it wasn't and isn't the easiest thing to read. And learning more about Al, you can hardly go wrong with that.

[Silas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird Al was my first musical love starting when I was 8. I stopped following as closely as I got more interested in other forms of music in my late teens, but still hold a great deal of fondness for his work. This book has a bit of biography, but much of the book is dedicated to critical analysis of his work in light of race, religion, and gender identity in several chapters. Much of the focus is on more recent songs, so it got me to listen to more of that as compared to his older work, which was more familiar to me. I liked the biographical portions, but found the analysis sections a bit less interesting. I did appreciate some of the stories of the artists who were parodied, and the focus on how Weird Al and generally his fans are genuinely good people. I did learn some things, since I mostly liked Weird Al's songs and movies and TV appearances, and hadn't investigated his biography very much(apart from the farcical biopic). There was a section at the end about COVID-19 as well that is fairly good now, but may become a bit less relevant in the future. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of revisiting Weird Al and getting to know some of his new work, even if the text itself was a bit dry and academic (I did listen to the audiobook version, which I think may have helped with that a bit).

[Ralphz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like and be entertained by this book, especially since there's another cycle of "comeback" for Weird Al Yankovic in full swing (with the release of his movie, "Weird"). But this was more of a scholarly approach than a fun one. And that approach comes with an agenda.

There is a pretty good overview of his career in Chapter 1, and the author does manage to talk about Al's "niceness," his nerdyness and his clever word play. She even goes out of her way to deny he's Jewish (invoking some stereotypes to do so).

But how did she fail to address his actual faith? He's a Christian, not in your face about it but, apparently, pretty devout. That would seem to inform his life choices (no alcohol, no drugs, no profanity) more than politics.

Guess she didn't want to know.

Where she lost me was when she somehow veered off into all the current hot-button topics - race, politics, gender - and the author's perception of Al's position on them. "My Bologna" challenges heteronormative standards??

Top bad she brought a lot of her own agenda into her writing - but then I guess everyone does to a certain extent. In the end, though, this book felt like it was about everything - except the music.

[Matthew Cory · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARNING: This book is not funny and it is not meant to be funny! Don't read this if you are looking to laugh. Also, don't read this if you are looking for a year-by-year account of the life of Alfred Yankovic; this is not that book.

Do read this if you are a true fan who is familiar with his art and would like an in-depth breakdown of his music and video choices. I wish the technology existed to have videos embedded in the pages; instead I recommend reading this alongside an active Internet connection so you can look up Weird Al videos as the author references them.

For what it is, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. It is very well researched and thoughtfully put together. My only nitpick is that the author tends to inject her own biases into Weird Al music, devoting too many pages dissecting his one song about Judaism and dedicating an entire chapter to gender roles in his music, while ignoring other songs that could potentially provide social commentary (like Frank's 2000-inch TV).