Published on Jul 6, 1999
I remember when I first discovered “Weird Al” Yankovic, way back
in grade school. He dared to parody the “King Of Pop”, Michael
Jackson, with his song “Eat It,” and Yankovic (or his song, anyway)
became the talk of the playground. While I fell out of the habit of
buying each of his albums as they came out, I still occasionally
checked in on Yankovic to see if his style was still as sharp as
the way I remembered it. Sure enough, this generation’s Spike Jones
was just as good as I remembered him.
After a three-year hiatus, Yankovic has returned with a new
label and a new album,
Running With Scissors, and he quickly proves that his satire
is still sharp and cutting, but there is more of a sarcastic edge
to his work, reflecting a newer, more daring Yankovic. With one
notable exception, this works, creating what could possibly be
Yankovic’s best album.
The highlight of the disc is “The Saga Begins,” a parody of both
the recent “Star Wars” prequel and Don McLean’s “American Pie”.
“Star Wars” is not new territory for Yankovic; “Yoda” on
Dare To Be Stupid was a great take on The Kinks’s “Lola”.
But to take on one of the hallmarks of ’70s rock is a dangerous
thing, especially to those of us (like myself) who love the
original.
Fortunately for Yankovic, the song succeeds on many levels.
Musically, he keeps things very close to the original song, even
down to the rhythm of the lyrics. And while I haven’t seen “Star
Wars: Episode I” (and don’t plan to – sorry, George Lucas), his
take on the tale sounds like a perfect plot summary. (Warning: if
you haven’t seen the movie, this song will give away a lot of
details.) By staying so close to the original while injecting his
own voice into it, Yankovic proves that parodying popular music is
serious work.
One note for the purists: yes, Yankovic’s version cuts two
verses from the original “American Pie”. While I would have liked
to have heard what Yankovic would have done with the full song, you
really can’t fault him. McLean had a decade’s worth of news for his
song; all Yankovic had was a two-hour movie.
The other parodies on this disc often will have you laughing,
even if you have the lyric sheet in front of you and you know what
is coming up in the song. “Jerry Springer,” a wonderful take on
“One Week” from Barenaked Ladies, goes so far as to slam the
television circus freak who makes wrestling look like
Masterpiece Theatre. This more sinister edge to some of the
music actually frees Yankovic up to say what’s on his mind.
(Parents, don’t worry, the content is still G-rated.) Likewise,
Yankovic (who’s supposedly very computer-literate) attacks the
techno-weenies like myself on “It’s All About The Pentiums,” a
parody of Puff Daddy’s “It’s All About The Benjamins”.
Other groups feeling the cut of Yankovic’s jibes are Cherry
Poppin’ Daddies (“Grapefruit Diet,” another of Yankovic’s “food”
songs) and The Offspring (“Pretty Fly For A Rabbi” – a song which
might offend some people). And, of course, there’s the inevitable
polka medley, “Polka Power!”, featuring snippets from Backstreet
Boys, Hanson and Marcy Playground, among others.
But
Running With Scissors is not just a parody album; as on most
of his records, Yankovic mixes parodies with originals evenly.
“Germs” is heavily influenced by Nine Inch Nails, but still has
enough originality to make it on its own, while “Truck Drivin’
Song” and “My Baby’s In Love With Eddie Vedder” (with a touch of
zydeco thrown into the mix) are genuinely funny. Also included here
is “The Weird Al Show Theme” from his short-lived children’s
program. Some may question its inclusion, but it’s only 73 seconds
long, and it’s a lot of fun to listen to. (I have to wonder how
Yankovic delivered the rapid-fire lines without pausing for
breath.)
Yankovic makes only one mistake on
Running With Scissors – the 11-minute
stream-of-consciousness piece “Albuquerque,” which takes far too
long to get to the moot point that Yankovic hates sauerkraut. While
there are a few funny moments on this track, it’s about seven
minutes too long. Still, one mistake does not ruin the album.
If you have a multimedia computer, Yankovic includes a Quicktime
video featuring portions of a Disney Channel special he recorded a
few years ago – though it may throw some people for a loop to see
Yankovic with his trademark glasses (which, thanks to laser eye
surgery, are no longer needed) and moustache on the video, and
looking kind of like Ted Nugent in the album art.
There is no doubt that Yankovic is a master of the art of
parody, creating many laughs while still showing reverence towards
the original songs he bases his jokes on.
Running With Scissors is further proof of his mastery, and
is a welcome return from one of the true kings of comedy.