I share a middle name with one of my nieces, a connective thread tying the two of us together. As she grew up, into that golden age where a child begins to find her own place in the world, that connective thread bound us not only in name, but our respective love and deep obsessions […]
If anybody had doubts about the lack of historical veracity of the upcoming Daniel Radcliffe-starring “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic Weird, they were thoroughly confirmed in the film’s hilarious, first official trailer, which dropped this morning (Aug. 29). In it, a young Yankovic is forbidden by his parents from pursuing his accordion-fueled polka music dreams, setting […]
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story finally has a release date. The tongue-in-cheek “Weird Al” Yankovic biopic will arrive Nov. 4 for free streaming on The Roku Channel, with Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe portraying the beloved pop music parodist. Yankovic recently announced that Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) will play Oprah Winfrey in Weird, joining Evan […]
“Weird Al” Yankovic welcomed Presidents Of The United States Of America frontman Chris Ballew last night (June 28) at Seattle’s Moore Theatre for a surprise rendition of that group’s beloved ’90s hit “Peaches.” Yankovic previously transformed POTUSOA’s other big grunge-era hit, “Lump,” into the song “Gump” from his 1996 Bad Hair Day. Yankovic is in […]
Last year, news broke by none other than “Weird Al” Yankovic that not only was he getting a biopic, but Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe would be playing him (Evan Rachel Wood will play Madonna). Today, a teaser trailer for the film, aptly titled Weird: The Al Yankovic Story gives a glimpse into that full transformation. In just […]
“Weird Al” Yankovic is finally getting his own biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, with none other than Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe playing the “Eat It” singer. Yankovic penned the screenplay alongside Eric Appel, who is also directing and executive producing the movie. The film will be available exclusively on The Roku Channel, with Funny […]
In 2006, Weird Al Yankovic paid homage to the alt-pop duo Sparks in his parodied “Virus Alert” on his Straight Outta Lynwood album. Having already appeared in the Sparks documentary, directed by Edgar Wright earlier this year, Yankovic dropped an accordion cover of the Mael brothers’ “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us.” […]
The world changed 30 years ago today. Though it took a few months before the proverbial train left the station, the rumblings from the underground completely blew up when college rock and punk blended to form alternative rock, with Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl serving as the conductors. Nevermind’s legacy is firmly and […]
Music videos are the perfect bastard child of art and commerce, even more than pop music itself. A promotional visual accompaniment to a popular song doesn’t need a coherent narrative (although on rare occasions, they do). It just needs to suit the song, sell the record, and possibly make the artist look cool. But since […]
SPIN launched in the peak MTV era, when an innovative — or even just salacious — music video could make or break an artist. Thirty five years later, YouTube is an obligatory part of any promotional push, but no one’s counting on a mind-blowing clip to sell a record. (The views do often matter — just […]