Sure, we all know Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is taking some liberties with the life story of the king of polka parodies. But how much of what happens in this Daniel Radcliffe-fronted comedy is real? How successful is Weird Al? What did his parents think of his passion for penning parody songs? And maybe most pressing: Did he and Madonna hook up?
Is it weird to wanna know? Absolutely not.
Let’s dig into the burning questions and answers for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. To find the truth, we dove into interviews with Yankovic himself, as well as his episode of Behind The Music.
Were Weird Al’s parents supportive of his music?
In Weird, Yankovic’s mother is shown lamenting his interest in Hawaiian shirts, while his father resolutely rejects his dreams to write silly words to « songs that already exist. » In real life, Mary and Nick Yankovic were supportive of their only child, recounting the joy of raising him to Behind the Music producers and sharing home movies of his childhood.
It was a door-to-door accordion salesman who changed his life forever, although the way it plays out onscreen is far sillier than what really happened. In the movie, the salesman (played by Thomas Lennon) pitches that the instrument will get him all the girls — before being promptly battered by Al’s furious father. But in real life, Al’s mom chose the accordion over a guitar because she thought it’d make him like a « one-man band. »
In a separate interview, Yankovic joked, « My parents — being the visionaries that they were — decided that I should be really popular in high school if I took accordion lessons. » Hilariously, that fantasy scenario plays out in Weird‘s scandalous polka party scene.
However, Yankovic’s passion for playing with the polka-making machine was not something he hid in the closet from his dad. He started playing at age 6 and had a natural aptitude for it. Within three years, he was writing his own funny songs.
Did Weird Al have an addiction problem?
Nope. While in Weird, he goes on a drug trip and binges alcohol to dangerous excess, the real Yankovic is so squeaky clean that he was confused why Behind the Music was interested in his story at all.
In an on-camera interview, he said, « I’ve never slept with a band member. I’ve never crippled a band member. I’ve never stayed in my boat for three days on a heroin binge. I’ve never had to deal with weight problems. I’ve never slept with so many women I lost count. I’ve never lip-synced to my songs — except in music videos. I never was an alcoholic. I never was a poster child for marijuana smoking, and I’ve never married my thirteen-year-old cousin. So, what do you want from me? »
In real life, Yankovic’s lifestyle is as clean as his comedy styling. Behind the Music‘s narrator explained, « He’s a strict vegetarian who doesn’t smoke and rarely drinks. » His interviewed friends note he’s never done drugs, even when pressured. The closest thing to dirt the episode revealed came from the late, great comedian and fellow accordionist Judy Tenuta, who joked she brought him down from a « tiramisu high » once. His only known vice is his sweet tooth.
Did Dr. Demento come up with the name Weird Al?
No, he wasn’t bestowed the moniker by a wacky mentor. However, Dr. Demento was influential on the budding comedy musician. In his teens, Yankovic began listening to Dr. Demento’s radio show, which specialized in novelty songs.
By 16, he submitted a tape of his own song, « Belvedere Cruisin, » which was about driving around in his parents’ car. In 1976, this proved his first time on the radio. « I just went nuts, » Yankovic recalled on Behind the Music. « I just ran around screaming. I couldn’t believe it. »
That enthusiasm likely inspired the Weird scene where Al and his friends thrash their apartment in celebration when « My Bologna » plays on the radio. In the movie, the friends record the track in a public restroom, which is pretty close to the truth. In real life, it was the bathroom of the college radio station where Al worked. And college is also where he got the name « Weird Al. » According to friend/bandmate Joel Miller, this nickname arose during their freshman year because of the « psycho look » Yankovic gave some peers.
Despite this potentially ostracizing name, Yankovic did well at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. But music and mayhem were calling.
Even at early gigs, Yankovic found audiences in cafes and listeners of radio responded enthusiastically to his brand of comedy. « My Bologna »s popularity on Dr. Demento’s show encouraged Yankovic to pursue this passion for silly showbiz. His follow-up was « Another One Rides the Bus. » And like in the movie’s pool scene, long-time bandmate Jon Bermuda Schwartz accompanied Al by creating percussion on his accordion’s case.
