"Weird Al" Yankovic

For the album, see "Weird Al" Yankovic (album).

"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic in a multi-colored shirt, against a white background
Yankovic at GalaxyCon in 2024
Background information
Birth nameAlfred Matthew Yankovic
Born (1959-10-23) October 23, 1959 (age 65)
Downey, California, U.S.
OriginLynwood, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • actor
  • writer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • accordion
  • keyboards
Discography"Weird Al" Yankovic discography
Years active1976 (1976)–present
Labels
Websiteweirdal.com

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic (/ˈjæŋkəvɪk/ ⓘ YANG-kə-vik;[2] born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of several popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.

Since having one of his comedy songs aired on The Dr. Demento Radio Show in 1976 at age 16, Yankovic has sold more than 12 million albums (as of 2015),[3][4][needs update] recorded more than 150 parodies and original songs,[5][6][7] and performed more than 1,000 live shows.[8] His work has earned him five Grammy Awards and a further 11 nominations, four gold records and six platinum records in the U.S. His first top ten Billboard album (Straight Outta Lynwood) and single ("White & Nerdy") were both released in 2006, nearly three decades into his career. His fourteenth studio album, Mandatory Fun (2014), became his first number-one album during its debut week.

Yankovic's success has been attributed to his effective use of music videos to further parody pop culture, the song's original artist, and the original music videos themselves. He has directed some of his own music videos and has also directed music videos for other artists including Ben Folds, Hanson, the Black Crowes, and the Presidents of the United States of America. With the decline of music television and the onset of social media, he used YouTube and other video sites to publish his videos; this strategy helped boost sales of his later albums. He has not released a full album since Mandatory Fun, opting instead for timely releases of singles.

In addition to his music career, Yankovic wrote and starred in the film UHF (1989) and the television series The Weird Al Show (1997). He has produced two satirical films about his own life, The Compleat Al (1985) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). He has acted in several television shows and web series, in addition to starring in Al TV specials on MTV. He has also written two children's books, When I Grow Up (2011) and My New Teacher and Me! (2013).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pronounciation_Yankovic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harrington_20070810 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Greenburg_20150226 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic's latest send-ups on The Catch-up". Archived from the original on September 22, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  6. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic: Catalog". Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  7. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic: Biographies". Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
  8. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic: Live Performances". Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2006.