Published on Sep 2, 2001
Back in the days of radio – meaning, kids, when there wasn’t
television – there used to be a program called “Can You Top This?”.
Somehow, I think that if the show had made it to the days of
television, in 1985 “Weird Al” Yankovic would have been a guest.
Someone would have held up a copy of his
In 3-D album and asked him, “Can you top this?”
To expect him to top his most popular album (and the one that
shot him to stardom thanks to “Eat It”) would be asking a lot from
Yankovic. If anything, that expectation almost forced Yankovic to
take the popular songs from 1984 and 1985 and spoof them, simply
because a follow-up disc was expected.
Dare To Be Stupid, Yankovic’s third album, sounds a bit
hollow in some of the parodies, but it is the strength of many of
the original songs that keeps this album afloat.
I remember when I was 14 years old, I rode my bike to the local
record store and discovered “Like A Surgeon,” the first single from
this album. (Not being as involved in the music industry as I am
now, I had no idea that Yankovic even had a new album coming out.)
But when I got it home and put it on my little cheese-box stereo, I
remember being somewhat disappointed in it. Sixteen years later, I
still don’t consider “Like A Surgeon” in the top echelon of
Yankovic’s parodies, but since I’ve developed a healthy distrust of
the medical community, I appreciate the somewhat biting sarcasm
that Yankovic works in from time to time.
Other parodies just fail right out of the box. Yankovic sounds
like he’s absolutely disgusted with the song “Girls Just Want To
Have Lunch,” delivering it almost entirely in a groan. By the end
of the song, you’ll be groaning too. Likewise, “I Want A New Duck”
– give me a break, Al! Oh, sure, the kiddies will probably laugh
their butts off at some of the jokes on this one, but they probably
won’t understand the references to pate and duct tape… not that
adults will find them knee-slapping funny. Listening to these two
songs make me wonder if Yankovic didn’t rush this album out under
the pressure of the label.
This isn’t to say that all the parodies on
Dare To Be Stupid sink like lead weights. The one brilliant
piece of work, “Yoda,” not only keeps the flavor of the Kinks’s
original song (“Lola”), but pretty well captures the essence of the
Star Wars theme… with a touch of humor thrown in here and
there. There’s a reason this song has remained popular in
Yankovic’s catalog – especially teamed up with “The Saga Begins” in
his last series of tours.
Oh – and as for the cover of “George Of The Jungle”… hey, why
not? If anyone was qualified enough to cover the theme to a cartoon
classic, it’s Yankovic. (He hits it dead center, as well… there’s
a reason his version was featured in the soundtrack to the film
version of the cartoon.)
If
Dare To Be Stupid does anything, it shows that Yankovic was
most definitely coming into his own as a songwriter. “One More
Minute” is absolutely hilarious as it captures the ’50s doo-wop
theme and mixes it with the anger (relief?) of ending a
relationship. “Slime Creatures From Outer Space” is just fun to
listen to, while “This Is The Life” (originally meant for the film
Johnny Dangerously; occasionally you’ll see a version
playing with this song as the theme) has Yankovic daring to try and
bring the feel of ’20s music to today’s generation. In retrospect,
he does a pretty good job. “Cable TV” captures both the inanity of
what the medium delivers to us and how we’re such sheep to sit
there and watch it. And don’t be surprused if you’re embarrassed at
how many of the songs you recognize in “Hooked On Polkas”.
While
Dare To Be Stupid is not Yankovic’s finest album, it shows
that there was still great promise in his songwriting – and,
occasionally, in his parodies. There’s enough on this one to
recommend it, but I wouldn’t rule out calling this one a “for the
fans only” disc.