Weird Al by Lily E. Hirsch

Author:Lily E. Hirsch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-03-19T16:00:00+00:00

Yankovic redeploys common insults directed at those declared different—weird, nerd, and stupid—identifying himself as such in a positive way. That self-insult is primarily a means of communal uplift and empowerment. We can be weird, stupid individuals together. The message creates a powerful and positive link—a potent reason, among many, to connect with Weird Al and his music.

Dare to Be an Al-oholic

Ben Quinn, in “Nerd of Honour” (2017), calls Yankovic “nerd royalty.” And Tim Donnelly, in the New York Post, calls him a “hero” for “nerdy America.”[16] McCabe offers explanation: “For a lot of kids who think they are weird and don’t fit in, well, here’s the guy who is weird and different.” Yankovic has been sensitive to his responsibility as a hero and role model. A popular quote credited to Yankovic on the website A–Z Quotes: “People that were a little nerdy in high school would look up to me and know it gets better.” In his interview with Dan Rather, he explained that embracing his weirdness could send a powerful message to children: It’s okay to be weird; it’s okay to be you.

Yankovic’s dedication to that message plays out in real life as well as his music. Yankovic’s powerful self-deprecation marks his public appearances. Self-insult is part of his complete personal presentation to the outside world. At his concert stop in Turlock, California, on May 18, 2018, Yankovic introduced songs with personal disclosure. Before playing his 2003 song “Party at the Leper Colony,” he said, “This next song I’m really not proud of.” At the end of the night he looked genuinely surprised by the standing ovation. When he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he spoke to those in attendance: “My name is gonna be walked on, spit on, and let’s face it . . . urinated on for generations to come. That’s a legacy, my friends.”

More importantly, in 2015 Yankovic came to the rescue of eight-year-old Layla Murphy, who was being bullied at her school in Virginia. A group of girls teased her for liking the Star Wars franchise—sci-fi films supposedly meant for boys. The 501st Legion, a group dedicated to wearing Star Wars costume replicas, tweeted about the effect: “Layla began to lose herself.” With help from the legion, Layla met Yankovic at a concert and received a full storm trooper costume. In a picture, Yankovic smiles next to the girl, who has thick black, bangs. With a shy smile, she is dressed in her new storm trooper outfit.[17]

For all these reasons, Yankovic’s fans are especially steadfast. As Yankovic’s wife, Suzanne, told the Orange County Register in 2002, “He’s got the best fans in the world. They are so loyal.” On The Michael Des Barres Program, Yankovic credited his fans with having his back—eager to defend him in the midst of any controversy. Observing Yankovic’s fans in Houston in 2016, Cory Garcia characterized them in the Houston Press as “people who love a certain type of comedy who are genuinely excited to experience it with a group of strangers.

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