A Summer Treat: 'Weird Al' Yankovic On His Life & Career In Show Business
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Was there a moment when the career you wanted felt in reach? So I was still working literally for minimum wage in a mailroom, and my first album had come out. And sticking out of the top of the mailbag was the latest issue of Billboard magazine. So I opened it up to the Hot 100 chart, and there I am on the charts. So then I thought, you know, I should probably give notice at work and maybe get serious about this weird album. I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Wildcard, the game where cards control the conversation. ♪

Each week, my guest answers questions about their life. Questions pulled from a deck of cards. They're allowed to skip one question and to flip one question back on me. My guest this week is Weird Al Yankovic. Hey,

I think people realize, you know, I am who I am and, you know, Weird Al is almost ironic because I'm like one of the more normal people in showbiz, I think. So I usually have to finish a conversation with a guest before I can draw some big conclusion. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say this about Weird Al. I think that more than the perfect rhyming scheme, more than the most ridiculous pun, more than music itself...

What Weird Al loves most in the world is making people happy. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he fell hard for the accordion as a kid and realized a few years later he was really good at making up fake lyrics to real songs. And this, this was his ticket to fame and fortune.

But I don't think so. His art is too self-effacing to be about ego. When performing, Weird Al is the spiritual manifestation of every dorky kid who never fit in now finally getting their moment. Not by trying to fit into someone else's idea of cool, but by leaning into every single thing that makes them weird. And that is a beautiful and generous thing.

46 years after his first big hit, My Bologna, came out, Weird Al is still at it. His new tour is called Bigger and Weirder, and it kicks off in June. It is my pleasure to welcome Weird Al to Wildcard. Thank you. That was so lovely. Oh, you're so welcome. I'm so excited to get to do this with you. Thank you for being game. Okay, let's get deep. Let's get deep. Peel back the onion. Okay. First round. Memories. Hmm.

First, three cards. One, two, or three? Number three, please, Rachel. Okay, here we go. Okay. What's an experience from your childhood when you realized your parents were only human?

Oh, my parents were great. They loved me beyond all measure. But they had a few, I guess, faults, for want of a better word. They didn't know how to give bad news. My mother in particular, she just kind of walked on eggshells around me. She didn't want to upset me. And I remember one particular incident in college where

You know, when I was five years old, I got a dog named China. And I loved the dog. And it was my constant companion all through my childhood. And then I went to college. And then I came home. I feel like I know where this is going. Okay. Okay. So I came home for Christmas break.

And I greeted my parents. I said, where's China? And they kind of looked at each other and they said, oh, he's buried in the backyard. When did this happen? Oh, months ago. But you're in college. We didn't want to bother you. You're busy. We didn't want to disturb you. So I took that in and I, you know, grieved. But it kind of wrecked me because every other time I came home from college, I was expecting to go, hey, mom, where's dad? You know?

We didn't want to upset you. We didn't know. You're busy. I didn't want to inconvenience you. Death. So that's very sad, but I also get it. It's also sort of generational, right? Like people of that generation were just like, oh, I don't – you know.

It's hard sometimes to talk about hard things, and it's very real, parents not wanting to traumatize their kid with bad news. Well, since you said that, I should say the flip side of the coin. My dad would get into arguments with my mother over how she was being too soft on me and had to toughen me up a little bit. And when my mother's mother died, I could hear them talking in the other room, and I didn't know what was going on. And

All of a sudden, my dad bursts into my room and says, your grandmother's dead. So you get it one way or the other. You either don't get the news or it comes out in this other way. Right. You just never know. It's always exciting. Okay. Three more cards. One, two, or three. Number three, please, Rachel. Number three. Feeling the threes. What's something someone told you that changed your trajectory?

I'm going to have to go with Clifton Nordgaard, my guidance counselor in high school. And in ninth grade, I started high school early because I skipped a couple of grades. I was 12 years old, and I had this guidance counselor that was going to help me decide what I was going to do with my life. And he said, well, what do you want to do? And I said, well, I think I'd like to be a writer and or artist for Mad Magazine. And he said, no.

