"Weird Al" Yankovic, Puddles Pity Party, and Ohio State Fair

Yankovich’s earliest musical excursion came aged seven when he began playing the accordion in the wake of un-related polka star Frank Yankovich. Inspired by the comedic, musical delivery of the likes of Dr. Demento, Allan Sherman, Spike Jones, and Tom Lehrer, Yankovich gave a demo of his to Dr. Demento aged just 13. Three years later the musician made his radio debut on the Dr. Demento show with the single “Belvedere Cruising”, and found favour with the show’s fan base.

In 1979 after graduating from high school and enrolling at California Polytechnic State University to study architecture, Yankovich adopted the nickname “Weird Al”, and crafted the parodic track “My Bologna” inspired my the Knack’s hit single “My Sharona”. The Knack were so impressed by the satirical take of their song, they asked their label Capitol to issue it as a single, introducing “Weird Al” to a much wider audience. A year later after graduating from university, Yankovich released the song “Another One Rides the Bus” in a comedic remake of the famous Queen song “Another One Bites the Dust”. The song became an underground hit and led to the song “I Love Rocky Road”, a take on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ hit “I Love Rock ’n Roll”.

Yankovich signed to Scotti Brothers in 1983, who issued the parodic musician’s debut album ““Weird Al” Yankovich” featuring the single “Ricky”, which became a staple on the growing MTV network. Yankovich’s use of the music video medium, unlike the likes of Spike Jones and Allan Sherman, allowed the musician an extra means of satire-infused communication. The parodist soon became known for his Hawaiian shirts, frizzy hair and goofy persona, later mocking the Michael Jackson video “Beat It” scene-for-scene in his Grammy-award winning remake “Eat It”.

Yankovich went on to release the parodies “King of Suede”, “I Lost on Jeopardy”, and “Polkas on 45”, before releasing the full-length “Dare to Be Stupid” in 1986. The album went gold like its predecessor, was the first comedy album to be released on compact disc, and featured the single “Like a Surgeon” – a take on Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”. The musician’s subsequent album “Polka Party!” failed to achieve success unlike its platinum-selling successor “Even Worse” in 1988. The album which is in large part a satirical take on Michael Jackson’s hit “Bad”, saw Yankovich portrayed as a overweight tough guy and earned the parodist his second Grammy Award.

Yankovich kept a low profile for a number of years before returning in 1992 with the album “Off the Deep End”, which notably features the single “Smells Like Nirvana”. 1996 brought the subsequent album “Bad Hair Day” which spawned the singer’s most popular release to date, the single “Amish Paradise” in response to Coolio’s hit single “Gangsta’s Paradise”. The musician went on to release a string of albums into the new millennium including “Running with Scissors” in 1999, “Poodle Hat” in 2003, “Straight Outta Lynwood” in 2006, and “Alpocalypse” in 2011. Yankovich’s 14th studio album “Mandatory Fun” was promoted with eight video prior to its release and became the first comedy album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2014.