Original Air Date: Weekend of March 9th, 1996. Original Airing: The Dr. Demento Show Original Interviewer: Dr. Demento Transcribed by: Marty Lick martyl@emsphone.com Dr. D: The time is here and once again it is my great pleasure to welcome in to dementia central my pal, "Weird Al"! How ya doin', Al? Al: Hey Doctor, it's a pleasure to be back, thank you. Dr. D: Alright and you have just finished the new album which is called "Bad Hair Day". That must've been some day when you had the photo session for that. Al: Yeah. Well I really envy people that have bad hair days, because I have a bad hair life. Dr. D: (laughs) When did you first notice that you had hair? Al: (laughs) Actually the first couple years of my life I was completely bald and my parents were kinda worried about me. But I noticed I had hair early on. Dr. D: What's your favorite shampoo? Al: Sham- Shampoo? (laughs) Dr. D: Yes. Al: Oh my goodness. Usually I just throw water in it. That seems to do the trick. Every now and then it helps. Dr. D: Okay. The "Bad Hair Day" title, though, I assume is kind of tied in to some of the thematic materials of the music on the album though. Is it not? Al: Yeah. I mean, "Bad Hair Day" as an album concept was something I had been toying with for a while actually, but the first single, I should say, is a Coolio related item- Dr. D: Okay. Al: -and that seemed to tie in thematically as well. Dr. D: It's called "Amish Paradise" I can see. Not "Gangsta's Paradise", but "Amish Paradise". Al: You see! It's a little twist there. You think I'm gonna go one way, I go the other! It's a little twist. It's diametrically opossed, and there in lies the humor. You see? You get it? Dr. D: (laughs) I guess on your tours of this great nation you have lingered in the Amish country of Pennsylvania and seen their quaint horse-drawn wagons and kinda thought about their life without television and electronic things like that, because that, of course, is their belief. Al: Well actually, I've always wanted to do a song about the Amish because I just really love to mock peaceful, defenseless people. [ "Amish Paradise" is played ] Dr. D: Al Yankovic, my guest on the Dr. Demento show and that's "Amish Paradise", the first single from the "Bad Hair Day" album, based on Coolio's "Gansta's Paradise". What kind of attracted you to that song? Al: Well, Coolio has made kind of a phenomenon in the last year or so and he just seemed like one of those people with such an identifiable image that a lot of things could be done that. I like to play around with people that have some- you know, a lot of style as opposed to somebody who's kind of homogonized and bland and has no personality, and Coolio certainly kind of sticks out in a crowd. Dr. D: Al, what is the last CD you bought? Not a freebie, but the last one you went out and bought. Al: What is it? You know, one of my favorte records right now, in fact I brought it with me, here it is, is "Sound Effects, Volume 7". I listen to a lot of sound effects records because I find them very relaxing. They do more for me then New Age music. In fact, if you don't mind playing it, I could stand being relaxed right now. Dr. D: Okay. Al: Track 23. It's called "Cat drinking milk" Dr. D.: Okay. Al: "Cat drinking milk". Here, let's listen to it. It's kind of low level so you might want to crank your radios up at home. Dr. D: Yes! [ "Cat drinking milk" effect is played ] Al: I feel like the cat is right here with us right now. Drink it up, kitty. Dr. D: I wonder how that differs from, oh, "cat drinking whiskey"? Al: Hmmm, I don't have that record. Dr. D: Or "cat drinking ... " (unintelligble) Al: As much as I like Enya, I think this is much more relaxing right here. Dr. D: I think I'd agree, but, oh, it's over. Al: Oh. Dr. D: It's over. Al: Awwww. Can we play it again!? Dr. D: (laughs) No. Al: Oh. (disappointed) Dr. D: Let's play something else. You brought some other things along. Al: Yeah, lately I've been to a lot of 1950s R&B music. And as much as I like Fats Domino and Little Richard, I gotta say, my favorite of the moment is the King of Soul himself, Mr. Pat Boone. Dr. D: Pat Boone, eh? What is it about Pat Boone, Al? Al: He just grabs on to a song and doesn't let go. When he says, "We're gonna have some fun tonight," you know he means it! [ "Long Tall Sally" except is played ] Dr. D: I never thought I'd speak those words. Pat Boone and "Long Tall Sally" on the Dr. Demento