Yeah, no, that's not really a job for an adult. You know, you're good at drafting. You like math. You probably are good at design. Why don't you be an architect? And I said, oh, well, yeah, that makes sense. Okay, I guess I'll be an architect. And so I went to college. I went to college for four years, got my degree in architecture. And as you can tell, that worked out great. Yeah.

Was there – I mean, you did a talent show, right, when you were in college? Sure, sure. And that's when – I mean, you probably did many. But in the research I've read, there was one particular one you did with a friend and you're like, oh, I'm getting great audience feedback here. Maybe I'm on to something.

Yeah, that happened. They called—it was on—well, I guess it was a talent show of sorts. They called it a coffee house. It was like every Thursday night in the student union in our college. It was basically an open mic, basically. And 95 percent of the acts were guys with acoustic guitar playing Dan Fogelberg covers. You know, just very mellow, you know, laid-back Southern California kind of vibe. And then I get up on stage with my accordion. My friend played the bongos, and we just—

We just cut loose and we're just insane. And people just kind of woke up like, what's going on here? And that kind of reaction, that positive gratification just really spun my head around. There's, I understand, a plaque in the bathroom of your college where you actually wrote,

Yeah, that is true. I recorded my bologna in the bathroom across the hall from my campus radio station. We ran lines from the production room into the bathroom because, you know, as you know, bathrooms have acoustically perfect tiled walls and they have that nice warm reverb sound. We all sing in them, yes! Exactly. So I recorded my first single literally in the bathroom. And I recorded it in the bathroom.

And years later, they put a plaque on that bathroom just saying that here's where it all happened. If you go there to this day, there's a picture of me next to the urinal. I'm sure all the Grammys pale in comparison to that particular honor. That is a high point. Absolutely. Yes. Okay. Three more cards. Still memories. Oh, boy.

One, two, or three? I will take number three, please, Rachel. I like it. What period of your life do you often daydream about? I would say my daughter's childhood. She's 22 now. She's just about to graduate from college. And I have to be careful talking about this because I...

I think so much about it. Like whenever old pictures come up on your phone or your desktop and you go, oh, remember when you were eight? Remember when you were five? And you go, yeah, Dad, I remember. We still love you now. We love you now. But that person's gone. And you dug her. Yeah. Yeah.

My wife and I talk about this all the time. It would be great. My daughter's name is Nina. And we always used to say it would be great if we had a Nina at every age living in our house, just one through 22, 22 Ninas. Because each one is so special and so beautiful and lovely and something just unique about every age. And I just – it's such a sense of loss when that person becomes something else.

Equally good, but you're missing the other person. You know what I mean? I do. I know exactly what you mean. I have two kids, two boys who are 10 and 12. And same thing, except my time horizon for the nostalgia is much shorter than yours because they're younger. And also being the parent of very young children, I found to be very difficult. I

I love them so much. They were so, so cute. But I was so, so tired all the time. So I like to look at a picture of their cute little cherubic faces and then I don't remember all the sleep deprivation. Yes. So the algorithm works and that it feeds me the good stuff. Right. Exactly. Exactly.

But no, I completely, I know when you sit and you daydream about all those moments and you're like, this is now a different person I get to know. And it just keeps going. As a 22-year-old, I can't carry her up the stairs anymore. She balks at that for some reason. I mean, do you still try? I try, but she's fast. And then it gets weird. I know. Did you always know you wanted to be a parent?

I don't know that I did. If I'm being totally honest, I hope she doesn't hear this. Yeah. But no, I don't know. I mean, I always thought it was a possibility, but it wasn't like I was in my 20s going, oh, I can't wait to have a kid.

