“Weird Al” Yankovic, the music industry’s award-winning accordion-playing lampoonist, brings his latest and greatest musical parodies in “The Alpocalypse Tour” to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on October 4 at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale, now.
In the world of novelty records, Yankovic is king, having scored smash after smash over the course of an enduring career where he has mocked everything from new wave to gangsta rap. His witty takes on chart toppers include “I Love Rocky Road,” (a satire of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”), “Ricky” (a tune inspired by Toni Basil’s hit “Mickey” and the I Love Lucy television series) and “Eat It” (based on Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”) which won a Grammy and became an MTV smash.
Alfred Matthew Yankovic was the only child of Nick and Mary Yankovic. As a teenager in Lynwood, California, Yankovic began sending homemade tapes of his songs to Dr. Demento, a nationally syndicated disc jockey known for playing comedy and novelty music. Demento found a certain charm in the accordion-powered ditties that Yankovic recorded on a cheap cassette player in his own bedroom, and gave him his first airplay. He not only had a modest cult following from the good Doctor’s radio show, but he also had a couple of nationally released singles – “My Bologna” (a take-off on The Knack’s “My Sharona”) and “Another One Rides the Bus” (a send-up of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust). A straight “A” student and valedictorian at the age of 16, Yankovic attended California Polytechnic State University , where, as a DJ at his campus radio station, KCPR, he went under the name of “Weird Al” because of his penchant for playing music that was, well, kind of weird.
In 1984, Weird Al released Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D. In addition to the afore-mentioned “Eat It,” the album also included “King of Suede” (a rewrite of the Police’s “King of Pain”) and “I Lost on Jeopardy” (a parody of the Greg Kihn Band’s “Jeopardy”), as well as “Polkas on 45,” the first in a series of medleys of pop hits recast as polka numbers. Dare to Be Stupid, the first comedy record ever released in the new compact disc format, followed in 1985, and featured “Like a Surgeon” (a takeoff of the Madonna hit “Like a Virgin”).
Even Worse (1988) was Yankovic’s platinum-selling return with its title and album cover a reference to Michael Jackson’s Bad LP. “I’m Fat,” the first single and video, also parodied the lavish Martin Scorsese-directed clip for Jackson’s hit “Bad”; shot on the same subway set used by Jackson. The video — which portrayed Yankovic as a grotesquely obese tough guy — won him his second Grammy. The next year, he starred in the feature film UHF, which he also co-wrote; a soundtrack appeared, as well.
After an extended period of silence, he returned in 1992 with Off the Deep End, which featured the Top 40 hit “Smells Like Nirvana” (a send-up of Nirvana’s landmark single “Smells Like Teen Spirit”). Additional releases include Alapalooza (1993), Bad Hair Day (1996), his highest-charting record to date thanks to the success of the single “Amish Paradise” (a take-off of the Coolio hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”), Running with Scissors (1999) and Poodle Hat (2003). Straight Outta Lynwood (2006) featured the single “White & Nerdy” (a suburban parody of Chamillionaire’s hit “Ridin’”).
In between his recordings of the late ‘90s, Yankovic also hosted his own Saturday morning half-hour TV show on CBS.
Yankovic’s 13th studio album released this summer, Alpocalypse, skewers the likes of Lady Gaga with “Perform This Way” and Miley Cyrus with “Party in the CIA.”
“Weird Al” credits Spike Jones, Stan Freberg, Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman, Shel Silverstein, Frank Zappa and all the other wonderfully sick and twisted artists that he was exposed to through the Dr. Demento Radio Show.
Tickets cost $69, $59 and $49*; all seats are available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, Tuesday – Saturday from noon – 6 p.m. and Sunday – Monday only open on event days at noon. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.
About Hard Rock Live
Hard Rock Live, a spectacular state-of-the-art facility, further expands the ultimate entertainment experience at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. This 5,500-seat indoor arena regularly hosts South Florida’s greatest variety of musical acts and top comedians and is home to major sporting events. For more information, please visit www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com or www.myhrl.com