Ravinia 2019, Issue 4, Week 7

“Weird Al” Yankovic’s Strings Attached Tour, which brings him to Ravinia for the ɶrst time on July 28, not only brings back his elaborate costumes— themed for each song, such as “The Saga Begins” (above)—and other stage production, but also adds a 45-piece orchestra behind his band. The original songs behind his parodies are not always obvious from the titles: “The Saga Begins” closely follows Don McLean’s “American Pie,” both in melody and scansion. In considering the more than -year career of “Weird Al” Yankovic, we will refrain from using the dread n -word: . “Novelty” is the unfortunate desig- nation usually employed to categorize songs with a comedic bent; songs like Rolf Harris’s “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport,” Napoleon XiV’s “ ey’re Coming to Take Me Away,” and Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater.” ey tended to be one-hit wonders that brightened Top AM radio. Yankovic is a hit-a er-hit-a er-hit wonder who has built a devoted, multi- generational fan base one song parody at a time. It is a testament to his longevity that he has outlasted many of the musi- cians he has spoofed. Earlier this year, he won his h Grammy (Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package) for his aptly ti- tled -disc career retrospective Squeeze Box , which came in a package designed like his accordion. His last three albums, Straight Out of Lynwood , Alpocalypse , and Mandatory Fun , ranked in the top on the Billboard charts, with Mandatory achieving number-one status. It was not only his rst album to achieve that lo y position, but also the rst comedy album to debut there and the rst to reach the top of the charts since Allan Sherman’s My Son, the Nut in . He was born Alfred Matthew Yankov- ic in , and at the age of he came under the in uence of Dr. Demento (a.k.a. Barry Hansen), whose syndicated radio show tra cked in the “mad music and crazy comedy” of o -center artists like Sherman. Yankovic would record parody songs in his bedroom and send them to Dr. Demento. In , while a student at California Polytechnic State University, Yankovic had his rst hit with his accordion-driven take on the Knack’s “My Sharona,” called “My Bologna.” He does not parody without permis- sion, and over the decades has received blessings for his songs from Michael Jackson (“Eat It”), Lady Gaga (“Perform is Way”), Pharrell Williams (“Tacky”), and even talk show host and game show maven Merv Gri n (“I Lost on Jeopardy”). Yankovic is still crazy a er all these years, a certi able and beloved pop cul- ture institution with albums, one cult-classic lm ( UHF ), a fondly remem- bered but short-lived Saturday morn- ing TV series ( e Weird Al Show ), and countless hilarious cameos in movies and TV shows ranging from e Naked Gun , Rock , and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to, of all things, Halloween . Homer Simpson may have said it best: “He who is tired of ‘Weird Al’ is tired of life.” Yankovic re ected on his singular ca- reer with Ravinia via email. ALL CONCERT PHOTOS BY DAVID BECKER 26 RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JULY 15 – JULY 28, 2019