Weird Al: Seriously

De: Lily E. Hirsch, Dr. Demento

Narrado por: Emily Ellet

Funny music is often dismissed as light and irrelevant, but Weird Al” Yankovic’s fourteen successful studio albums prove there is a lot more going on than his reputation suggests.

Music Professor Lily Hirsch dives deeper into the world of the iconic man who has made a career out of making us laugh. Hirsch weaves together her interviews with the prince of parody himself and reveals the deeper meaning of Yankovic’s jests, addressing such topics as bullying, celebrity, and racial and gender stereotypes.

This new edition celebrates Yankovic’s vast influence on musicians, comedians, and performing artists as well as what the man has meant to fans—in a time of uncertainty, Yankovic has served as a much-needed bright spot for many.

From his love of accordions and Hawaiian print shirts to his popular puns and trademark dance moves, Yankovic remains unapologetically and unmistakably himself. Reveling in the mischief and wisdom of Yankovic’s forty-year career, this book is a behind-the-scenes tour of the comedic and musical genius behind the hit songs “Dare to Be Stupid,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” and “Amish Paradise.”

©2020 Lily E. Hirsch (P)2022 Graymalkin Media, LLC

Finally! A deep dive into the oeuvre of Weird Al!

I've been a pretty devoted and diehard fan of Al since I was in my teens in the mid-1980's, when his music helped me through some very personal and difficult issues in my life. Some family and friends gave me a hard time for being such an outspoken lover of Al, but I didn't care. I was already a target for judgment from the world as a totally blind girl anyway. So I took perverse pride in being a fan of Al, and in everything about Al, from his "weirdness" and his wacky music to his long luxuriant curls, which my mother's good money helped me to replicate with very curly and very regular perms.

So when I stumbled on this book a month ago or so, I was over the moon with glee. Here at last, I found an entertaining, yet thoughtful and respectful, treatment of Weird Al's work that both my inner 14-year-old self and my middle-aged self could totally revel in! I appreciate Ms. Hirsch immensely for such a well-written, thoughtful, and respectful treatment of Al and his oeuvre! I enjoyed how she came up with unique questions that no one else had ever asked Al before. I also appreciated the attention Ms. Hirsch gave to Al's "pastiches" and style parodies and originals, as well as his commercial parodies. She explored so many different topics in each chapter in such a thoughtful and thought-provoking way, making it almost impossible for me to put this book down. I came away with a deeper understanding of Al's character and creative process around some of the more dicey subjects he covers in his work. I am purposely being vague, and omitting examples of what I'm talking about here, so as not to inadvertently give out any major spoilers. I want my fellow readers to be as excited and even pleasantly surprised as I was by all the awesome subjects covered in this book.

I especially appreciate the way Ms. Hirsch, in this book, gave us glimpses into Al as a regular person, a very intelligent, witty, creative, yet unpretentious family man, with a kind, caring, down-to-earth energy that is as real as the character he presents himself as in the public eye. Since my teens, this has always been the sense and feeling I've had about Al, reinforced when I've met Al in person over the years. So thank you, Ms. Hirsch, for also validating and re-confirming my sense of Al as well. I've cried more than a few times as I read about other Al fans like me, who found permission to be their true, authentic selves because of Al and his music. I admire how Al took the slur "Weird Al" from his college days, and turned that into a badge of honor and pride. Al embraced his weirdness, and even made fun of himself sometimes, and ultimately, Al turned being weird into something cool. He never let others judgment of him defeat him, or deter him from being his true, authentic self in every area of his life. Silly as this may sound, I feel so proud of Al, so proud to be a fan of his, and I have learned so much from Al. More than anything, I learned that it really is okay and safe for me to be my true, authentic self, too. I can even embrace my uniqueness and unique perspective as a blind woman and even as a later-blooming lesbian. I actually do NOT have to conform to any heteronormative, ableist or sightist expectations and ideals. I don't know if I would have said these things quite so coherently if not for having just finished this wonderful book. Thank you again, Ms. Lily Hirsch! I guess it really is safe to say that I have brought my deep admiration and respect and even love for Al with me into my middle-aged adulthood!

I apologize if my review lacks the coherence, intelligence, eloquence, or substance of the author herself. If nothing else, though, I hope readers of my review will know that I truly appreciated this book as a whole, and I will come back to it again and again. I found it to be as much of a treat as Al himself and his music is for me. The author, and the narrator, and of course Al himself, all get 5 stars from me all around! I would give 10 stars if that were possible.

This book is by definition a parody

I gave up after Chapter 7 due to the dull nature of the author's writing. I stuck it out as long as I did for two reasons: the narrator had done a fantastic job and because I had hoped it would get better. The book is written in the format of an informative essay. The reason I refer to the book as its own parody above is because Hirsch is able to take very entertaining subject matter and deliver it in such a way to underwhelm the reader/listener. I will not deny that Hirsch had done some very wonderful research. Where I felt she fell short was in her own observations, as well as descriptions that are dismal at best, making the legendary Weird Al seem as interesting as a serial killer lacking a sense of humor. On subject matter that could be evocative the author doesn't dive in deep enough in her writing, despite the vast amount of research and references used, opting instead to narrowly scratch the surface. When presenting subject matter where less research and more inference seems to be used, she drones on with what seems to be a self-satisfactory amount of effort while dismissing her audience and Al altogether.