Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer, musician, actor, satirist, parodist, songwriter, accordionist, and television producer. Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that often parody specific contemporary songs. He has sold more than 12 million albums, recorded more than 150 parody and original songs, and has performed more than 1,000 live shows. His works have earned him nine Grammy nominations and three Grammy Awards, four gold records, and six platinum records in the United States.
Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born October 23, 1959, in Lynwood, CA. In his early teens he became an avid fan of the Dr. Demento show, drawing inspiration from the parodies of Allan Sherman as well as the musical comedy of Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer, and Stan Freberg. In 1973 Demento spoke at Yankovic's school, where the 13 year old passed the radio host a demo tape of home recordings; three years later, Demento played Yankovic's "Belvedere Cruising" on the air, and his career was launched.
In 1979, the success of the Knack's monster hit "My Sharona" inspired Yankovic to record a parody dubbed "My Bologna". The song became very pobular among Demento fans and the satire was issued as a single.
In 1980, Yankovic released "Another One Rides the Bus," a parody of Queen's chart-topping "Another One Bites the Dust". The song became an underground hit, and Yankovic followed it up with "I Love Rocky Road," a satire of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'n Roll." In 1983 he released his first LP "Weird Al” after signing in with Scotti Bros.
Ultimately, much of Yankovic's success resulted from his skilled use of music video. Additionally, MTV firmly established Yankovic's public persona; sporting Hawaiian shirts, frizzy hair, and an arsenal of goofy mannerisms, he cut a distinctly bizarre figure which he consistently exploited to maximum comic effect. After Michael Jackson's "Beat It" became an acclaimed video, Yankovic recorded "Eat It". The "Eat It" video, which mocked the "Beat It" clip scene-for-scene, became an MTV smash, and the Grammy-winning single reached the Top 15.
His 1986's album, Polka Party!, fared poorly and charted only briefly, prompting many to write off Yankovic's career.
However, in 1988, Yankovic returned with the platinum-selling Even Worse, its title and album cover a reference to Michael Jackson's recent Bad LP. "I'm Fat," the first single and video, also parodied the Martin Scorsese-directed clip for Jackson's hit "Bad"; shot on the same subway set used by Jackson, the video won him his second Grammy.
After an extended period of silence, he returned in 1992 with Off the Deep End, which featured the Top 40 hit "Smells Like Nirvana," a send-up of Nirvana's landmark single "Smells Like Teen Spirit." After 1993's Alapalooza, he resurfaced in 1996 with Bad Hair Day, his highest-charting record to date thanks to the success of the single "Amish Paradise," a takeoff of the Coolio hit "Gangsta's Paradise." The follow-up, Running with Scissors, appeared in 1999, with Poodle Hat landing in 2003. Straight Outta Lynwood appeared in 2006 with the single "White & Nerdy," a suburban parody of Chamillionaire's hit "Ridin."
In addition to recording his albums, Yankovic has written and starred in his own film and television show, directed music videos for himself and other artists including Ben Folds and Hanson. He has also made guest appearances on television shows such as Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, The Simpsons, Behind the Music, Johnny Bravo, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Robot Chicken, and Transformers: Animated in addition to starring in his own Al TV specials.