You know? Yeah, yeah. Not a lot going on. But, you know, it's sort of like I've always been happy with my life. I've never been, like, lonely or felt something was missing. And I married late in life. So I went through, you know, up to my late 30s being a single man and being very happy. And then I got married and my life got exponentially better. And then I had a child and my life got even better yet. So it's all been very positive for me. And, you know, I certainly wouldn't have it any other way.

Let's push back and talk a little bit about your upcoming tour. Oh, okay.

So you clearly still get a lot out of that particular experience. Oh, yeah. It's my favorite part of what I do. I mean... Is it? Yeah. I mean, writing is not really fun for me. It's kind of a pain. And recording is okay, but it's just long and drawn out. And performing live is the only time when I get that instant feedback. And it's just, you know, it's the dopamine rush. It's just something that I never get tired of. It's exhausting, but it never gets old.

You get so many people out there who have followed you for so many years. I imagine you get sort of inundated with people who come up and want to share how you have affected them and what your music has meant to them and what you yourself have meant to them as this inherently – tell me if I'm wrong – but an inherently optimistic person. Yeah.

I guess I just wonder if there are any of those people who you carry with you in your mind.

Oh, all the time. I mean, I don't take any of that for granted. It means so much to me to have that kind of support from my fans. And, you know, I've just gotten so much love from fans over the years. You know, I meet them at shows. I meet them at conventions. I meet them when I'm shopping for groceries. And they tell me these amazing stories. Some tell me how I've changed their lives or stopped them from committing suicide in a couple instances. It gets pretty heavy. And I've seen so many people with Weird Al tattoos.

Which kind of blows my mind. Do yourself a favor if you want to be freaked out. Google Weird Al back tattoo. Wow. I met this one guy after a show. His entire back, entire back was my face. Like bigger than life-sized. How do you take all that on? Because that's crazy.

That's a lot, especially your... It's a lot. Yeah. It's a lot. Yeah. And you want to be kind, but also don't you want to sometimes just run away and say, I'm just... Ow.

Yeah, something like that is, you know, kind of half scary and half wonderful because, you know, some people do get obsessive. But it's something that I carry with me. It's something that, you know, it does feel like a bit of a responsibility now because, like, I've got these people that kind of look up to me. And what's also nice is that, you know, what I've been trying to project through my entire life and my career is

is that it's okay to be weird. When I took on the name Weird Al, that was sort of an empowering thing. And a lot of kids have also come up to me and said how important it was to be represented in that way. Because in school, they might be considered a freak or a dork or a weirdo or somebody who just didn't fit in. And to have somebody like me to look up to that basically saying it's okay to be that way, that's been a lot to some people.

Okay. Thank you for that. Congrats on the tour. And we're going to get back in the game. Okay. Let's go. Round two. Insights. Three new cards. One, two, or three. Oh, gosh. I'd like number three, please, Rachel. You silly man. Three's your favorite. Oh, I'm excited already. When do you feel most like an outsider?

You know, I spent most of my early career actually being an outsider, which actually served me well because as a periodist slash satirist, you kind of don't – you want to be like the guy on the outside of the circle poking fun at the people on the inside of the circle.

So that served me well. And it became a little awkward a few years later when I actually got a little famous and started showing up at some of the award shows and parties as the people that I was making fun of. Right. You were in, not out. Yeah, I was in. I was an insider. And, you know, I still managed to keep doing what I was doing, but it was a whole different kind of dynamic there.

But that's not to say that I ever lost my imposter syndrome because I've kept that with me my entire life. So part of me certainly does feel like an outsider. On the last tour that I did –

I played Carnegie Hall for the first time. And it was something that— Very insidery. Very insidery. And it was always kind of on my bucket list. And I was nervous about it the entire tour. I mean, every show that I did was like, oh, Carnegie Hall is coming up in four weeks. Carnegie Hall, three weeks from Carnegie Hall. Really? And we finally got there. And, you know, I kept telling myself, look, you've done three months of shows. This is just another show. It's just another show. Right.

