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May. 21st, 2011
Why Not Take Al of Me?
May. 21st, 2011 02:45 pmFifteen years ago, a Weird Al show was the first real concert I ever saw. Now, it looks like it'll also be the last. You know, because the world is ending? Anyway, one cool thing about his shows is that he'll often pull something unexpected out of his back catalog. Well, I guess it wouldn't be unexpected if I looked at the setlist for this tour, which is usually the same at every stop, but it's still a bit unusual. This time, he included "Frank's 2000" TV," "You Don't Love Me Anymore," and the very short song "Let Me Be Your Hog." Also in the set were all of the Internet Leaks songs except "Ringtone," as well as "Perform This Way" (Al wore a blue peacock outfit during this one) and the new polka medley, "Polka Face."
I guess Lady Gaga didn't give him any trouble about getting permission for that one. I guess this will be the third time the same artist/band is both parodied and polka-fied on the same album. Anyone care to name the others? Of course, we also got the old standbys "Smells Like Nirvana," a shortened "Eat It," "Fat," "The Saga Begins," and "Yoda." "Saga" was performed in the company of a line of people in Storm Trooper and Darth Vader outfits. I tried to get a picture with my cell phone, but it won't work with concert lighting. So here's someone else's picture from another show.
As for "Fat," I'm getting to be increasingly less tolerant of fat suits. Not that I think Al has it in for overweight people any more than he does for midgets (another cheap and potentially offensive gag he repeatedly goes for), just that I see![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
therealtavie's point that fat suits are sort of the new blackface. I guess most of Al's comedy is so inoffensive that I can give him a pass every once in a while, though. bethje pointed out that he didn't talk a whole lot, and he really didn't, a lengthy introduction to "Let Me Be Your Hog" being the main exception. I seem to recall him doing more spoken-word bits back in the day, but now it seems like he wants to rush through as many songs as possible. The show included the usual media clips during costume changes, and it got me wondering if Al employs someone whose entire job is to watch for mentions of him in the media. {g}
What looks to be the complete track listing for Al's upcoming album, Alpocalypse, is up here. Assuming this is accurate, it's kind of unusual that he's parodying three female artists (Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus) this time. Then again, it seems to me that most of the big pop stars these days ARE female, so maybe he didn't have much of a choice. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the new stuff next month! Then in July, we get a new They Might Be Giants album, so it looks like this is shaping up to be a pretty good year for music after all. I think David Lowery's solo album might have been the 2011 release I've bought so far. No, wait, also the new Decemberists album.
I guess Lady Gaga didn't give him any trouble about getting permission for that one. I guess this will be the third time the same artist/band is both parodied and polka-fied on the same album. Anyone care to name the others? Of course, we also got the old standbys "Smells Like Nirvana," a shortened "Eat It," "Fat," "The Saga Begins," and "Yoda." "Saga" was performed in the company of a line of people in Storm Trooper and Darth Vader outfits. I tried to get a picture with my cell phone, but it won't work with concert lighting. So here's someone else's picture from another show.
As for "Fat," I'm getting to be increasingly less tolerant of fat suits. Not that I think Al has it in for overweight people any more than he does for midgets (another cheap and potentially offensive gag he repeatedly goes for), just that I see
therealtavie's point that fat suits are sort of the new blackface. I guess most of Al's comedy is so inoffensive that I can give him a pass every once in a while, though. bethje pointed out that he didn't talk a whole lot, and he really didn't, a lengthy introduction to "Let Me Be Your Hog" being the main exception. I seem to recall him doing more spoken-word bits back in the day, but now it seems like he wants to rush through as many songs as possible. The show included the usual media clips during costume changes, and it got me wondering if Al employs someone whose entire job is to watch for mentions of him in the media. {g}What looks to be the complete track listing for Al's upcoming album, Alpocalypse, is up here. Assuming this is accurate, it's kind of unusual that he's parodying three female artists (Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Miley Cyrus) this time. Then again, it seems to me that most of the big pop stars these days ARE female, so maybe he didn't have much of a choice. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing the new stuff next month! Then in July, we get a new They Might Be Giants album, so it looks like this is shaping up to be a pretty good year for music after all. I think David Lowery's solo album might have been the 2011 release I've bought so far. No, wait, also the new Decemberists album.