What came first, « Beat It » or « Eat It? »
One of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story‘s wildest claims might be that « Eat It » is an original song and Michael Jackson’s « Beat It » is its parody.
« Beat It » came first, appearing on the King of Pop’s 1982 Thriller album. Yankovic’s « Eat It » came out two years later, with permission from Jackson. It won Yankovic his first Grammy for Best Comedy Recording (a category later renamed Best Comedy Album), beating out famous comics Rodney Dangerfield and Richard Pryor.
In both, the movie and the true story, « Eat It » took Yankovic to the next level of fame. His concerts saw record attendance overnight. He became known outside the niche of novelty jams. In Behind the Music, he recalled it was after this that he’d begun being recognized in public.
Has Weird Al scored more #1 songs than The Beatles?
No. The Beatles still hold that record. However, in 2014, his Mandatory Fun album hit number one on the Billboard chart. In 1999, Behind The Music called the musician « a multi-Grammy Award winner who’s sold more funny records than anyone on the planet. »
By 2022, Weird Al Yankovic boasts 16 Grammy nominations, five wins, 10 gold records, and six platinum in the US.
Did Weird Al and Madonna date?
While in Weird, the two get hot and heavy, in real life there is no known romantic connection between the singer of « Like a Surgeon » and the singer of « Like a Virgin. »
In the wake of Weird’s trailer sparking public curiosity, Yankovic told Jimmy Fallon in an interview on The Tonight Show, « Our relationship is platonic, by the way. The only time I actually met her was in 1985. I talked to her for maybe like 45 seconds backstage. So that’s the extent of the relationship. »
However, in Behind the Music, Yankovic does credit Madonna with the idea for that parody.
« As legend has it, » he told VH1, « She was talking to a friend of hers in New York while she was walking down the street one day, and she kind of wondered aloud, ‘Gee, I wonder when Weird Al’s going to do « Like A Surgeon. »‘ Word got back to me, and I thought, ‘That’s not a bad idea.' » And so the ode to newly minted doctors was born.
As for other potentially spicy celeb hook-ups, Yankovic’s friends cackle in Behind the Music, noting he’s never been promiscuous or much for making his private life public. However, a couple of years after the episode aired, Yankovic married marketing executive Suzanne Krajewski, and the couple had daughter Nina in 2003.
Was the « Yankovic bump » a real thing?
In Weird, Madonna seduces Weird Al to get him to parody one of her songs and earn her the « Yankovic bump, » meaning a boost to record sales thanks to his comedy version. In an interview with Yahoo!, Yankovic declared, « This Yankovic bump thing is actually one of the things that’s based in reality. Because I have heard from a number of artists that their sales went up when my parody came out. »
Want an example? Yankovic’s spin on « Smells Like Teen Spirit » in 1992 reportedly gave a Yankovic bump to Nirvana’s sales.
« We heard from Nirvana’s label, profusely thanking me, » he explained, « They said, oh, we’ve sold, like, another million units of Nevermind after ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ came out. You know, I don’t have all the data in front of me. But it’s sort of — it certainly happened more than once. »
Was Weird Al assassinated on stage in 1985?
He was not! Nor did he murder Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, who died in 1993 and was not a confirmed Weird Al superfan.
Sure, many of the cliches mocked in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story are pulled from musical biopics — and by extension from someone’s true story, if not Yankovic’s. But this climactic gag seems to come from the fictional drama Velvet Goldmine. This glittery 1998 gem follows glam rock gods that bear striking resemblances to Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and David Bowie. The Todd Haynes-created stunner includes a pivotal sequence where a rock star, at the height of fame and debauchery, is shot to death on stage before a cheering crowd.
It seems Yankovic and his Weird co-writer Eric Appel might have been enchanted by this bold imagery, using it for their own bombastically comedic ends, similar to their Carrie nod.
What does Madonna think about Weird: The Al Yankovic Story?
When Mashable attended the film’s World Premiere at 2022’s Toronto International Film Festival, Appel and Yankovic admitted she hasn’t seen the film yet.
Now that the Weird Al movie is on Roku, we’ll be watching the Material Girl’s social media for her thoughts. I mean, at the very least, she’s likely to love Evan Rachel Wood’s winsome re-imagining of her ’80s era, right?
