If you’re younger, the name Weird Al Yankovic probably doesn’t mean much to you. “He’s that weird old guy, right?” one friend might say. “Didn’t he sing parody songs or something?” the other might posit in passing. But to some of us, Weird Al was a formative introduction to parody comedy, as well as shock humor, and some PG-13 references. He was the person whose videos you’d show each other on the dial up internet on the family computer, hoping your parents wouldn’t come in because you weren’t sure if you were supposed to be watching him. He was the king of tacky ridiculousness. Over time it feels as if that persona has calcified into a parody of a parody. By constantly making jokes, Weird Al became a joke; it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but one he created and signed up for. But now Weird Al’s legacy will have an epilogue — Daniel Radcliffe is set to play the legendary musical comic in an upcoming biopic.
