Weird Al Yankovic
Watch First Official Trailer for ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Biopic
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 him on a rebellious path toward becoming the best-selling pop parodist of all time. We watch Yankovic’s initial burst of inspiration to convert The Knack’s “My Sharona” into “My Bologna,” pep talks from mentor Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson), a lusty encounter with Madonna (Evan Rachel Wood) and Al’s eventual descent into alcohol- and drug-driven depravity as he becomes a worldwide phenomenon. Yankovic himself appears briefly as a r...
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Biopic Gets Nov. 4 Release Date on Roku Channel
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 Rachel Wood as Madonna. Yankovic co-wrote the script with Eric Appel, who is directing the film. [embedded content][embedded content] Also arriving in November is The Illustrated Al songbook (Z2 Comics), which will highlight a career-spanning selection of Yankovic’s music in comic form. Among the artists participating are Drew Friedman, Danny Hellman, Fred Harper, Sam Viviano and Felipe Sobriero. Yankovic is in the mist of his Unfortun...
Watch ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Perform ‘Peaches’ With Presidents Of The United States Of America’s Chris Ballew
“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 the midst of his Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, which wraps with a sold-out Oct. 29 show at New York’s Carnegie Hall. The comedy/music veteran will also be the subject of a tongue-in-cheek biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, later this year. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe will portray Yankovic in the film, which will be released on the Roku Channel. Watch the fan-shot video of “Peaches” below...
Daniel Radcliffe Becomes ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic in New Biopic Trailer
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 under a minute, Radcliffe’s transformation into the parody king is complete. Sporting Yankovic’s ’80s look (glasses and curls), the trailer sees Radcliffe’s Yankovic perform in front of a large number of fans before cutting back to trace his rise. “Anybody got an accordion,” the character asks before being handed a number of them. [embedded content][embedded content] Yankovic co-wrote the film’s script with Eric Appel, who is directing the film. In...
Daniel Radcliffe’s 6 Best Musical Moments
Daniel Radcliffe is warming up his vocal cords for his next movie gig. The Harry Potter star has been cast in the titular role of “Weird Al” Yankovic in the upcoming biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Co-written by Yankovic himself, the film will explore “every facet of Yankovic’s life” and stream exclusively on The Roku Channel. For what could be one of Radcliffe’s weirdest roles yet, Yankovic says he is “absolutely thrilled” with the casting: “I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Many people might not realize it, but this won’t be the first time we see the 32-year-old Brit showing off his musical chops. From singing showtunes to busting rhymes, check out a round-up of some of his best musi...
Daniel Radcliffe to Star as ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic in Upcoming Biopic
“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 Or Die and Tango producing, and filming begins in February in Los Angeles. Funny enough, Funny or Die, Yankovic, and Appel produced a fake trailer back in 2010 for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and instead of Radcliffe, Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul was set to star as Yankovic. [embedded content][embedded content] “When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 3...
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Releases Cover of Sparks’ ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us’
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.” “Edgar asked me to bring my accordion to the Q&A session and perform the Sparks classic for him, and I gladly obliged,” Yankovic said in a statement. “I’m sure I could have played it better, but Edgar was happy with the first take – one and done, baby!” [embedded content][embedded content] Yankovic’s performance is featured in the bonus disc of the Blu-Ray release of The Sparks Brothers. Last October, SPIN‘s Jonah Ray interviewed Yankovic for our ...
41 Artists Reflect on Nirvana’s Nevermind Turning 30
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 safely entrenched in music history. It’s been discussed so many times before, but here’s the CliffsNotes version. All of these years later — even though Nirvana burned out instead of fading away — Nevermind continues to resonate. Cobain’s powerful lyrics are still influencing people of all generations (maybe not Boomers, but Gen X and beyond) and their musical tastes. It still serves as the gateway to rock for countless fans. When SPIN spoke with Nov...
The 40 Greatest Music Video Artists
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 the launch of MTV 40 years ago this week, a select few recording artists have helped raise music videos to an art form — sometimes by accident, and sometimes by carefully curating the work of brilliant directors like Mark Romanek, Hype Williams, and Spike Jonze. Here are 40 artists from the last four decades that helped video kill the radio star. 40. Lil Kim [embedded content] Although earlier female MCs like Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah used music videos to help launch th...
The 35 Best Videos of the Last 35 Years
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 not always the creativity.) A sizable chunk of the best videos came out during the ‘90s alternative bloom, when directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Hype Williams experimented with the style and substance of this malleable medium. But the format hasn’t died with MTV: artists like Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar and Miley Cyrus all made this list for a reason — and it wasn’t to meet a decade quota. Here are the top 35 from the last 35. Ready or not, here we go again. – Ryan Reed 3...
Jonah Ray: Close Personal Friend of Al….
(Like all of Jonah’s articles, there is a corresponding Spotify playlist of all the bands he mentions. Feel free to immerse yourself and listen while reading. Imagine that, a feast for yer eyes and ears at the SAME TIME.) “Close Personal Friend Of Al” was the name of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s fan club. As a kid who was a fan, I was always very close to sending in my membership application but never did. I was 1.) Afraid of putting effort into something that might get lost in the mail and 2.) I knew it was just a clever name for a fan club and wasn’t an actual invitation to what I REALLY wanted as a kid: to be a close, personal friend of Al. “Weird Al” never played a show where I grew up and I was slightly insulted as he wore “Hawaiian” shirts but never played Hawaii. If he had played, would I ...
Artist x Artist: Jonah Ray Interviews ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic
Artist x Artist. So simple, but so telling. When you put two creative minds together for a conversation, it can go literally in every direction. This happens on-stage during a show, it happens backstage, it happens at parties and it happens during great hangs. SPIN’s new series aims to capture the essence of what makes artists tick. Here, we’re going to connect old friends, people who have never met before or those who loosely know of each other’s existence for an unfiltered conversation that is intended to the proverbial fly-on-the-wall as this conversation takes place. We don’t know where it will go or have a set agenda. The goal is to capture the true essence of these behind-the-scenes conversations. We’re excited to launch the series with comedian/musician/SPIN contributor Jonah R...
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