"Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
	Weird Al performing live in 2010
Background information
Born	October 23, 1959
Origin	Lynwood, California, U.S.
Years active	1976 - present
Genre(s)	Parody, satire, geek rock

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. He is known for humorous songs that are often specific parodies of contemporary musical acts.

Weezer connections

"Weird Al" is a longtime fan of Weezer and has encountered them many times. In the 1996, Yankovic encountered the band backstage to ask permission to use lyrics from the song "Buddy Holly" in his song "The Alternative Polka." Rivers Cuomo was, at the time, self-conscious about being considered a serious artist, and so the band denied him permission. In a comment to a fan edit adding the Buddy Holly segment, Cuomo would express regret saying:

Yeah I was a fool to refuse this back in 1994. I remember thinking that it just didn't sound funny to me like other Weird Al songs I knew. It just sounded like ... Buddy Holly.

Glad to see it's a seen the light of day.

—Rivers Cuomo, In a YouTube comment to "'Weird Al" Yankovic - Alternative Polka w/ Buddy Holly (HQ)" in 2023. ^[1]

In 2005, Yankovic encountered the band backstage to ask permission to use lyrics from "Beverly Hills" for his song, "Polkarama!". The band gave him permission and Yankovic used the song on his album Straight Outta Lynwood in 2006.

In 2008, Yankovic recorded a song in the style of Weezer (particularly the song "Pork and Beans"). The song, "Skipper Dan," was released on his 2009 EP Internet Leaks and again on his 2011 album Alpocalypse. On September 24, 2018, Weezer's music video for "Africa" was released, starring Yankovic as Rivers Cuomo. Yankovic joined the band live to perform the song in 2018.

"Africa"

This video, directed by Brendan Walter and Jade Ehlers, is a shot for shot remake of Spike Jonze's video for "Undone - The Sweater Song." It features Yankovic and band members dressed as Rivers Cuomo and the other members of Weezer, respectively, albeit dressed to resemble Weezer as they appeared in 2018.