Weird Al Yankovic has come a long way since he mailed cassettes to the Dr. Demento Radio Show.
Hes become an institution.
Hes about to voice a lead in a Disney animated movie.
Als Brain is a 3D theme park attraction.
YankovicsMandatory Funwas the first comedy album in over fifty years to hit #1 on the Billboard charts.
That means he outsold Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Cheech and/or Chong.
Weird Al was the first guest editor inMADmagazines 63-year history.
Artists like Don McLean forget their own words in concert and sing Weird Als take-offs instead.
His voice is deeper than the boyishly character he plays.
It is almost borderline broadcaster quality.
Weird Al: Im usually just looking for the cereal.
I dont think about that too often.
I dont really need to choose, I can do both.
I like to think that I can do more than one thing at a time.
I dont often think of myself as one thing over the other so I cant really answer your question.
They both have their disciplines.
They both are a craft and a skill.
Its kind of hard to compare.
Though comedy is a practiced skill as well.
They are two different endeavors that I feel very fortunate that Im able to do both of them.
Was it hard to step into Kid Cudis shoes?
I loved the writes out there.
I was right along with their sensibility.
I always felt very protected and had a great time every single day.
Hopefully, I was able to pull that off, somewhat.
What talk-show bandleader sidekicks did you watch in prep forComedy Bang Bang?
Did you go back to the days of Doc Severson?
Sure, but the honest answer is mostly I watched Reggie Watts because he was specific kind of bandleader.
You recently performed What Is Life atGeorge Fest: A Night to Celebrate the Music of George Harrison.
Do you have a special connection with George Harrison?
Ive never played What Is Life other than at George Fest, but that was a lot of fun.
Ive always been a huge George Harrison fan and a big Beatles fan.
It was a real thrill to be asked to be part of that.
Dhani Harrison put it together.
Hes a wonderful guy and I think he put together an amazing tribute to his father.
Just to be asked to be included in that celebration was an amazing thing for me.
What are your favorite humorous songs from straight rock artists, intentional and otherwise?
There are a lot of them.
There are quite a few that would probably fit that description.
Why so many songs about food?
Is it an easy go-to or are you just not getting enough to eat?
I guess it was an easy go-to.
Its not about wanting to write a song about a particular topic.
Has there ever been a song you wanted to tackle with a parody but couldnt get it to work?
Yeah, that happens a lot.
That happens a lot more than I like.
Id love to do a parody of that.
And then I think and I come up with a thousand ideas and all of them are bad.
So, its not always easy to come up with a parody idea that meets my standards.
That happens a lot more often than Id like.
They sound better as polka anyway.
That brings me to the polka portion of the interview.
Who are your top three polka heroes?
Oh gosh, Im gonna go with Gary Yaeger for one.
And oh, sure, lets go with James Durf, why not?
Are there any polka groupies?
[Laughs] Youll have to ask them.
Not to my knowledge.
Will you ever release an album that was strictly polka?
I dont think Ill be releasing any more albums period.
Will we be hearing the 3-D unplugged medley in your upcoming tour?
Are the cheerleaders on your tour single?
We have different cheerleaders for different shows, so youd have to ask them yourself.
Yeah thats a concern.
Im concerned that she may need surgery and Im concerned that I might need surgery.
I read that when you met Prince you werent allowed to make eye contact.
Did you sneak a peek?
Did you steal his soul?
I dont think so.
Have you ever thought about playing a villain role onLaw and Order SVU?
No, I never gave it too much thought.
Whats it like to now be a Disney cartoon?
Im Milo Murphy onMilo Murphys Law, which I think is starting in October on Disney XD.
Ive got a lot of really cool people in the cast.
My sister is Kate Micucci, my dad is Dietrich Vader who are both good friends of mine.
It was a really fun little group.
Bang!season 5 Premieres Friday, June 3 on IFC.