Show. Al: Ah, that gentleman certainly has his mojo working, no doubt. Dr. D: And Al Yankovic made me do it! Al: (laughs) Dr. D: Now that your new album is out, certainly a lot of people are going to want to know, are you planning a tour? Al: Yes, there's one in the works. I can pretty much say for sure there will be a tour of some sort, but no dates have been confirmed as of yet, but the plan is that we're going to start in Canada sometime in late May, and work our way West this time and hit the States sometime this summer, and there's even talk of possibly doing an Australia tour in the Fall. Dr. D: Oh, great. Canada! Of course, you toured there last year. You seem to have a special affinity for the folks North of the border. Al: Yeah, Canadians have been very responsive. Part of that was because this was the first Canadian tour we'd ever done. So some folks have been waiting their whole lives for the live Al experience. But also MuchMusic in Canada was very supportive. They're the Canadian version of M-TV, and they've done several specials with me. It's just a lot of fun. Dr. D: Do you think Canadian people, in general, are more receptive to funny music perhaps than the American mainstream? Al: I would have to say so, yeah. Canadians in general seem to be able to take a joke just a little bit better. Dr. D: Well, our two top tracks, most requested things on the Dr. Demento Show, last year were both Canadian: The Arrogant Worms and Radio Free Vestibule with "Bulbous Bouffant". Both of course, on my new "Basement Tapes", as is something by "Weird Al" that we're not going to play. Al: Shhh, don't tell them. Shhh. Dr. D: We're not going to play that one, but I am going to play now another cut from the new "Bad Hair Day" album. Al: Yea! Dr. D: Available on Scotti Brothers records from "Weird Al" Yankovic. And tell me how you came to do this song? Al: Well, this is a parody of the group The Presidents of the United States of America, and it's a song about one of my favorite movies, "Forrest Gump". [ "Gump" is played ] Al: That's one of the few occasions, I think, where I'd take a song that you'd normally play on your show anyway, and make it even weirder. I actually met the group, The Presidents of the United States of America, after one of their concerts here in Los Angeles, and I was surprised to find out that the lead singer used to sing a song about me in concert. He wrote a song called, "Are You Going To the 'Weird Al' Show?" He claims he actually knocked himself unconscious on stage while he was performing it once. He was singing it and bopping up and down. He was performing it in a hall with low ceilings and he hit a low beam and passed out on stage while singing "Are You Going To the 'Weird Al' Show?" Dr. D: Too bad they didn't record that one. Al: Well, he has a bootleg of it somewhere. He promised he'd give it to me, so I'm looking for that in the mail. Dr. D: "Weird Al" Yankovic my guest on the Dr. Demento Show. [ Commerical break ] Dr. D: "Weird Al" Yankovic my guest here on the Dr. Demento Show, fresh out of the studio where you have produced "Bad Hair Day", your new baby! Al: Yea! Dr. D: Yes, it is born on March 12th. Is that right? Al: The same day that Sting's new album comes out. Yeah, all the record buyers all across America are gonna be going, "Al or Sting? Al or Sting? What do I do?" Dr. D: (laughs) The same band once again, huh? Al: That's right: Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass and Jim West on guitar along with a lot of our other regular studio musicians that we like to use. Dr. D: So they've been the "3-D Band", and the "Stupid Band". I guess they're the "Bad Hair Band". Al: I would guess that would be it, yeah. Dr. D: Al, when I wrote the liner notes recently for your four CD box set, "Permanant Record" which of course has all your biggest hits except for the ones on the new album, of course, you mention one of the first funny records you ever loved, and I brought that record along. It's a song by Johnny Cash. Al: Right. It was actually written by Shel Silverstein, of course, "Boa Constrictor". Shel is, I have to say, one of the greatest poets of this century, but the thing that attracted me to the song when I was five years old was, and I hope I'm not giving anything away here, but the song ends with a large human belch. And just the very fact that that was recorded on a piece of vinyl- remember vinyl kids? Dr. D.: