“Weird Al” Yankovic, the undisputed king of pop culture parody, has sold more comedy recordings than any other artist in history. In a career spanning nearly three decades, he has amassed 30 Gold and Platinum albums, 7 Gold and Platinum-certified home videos and 3 Grammy Awards (with 11 nominations).
The singer-songwriter’s first real brush with fame came in 1979 when he recorded “My Bologna” (a spoof of The Knack’s “My Sharona”) in the bathroom across the hall from his college campus radio station where he had a weekly DJ shift. A devoteé of musical satirists Spike Jones, Tom Lehrer, Allan Sherman and Stan Freberg, Yankovic’s budding career took off when the song became a sensation on the nationally syndicated “Dr. Demento Show.” Just a few years later, Al landed his first recording contract and has since created an extraordinary legacy of music and ground-breaking videos, including hits like “Eat It,” “Like A Surgeon” and “Amish Paradise.”
An accomplished director, Al has helmed many of his own award-winning music videos as well as clips for Ben Folds, Jeff Foxworthy, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hanson and The Black Crowes. His video for “Smells Like Nirvana,” nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in 1992, was chosen by Rolling Stone as one of the “Top 100 Music Videos Of All Time.” Al also created the critically acclaimed title sequence for the Leslie Nielsen feature film “Spy Hard.”
Making a successful transformation from pop music satirist to multimedia star, Al created his own television specials for MTV (“AL-TV”), Showtime and the Disney Channel, among others. His feature film “UHF” (1989) became an instant Top Ten best-selling DVD upon its release in 2002, and his CBS network series “The Weird Al Show” reached cult-classic status and was released on DVD earlier this year. Al has been featured on numerous TV shows and specials, and his profile on VH-1’s “Behind the Music” remains one of the most popular installments in the history of the series.
2011 Tour Dates:
10 Mar Thebarton Theatre SA
12 Mar Royal Theatre (National Convention Centre) ACT
14 Mar Jupiter’s Showroom QLD
15 Mar Queensland Performing Arts Centre QLD
17 Mar Civic Theatre – Newcastle NSW
18 Mar Enmore Theatre NSW
21 Mar Burswood Theatre WA
23 Mar Palais Theatre VIC
25 Mar Wrest Point Entertainment Centre TAS