And then I walk inside Carnegie Hall and there's floor-to-ceiling pictures of Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland and the Beatles. And I'm thinking, I don't belong here. What am I doing? Isn't that crazy? Yeah. You just never get over it. Yeah, I imagine. Okay, three more cards. One, two, or three. Okay, I'm going to go with one, Rachel. Oh, mixing it up. Oh, well, this is interesting.

Was there a moment when the career you wanted felt in reach? Presumably before Carnegie Hall.

I guess I'll answer this by telling you the moment that I kind of decided I should be Weird Al full time. When I got my record deal, it was a couple of years out of college, and I signed it in 1982. And generally, especially if the artist is not already a known entity, record labels don't give you a big bucket of money.

Up front, they sign you to this draconian deal, and you just go on with your life. So I was still working literally for minimum wage in a mail room, and my first album had come out. So I remember one time, part of my job as a mail sorter was to go to the post office every morning and pick up the mail. And it's like a giant mail bag, and sticking out of the top of the mail bag was the latest issue of Billboard magazine. So I opened it up to the Hot 100 chart, and there I am on the charts. I am...

on the billboard charts. And I thought, you know, I should probably give notice at work and maybe get serious about this weird helping. That's incredible. No one had given you a phone call to give you a heads up that that was going to go down? No, no. You know, it's kind of funny because part of, you know, my job working in the, I also did deliveries and I would show up like at Epic Records and places around town, you know, dropping things off. And I remember at Epic Records, they, you

They had a party for me. My first album went gold. And there were people hanging around going, isn't that the mailroom guy? What's he doing?

Do you remember what you felt, though, when you saw your name on the Billboard 100? What did you feel? It was crazy. I mean, I didn't, you know, I signed the record deal, but part of me just never thought that I would be able to make it. I thought the whole thing was a lark, and I didn't, you know. Billboard magazine meant so much to me because, you know, when I was in college radio, we had the charts taped on the walls, right?

And it was sort of like, you know, the radio person's Bible. And the fact that, you know, and I would daydream about, oh, maybe one day I'll be on the Billboard charts, never really thinking that was an option. So when it finally happened for the first time, it was, you know, amazing to me. This wasn't the first time I was mentioned in Billboard, though. I remember the very first time Billboard mentioned me was like that I had signed with Capitol Records for

They referred to me as Weird Owl, O-W-L, Yankovic. So that was my first ever mention in Billboard. Yes, it's like, you know, close enough. I'll take it. That's fine. So, I mean, even then, as you saw the career you wanted start to materialize in your mind's eye, what was it like?

I mean, when you're young, you can't imagine a future. I imagine that even then you're like, maybe I get to do this for, I don't know, five, ten years? Yeah. Let alone a lifetime? At the most, because, I mean, that's one of the reasons it was so difficult to get signed to a record deal in the first place is because I did what was considered at the time, and probably still is, as novelty music.

And historically, novelty artists don't have a long career. In fact, you know, they're lucky to have a single hit. They're lucky to be a one-hit wonder. So nobody wanted a one-hit wonder. They wanted somebody that was going to be around for years and years and years, which, I mean, that's the irony of my life. So it was just difficult to get my foot in the door. But, you know, I'm just glad I'm still here.

What did your parents make of that when you were like, I'm quitting the mailroom. I'm really going to give this a go. I mean, had they, by that point, had they just, like, surrendered? You know, I have to say they were always very supportive. They weren't disappointed when I graduated from college with a degree in architecture and decided I'm not going to be an architect anymore.

I mean, that was like one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me was just allowing me to just be happy in my life. And they weren't career-minded. They were lower middle class. They didn't have a lot going on that way. But, I mean, they were happy. They lived well within their means. And they were just happy when I was happy. I'm just trying to imagine. The portrait you've painted of your parents, tell me if I'm wrong, was quite –

at least emotionally conservative kind of folks, maybe not so into popular culture of the time. I mean, when they saw you do your thing, like with the bongos and the accordion and the weird lyrics, were they just like, whatever you want, Al, as long as you're happy? Or was there part of them that was like, we made this kid? Like, who? How did you do this?

kid come from us? The only thing my mom said was stay out of Hollywood, Al. There are evil people there. And she's not wrong, but I did in fact go to Hollywood quite a few times. I'd love to tell the tale. Yes. Okay. We are moving into round three, otherwise known as the beliefs round. One, two, or three. Let's go back with number three, please. Okay. What's something you no longer take for granted?

