Weird Al Yankovic biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Singer, musician, songwriter. Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born on October 23, 1959, in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California, and raised in the neighboring town of Lynwood.

An only child, he first took up the accordion at age seven when a salesman came around to solicit accordion or guitar lessons for a local music school. Yankovic claimed his parents were inspired by polka star Frank Yankovic (no relation) and chose the accordion.

As a child and young teen, Al became a fan of such musician/comedians as Allan Sherman, Tom Lehrer, Spike Jones and Stan Freberg. He became especially acquainted with these musicians through the radio show of Barry Hansen, aka "Dr. Demento."

After graduating as valedictorian from Lynwood High School, Al attended the California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo to study architecture. It was at Cal Poly that Al had a radio show and earned the nickname "Weird Al."

First Parody

It was at Cal Poly where he recorded his first single, a parody of the popular "My Sharona" by The Knack, called "My Bologna."

After graduating in 1980, Yankovic released "Another One Rides the Bus," a parody of Queen's smash hit, "Another one Bites The Dust." He followed up with "I Love Rocky Road," a satire of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'n Roll."

Commercial Breakthrough

Yankovic's success went to a whole new level, thanks to his skilled use of music video. His first was a parody of Toni Basil's "Mickey" for his debut album, "Weird Al" Yankovic. But it was the video from his sophomore effort, "Eat It," a parody of Michael Jackson's smash "Beat It," that became a smash on MTV.

Dare to Be Stupid, the first comedy record ever released in the new compact disc format, featured "Like a Surgeon," a take-off of Madonna's hit "Like a Virgin."

Yankovic's 1986 Polka Party LP fared poorly, but he returned in 1988 with another Jackson parody, the platinum-selling Even Worse. Its title and album cover referenced Jackson's Bad LP. The first single, "Fat," portrayed Yankovic as a grotesquely obese tough guy.

The next year, he starred in the feature film UHF, which he also co-wrote and issued as as soundtrack.

Further Success

Yankovic returned in 1992 with Off the Deep End, which featured the hit "Smells Like Nirvana," a takeoff of Nirvana's landmark song "Smells Like Teen Spirit." After 1993's Alapalooza, he resurfaced in 1996 with Bad Hair Day, featuring the single "Amish Paradise," a takeoff of Coolio's smash hit "Gangsta's Paradise."