Don't feel too bad. We didn't know either! But right now, in this exact moment, there could not be a better social climate, a more fitting age of chaos, a more clamorous population in desperate need of the innocence, humor, hope, and the timeless weirdness that only an immersive cinematic profile of 'Weird Al' Yankovic can provide. And it must be further stated, for all the historical records, that the only person, in this time, at this moment, and for always who can play Weird Al in this movie is Daniel Radcliff.
We have plenty of airtight evidence to back us up on these seemingly outlandish, but upon closer inspection, perfectly logical statements we have just made. So let's dig in about why now is the all-the-stars-have-aligned perfect moment for the Weird Al biopic -- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
Weird Al is Weird
Since being gifted an accordion by his parents at age seven, Weird Al Yankovic, born Alfred Matthew Yankovic in California in 1959, recorded hundreds of parodies of popular music and performed live more than one thousand times. He has been making life that much more tolerable since. In his personal life, Al has been no stranger to adversity. His kindergarten classmates labeled him a nerd, which wasn't without some factual merit. Yankovic graduated high school valedictorian and holds a Bachelor's in architecture from California Polytechnic State University.
In college, Yankovic was given the nickname "Weird Al," which was at first an insult. Still, eventually, Yankovic fully embraced the idea that others had of him by taking the nickname on professionally, with no hard feelings against his verbal assailants. In fact, by taking their indirect advice, he was turning the other cheek.
By all public accounts, Weird Al has always put forth his best, cleverest, alternately most niche, and most widely appreciable work. He has never allowed bullying or mockery to impact his professional or creative development. Yankovic continues to make unique and hilarious work while embracing its reception in the wider world. He took the name "Weird" and donned the label, and rather than allowing perceptions to influence him, he kept churning out laudable work. Yankovic worked with, not against, his individuality and originality, something that we can all learn from.
To succeed professionally, creatively, and personally, we must strike a balance between embracing people's perceptions of us and achieving our goals or harmony between the inner and outer worlds. In sum: we should all be more like Weird Al.
Weird Al is the King of Parody
Regarding how cool Weird Al is, let's talk about how cool consent is. Weird Al doesn't need to obtain permission from the artists he parodies to such great effect, but he does! Yes, he is adept at making fun of many of the world's most pivotal songs and artists, but he does so in a fun, mundane, good-hearted way, steering clear of profanity, to boot. Weird Al has created a kind of Cult of Good Vibes with humor, serenity, and sass. A dichotomy between satire about our world and culture and acceptance and love of all that we are and share.
Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" becomes "Another One Rides the Bus." "Like a Virgin" becomes "Like a Surgeon." "Gangster's Paradise" is a somewhat irreverent but overall good-natured "Amish Paradise." Still, when Coolio announced that he felt deeply disrespected by Weird Al's parody, Yankovic apologized. Years later, when Coolio was finally okay with it, the two made friends and collaborated on projects. Weird Al doesn't make parodies that the original artists aren't comfortable with, at least not deliberately. "Like a Surgeon." was even Madonna's idea! But when he does make mistakes, he apologizes and doesn't retaliate when retaliated against.
Weird Al is Unproblematic
Weird Al's biopic, according to all reports, will be parodying his own life. The serial parody-er must get in on the action when it comes to his own story. It must be the height of artistic generosity to reimagine your own life from an alternative perspective for the benefit of your adoring audiences. Weird Al is, clearly, the height of sophistication and nuance.
More than his ability to laugh at himself, love himself, forgive others and take charge of his persona, Al is notorious for being hugely unproblematic, wildly introverted and polite, and deviously disinterested in alcohol or substances. He has been a husband since 2001, a father since 2003, and was a devoted son to his parents, who he loved dearly. His religious Christian upbringing has undoubtedly had a hand in keeping Al away from the party animal scene. Overall, he is known for being very shy in person, though he is a savage wordsmith on the stage. His true personality shines through in his cult classic UHF, with its humorous, loving, and accepting depiction of maladaptive daydreaming.
And Daniel Radcliff is Pretty Cool, Too!
Radcliff himself has spent years adjusting to a post-Harry Potter career. It is difficult to convey just how Earth shatteringly popular the Harry Potter franchise was in words, but Radcliff has spent some years redefining how audiences perceive him through the projects he affiliates himself with. Tracing his progression from the Boy who Lived to the man who sang parodies and played the accordion, portraying Weird Al should become a definitive landmark in the actor's quest to be considered an artist with a much wider range and transformative ability.
We can't wait to see this union of parody with appreciation and acceptance when it hits the Roku Channel later this year!