Several weeks ago, "Weird Al" Yankovic and his band covered David Bowie's "Suffragette City" during the encore of a show. This wasn't necessarily out of the ordinary — after all, the accordion aficionado has built his entire career on clever parodies of other people's songs. This time around, however, Yankovic played it straight, and unleashed a swaggering, glammy version of the "Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" staple.
That Yankovic could bust out such a note-perfect cover is no surprise to fans. Although his brilliant spoofs receive enormous amounts of attention — for good reason, since they're incisive and hilarious, without being mean-spirited — he also possesses an aptitude for original music. In fact, Yankovic's ongoing current tour, "The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour," focuses squarely on his own compositions.
Setlists to date have been full of rarities, including nuggets from the "UHF" soundtrack (the sparkling new wave zap "Fun Zone," the Dylan-reminiscent storytelling epic "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"); neon-hued synth-pop ("Dare To Be Stupid"); heartfelt jangle-pop ("Melanie"); and lively polkas ("My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder"). Naturally, this premise has led to packed and/or sold-out shows, with ticket-resale prices in some markets running in the hundreds of dollars.
Yankovic is performing many songs he hasn't done on previous tours, which explains much of this demand. However, his originals also have a timeless quality — and plenty of subtle, smart layers — that also makes these songs must-sees. This isn't always obvious: Certain lyrics in "Craigslist" and "eBay" sound dated, and the resonance of certain other older songs isn't quite as strong now. Consider 1999's "It's All About the Pentiums," whose technology references are positively quaint.
But "Craigslist" also has a verse envisioning a haughty customer writing an open letter to a "snotty barista." As the section unfolds, it's clear the former is entitled and nasty — and instead of being about online classified ads, it turns into a subtle condemnation of consumer rudeness, and the ways in which people twist situations to their advantage, with no regard to the truth.
"The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour" is just Yankovic's latest achievement, however. You could say that he's having an extended pop-culture moment in 2018, one that kicked off last year with the release of "Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of 'Weird Al' Yankovic," a massive boxed set housed in (what else?) a replica accordion.
Lin-Manuel Miranda recently commissioned the musician to do what became "The Hamilton Polka," a hilarious and insightful summary on the hit musical. (As an added bonus, this experience came complete with a video of Miranda listening to the song for the first time, and nearly breaking down crying with joy.)
Back in April, Yankovic co-wrote a New York Times crossword puzzle. Several weeks later, he re-shared a 2017 polka he performed on "Last Week with John Oliver" that boasted a rousing chorus of "Please don't nuke us North Korea." The occasion? A BBC headline referencing Kim Jong Un talking about ceasing nuclear and missile tests.
On a less globally significant level, Yankovic even weighed in on the Elon Musk-Grimes relationship, tweeting a screenshot of a headline that appeared to credit "Weird Al" for bringing the unlikely pair together. Musk took the bait, and responded that his own "a cappella cover of 'Amish Paradise' is irresistible."
Yankovic's ability to insert himself into a huge cultural event like this is one secret to his enduring success. That his humorous contributions feel effortless is even more important: These days, anyone can attempt to be a comedic keyboard warrior, but few manage to do so without sounding insincere or simply like they're trying too hard. Yankovic, in contrast, stays on top of trends and happenings — and responds in a pithy or deadpan way — which ensures his commentary and songs stay relevant.
Take 2014's Crosby, Stills & Nash-styled song "Mission Statement," whose lyrics comprise stuffy jargon familiar to anyone who's spent time on LinkedIn or in the corporate world. "We must all efficiently operationalize our strategies," he sings. "Invest in world-class technology, and leverage our core competencies / In order to holistically administrate exceptional synergy." When strung together into sentences, it becomes clear how meaningless most corporate-speak actually is — making the song a rather brilliant dig at modern business practices.
Staying abreast of timely topics is a method that's always served him well. In fact, Yankovic's nearly 40-year recording career doubles as a snappy chronicle and timeline of musical, social and political trends. "Craigslist" is an homage to the Doors, with the musician channeling Jim Morrison's dramatic vocal acrobatics above organ-freckled music, while "I'll Sue Ya" is a rip of the nu-metal/funk-rock hybrids dominating the latter half of the '90s.
"First World Problems" is a faithful recreation of Pixies' buzzing indie rock; "Dog Eat Dog" winks to Talking Heads, with Yankovic channeling David Byrne's gulping '80s vocal approach; and "Buy Me A Condo" is laid-back reggae-pop. Then there's the tender, lovelorn "One More Minute," which could be a '50s prom slow dance, with its doo wop-influenced vocals and glittering instrumentation. Few artists could pull this off — but Yankovic can and does with ease, thanks to his chameleonic, almost superhuman, musical range.
If anything, Yankovic's musical skills have become even more prominent as his career has progressed. On "The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour," he is performing one cover song each night during the encore. In addition to tackling "Suffragette City," Yankovic has done tunes by Deep Purple, R.E.M., Tom Petty, Smash Mouth, Cheap Trick, Devo and Billy Idol. You might call that giving back to artists who let him re-do their tunes — who could forget the joyful "Spam," his ode to canned meat in the style of R.E.M.'s "Stand"? — and yet another example of his versatility.
However, it's also clear that gratitude for "Weird's Al"'s gifts goes both ways. In May, comedy legend Eric Idle came to a Los Angeles show and called him "funny, fresh and brilliant." Around the same time, I caught an acoustic show from power-pop hitmaker Greg Kihn. Before playing his 1983 near-chart-topper, "Jeopardy," the musician gave effusive praise to Yankovic, who memorably spoofed the song back in 1984, as "I Lost on Jeopardy."
"Still getting mailbox money from 'Weird Al,'" Kihn said from the stage. "God bless that man!" No doubt there's a chorus of fans, both near and far, who would immediately shout a much-deserved "Amen!" in response.
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