Ooh. Okay. Well, because nothing comes immediately to mind, I'm going to flip this. And while you're talking, I'm going to stare and act as if I'm actively listening when I'm actually going to be thinking of a good answer. That's exactly what you should do. Okay. Okay. What's something I no longer take for granted?

Okay. Listeners to the show know I talk about my parents a lot and my mom in particular, who died a long time ago. But I do remember when she was sick, she had cancer for a long time. And when she was diagnosed, I was in my early 30s. I was in Washington, D.C. at the time. I was working for ABC News and I could walk from the bureau back to my apartment every day.

And so on that commute, I would always talk to her on the phone. And I remember in those conversations, you know, she was physically deteriorating more and more. And along with just the awareness of mortality and feeling preemptive grief around her death, which we all knew was coming, in just this very small way, she just made me appreciate my body and that it wasn't always going to work.

Like she had neuropathy on her feet. So it's like nerve damage that a lot of cancer patients get from all the various treatments. And her feet would be hurting her so much. And I just remember feeling so lucky in a way of early 30-something person doesn't often feel lucky to be able to walk and not be in pain, you know. And I, in those conversations, remember thinking,

don't take this for granted. Don't take it for granted, not just your life. Yes, don't take your life for granted. But the small act of being able to move yourself with your feet and

And to not be in pain. And my body is working. And isn't that a blessing? And it's just not always going to be thus. And so ever since then, I've tried really hard to appreciate the small things that my body can do. And so I still feel there are parts that feel stiffer than they used to. But I still feel very grateful that my body will do the things that it was designed to do.

That's what I no longer take for granted. That answer is so much better than mine. So...

It doesn't have to be some, my mom was dying and then I recognized. See, you trumped me right off the bat. Like, how do I follow that? I was going to say, and I guess I still will. Yes. Anonymity. Because I had that up until I was around age 24 and Edith came out. And after that happened, I was overnight somebody that got recognized on the street.

Which was good and bad. I mean, it was certainly novel for me because that had never happened before. And I didn't dislike it. But I remember my posture changed because at my heart I am kind of a shy, withdrawn person. And it was just odd to have everybody looking at me everywhere I went. It was a whole different way of life. Totally. And I think I started like hunching over a bit like, yeah, don't look at me. And meanwhile, I'm like a walking cartoon character. Yeah.

And I got a brief reprieve when I had my LASIK eye surgery and I shaved my facial hair. So all of a sudden, I wasn't like the guy with the mustache and the glasses anymore. And it was weird because I was used to people looking at me and all of a sudden, they weren't until they got used to the new look. So it was just a brief window of time where I was like, oh, this again. Yeah, I remember this. So you've...

come to make peace with the lack of anonymity and it's not as

as it used to be? Yeah. I mean, I think maybe I just wasn't used to it or maybe I got more of it, but the 80s seemed to be a time when, like, you know, I couldn't escape it. And now I've got a real comfortable level of fame. I'm very okay with it. I actually enjoy it. I don't have people going through my garbage cans at night, you know, but, like, I'll run into somebody on the street and they'll say, hey, love your work, and that's all I want to hear. You know, that's great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool. Cool.

Three new cards. One, two, or three. Let's go back with number three. Number three. Feeling good on number three. How do you see yourself differently as you age? Oh. You know, it's an odd thing because I was thinking about this a while ago. I remember when I was a kid, my grandmother –

She was, you know, I just thought she was the oldest person in the world. She was like Methuselah. She was just this old, old person. She was like 53? Yeah, she was like, you know, maybe the age I am now, you know. So my whole attitude about it has changed. Like, you know, 65 isn't that old. I am getting the AARP stuff in my email box, but, you know, it's, you know, I'm...