Yep. Al: (Laughs) but, I thought that was just the pinnacle of comedy when I was five years old and I never got over it, and I think that record had a profound effect on my finely tuned subtle sense of humor today. [ "Boa Constrictor" by Johnny Cash is played ] Dr. D: Johnny Cash. Since I wrote the notes to "Permanent Record" and they've been published, I've gotten a few inquires about one of the few more obscure pieces of Al music I mention there which is actually the first thing you ever had out on vinyl. Al: That's right, even before "My Bologna". This is, oh let me pick it up here, from an album called "SLO Grown", because it was a compilation of songs by local talent from San Luis Obisbo, California. Dr. D: I can't resist playing it, and so I'm gonna- Al: Okay, just a little bit, okay. Dr. D: wind up the Victola. Al: Alright. Dr. D: Crankity crank. "Weird Al" Yankovic, this is your life. Al: (gasp) Oh no. [ "Take Me Down" is played ] Dr. D: Well I can see- Al: No! No! Oh no!!! Dr. D: "Weird Al" Yankovic's hair standing on end! Al: You always do this to me. You always do this to me to keep me humble. I spend all these years producing a finely crafted, well-produced album and you say, "Well, I remember when you were 17 years old and you sounded like this!" (laughs) Dr. D: Well, I'm gonna let you out of the torture chamber. Al: Ah, thank you. Thank you. Dr. D: You've also recently appeared on another album called "Legends of Accordion". Al: Oh yes. Dr. D: A Rhino CD. Al: Fine Rhino compilation. Dr. D: Tell me about some of the other people and how you felt being on the same CD, for instance, as Myron Floren, you know was your youthful inspiration. Al: It was just amazing to be lumped in that category. I mean, Frankie Yankovic is on there, Clifton Shaniro (sp?) I think are just amazing, and I want to play a cut by Dick Cantino. One of my favorite cuts on the album. It's a cliche that accordion players always play "Lady of Spain", but very few people play it like this. Dr. D: I guess it's because of Dick Cantino that "Lady of Spain" has become so much associated with the accordion. Al: You know, I think so. [ "Lady of Spain" is played ] Dr. D: "Lady of Spain". Dick Cantino and his accordion. Al: I listened to this album a lot when I was preparing for the new polka medley that I did on the new album. Actually what really inspired me for the polka medley, it's called "The Alternative Polka", and it's a medley of a dozen or so alternative songs done polka style. And what inspired me was something I read in Billboard magazine a while ago. I really wish I could remember who wrote it, and I'm paraphrasing it badly, but essentially what he said was, "there is no such thing as alternative music anymore. Everybody sounds like Pearl Jam. Grunge artists from Seattle sell millions and millions of records. So, what's alternative? Hey if you want your radio station to play alternative music, play polka music!" Dr. D: Let's play a polka! Al: Alright! [ "The Alternative Polka" is played ] Dr. D: Ok, and that is another one of the cuts on "Bad Hair Day" which is the very latest "Weird Al" Yankovic album. Al, whatcha been doing with your computer lately? Al: Well, I've been doing a lot of work in the studio using the computer. I do a lot of sequencing now. So I have a lot of software programs where I can not only compose at home, but also notate where it'll print out the sheet music very nicely. So, I've been completely tied to my computer for the last few years. I used to be a total non-technical person, and now I've become the total nerd in the last few years. Dr. D: Well, speaking of other uses of computers, since we last talked, the name of "Weird Al" Yankovic has become writ large on the screens of the Internet all across America. Al: Yeah. I should "Bermuda" Schwartz's web page a little plug. Dr. D: I just saw that, yes. Al: Yeah he's- there's quite a few web pages, but Jon has links to all of them. From memory, I think it's http://www.loop.com/~bermuda/index.htm Dr. D: Whew! Al: (laughs) I think I got that all. [Ed note: he did get that correct] Dr. D: Everything you've always wanted to know about "Weird Al", and lots of other things too. Al: And lots of stuff you never wanted to know about me. You've got it all. Dr. D: (laughs) And me. Al: Yeah. Dr. D: Thank you so much for comming by Al. Al: My pleasure, thank you. Dr. D: And don't forget to stay dee-mented. Al: Woohoo!