Published on Jun 30, 2003
You know, it’s really frightening to realize that Weird Al
Yankovic’s recording career has outlasted probably eighty percent
of the artists he’s ever lampooned. Nevertheless, this is a tough
disc to do;
Poodle Hat has the tough role of trying to follow up what is
probably Al’s best CD, 1999’s brilliant
Running With Scissors. Al’s also gone with some personal
changes; music’s most weirdest bachelor has gotten married,
fathered a child, and generally gotten domestic. It begs the
question — does real life and suburban felicity blunt the wit of
the most successful parodist since Tom Lehrer?
Are you kidding? Nah.
Poodle Hat is pretty damn funny. As usual, Al takes aim and
shoots down a few over-inflated egos — his send up of Oscar-winner
“Lose Yourself” on “Couch Potato” manages to perfectly echo
Eminem’s self-aggrandizing mix of pretentiousness and gangsta —
while tossing out a CD of almost perfect comedy. Add to the mix the
talent of his band (there are times when I think that Jon “Bermuda”
Schwartz, Jim West, and Steve Jay are the greatest backing
musicians of all time), tight production and mixing, and clever
lyrics, and it’s likely you’ll bust a gut listening.
The parodies are what most people know Al for, and they’re
pretty damn funny this time. In addition to “Couch Potato,” we have
Al turning Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” into a summary of Spiderman
(“Ode To A Superhero”), April Lavigne’s “Complicated” becoming a
tale of bodily woes including beheading (“A Complicated Song”),
Nelly’s “Hot In Here” improving in both subject and lyrics (“Trash
Day”), and a viciously hilarious sendup of the Backstreet Boys and
online auctions (“Ebay”).
Al’s originals and stylistic homages have gotten better over the
years, and
Poodle Hat has some of the best. Frank Zappa’s jazz
experimentation shows up in an eerily accurate “Genius In France,”
Bob Dylan is harpooned to perfection with “Bob,” and the utter
self-centeredness of “Why Does This Always Happen To Me?” (with Ben
Folds on piano) left me howling. Unfortunately, the weak track on
the CD is also an original, the one-joke-and-it’s-not-too-funny
“Party At The Leper Colony.”
Overall, however,
Poodle Hat is one of the highlights in what is turning into
a long, successful, and brilliant career. Weird Al Yankovic has
turned himself into much, much more than just another funny face,
and shows no sign of slowing. Besides, where else can you hear a
brief polka version of Papa Roach’s “Last Resort”?