I've got 60 or 70 more years, right? I mean, come on. So, you know, the old cliche is true. I mean, you don't age that much on the inside if you're lucky. I still feel like a goofy teenager. But all of a sudden, my hair is getting thinner and grayer and things are happening with my body that I'm not –

thrilled about. But I'm still doing what I do and I still feel the way that I feel. And, you know, as the, you know, cliche goes, age is just a number. Does it get harder as you age to tap into the mindset of that dorky 15-year-old kid in the corner? Or even just the joy of, like, the random...

15-year-old kid hanging out with his friends. I'm pretty in touch with that. I mean, I don't have to... It's not a stretch for me to ever act dorky. You know, that's something I kept close to my heart. So, yeah, I mean, I think I have the same basic sense of humor that I did way back then. I don't express myself. You know, when I first started out, I kind of felt like I needed to live up to the nickname Weird Al, and I was...

Maybe weirder than I needed to be. And I look at old interviews myself that I did in the 80s and I just cringe like, oh, who is this person? Just obnoxious. You felt like that person was performing. Yeah, very performative. So I've been, you know, since then I've been trying to let my inner weirdness shine out and don't push it, don't force it. Like I'm weird enough as it is.

Yeah, but I imagine you felt some kind of pressure. Like people were responding to the character. And so you're like, when do I lean into that and when do I step away from it? I don't think people today approach me in the same way or think that I'm bouncing off the walls 24 hours a day. I think people realize, you know, I am who I am. And, you know, Weird Al is almost ironic because I'm like one of the more normal people in showbiz, I think.

We end the show the same way every time, with a trip in our memory time machine. Ooh. Yeah. That's what I'm talking about, Al. Okay. So, here we go. You go back to your past. You pick one moment. It's a moment you wouldn't change anything about. It's just a moment you want to linger in a little longer. Okay. What moment do you choose? Um...

Is it shallow to pick something career-related? It's not. Okay. Well, this has got family, too. Okay, this is like a perfect storm, so this will work. This would be in 2014. My last album, Mandatory Fun, had just come out, and it was the end of the first week.

And it was doing really, really, really well. And in fact, it was battling with Jason Mraz to be the number one album on the Billboard charts. And as I explained, the Billboard charts mean a whole lot to me. And it was just blowing my mind the whole week thinking that like I was, you know, I really even had a shot at being number one on the charts because literally...

no comedy album had ever in history debuted at number one on the charts. And the last person to even reach number one was like Alan Sherman, like 50 years prior to that. So it was kind of crazy what was happening. And I was at a taping of the show At Midnight, the late night game show. And I was in the green room just about ready to go on. And my manager was there and said, would you come with me? There's something we want to show you in the green room. And I walked into the green room and...

My wife and my daughter and my in-laws were there. And they had a huge banner, number one. And a cake. And my daughter had made a big drawing for me. And it was just like this, you know, it's like everything good in my life happening at the same time. So I get my family and my career. And it's just hard to beat that. That was just a real moment for me. I still get a little choked up about it, even thinking about it. That's a lovely memory. Thank you for sharing that.

Weird Al Yankovic, we'll be on tour this summer. Don't miss it. Weird Al, thank you so much. My pleasure. Thank you, Rachel.

That was Rachel Martin in conversation with Weird Al Yankovic on the NPR podcast Wildcard. If you want more from Wildcard, you can watch Rachel's conversations on YouTube. Just search for Wildcard with Rachel Martin and you can catch up with Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein, author Zadie Smith, actor Jesse Eisenberg, and a whole lot more. In the meantime, we will be back on your feeds tomorrow as normal with your weekly roundup. I'm Elena Moore. I cover politics. And thank you for listening to the NPR Politics Podcast. ♪

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