Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Group Writing: The Old Master
When we speak of parody, there is a very long history, and considering our topic for Group Writing for the month of May is all about such foolishness, I knew I could go to only one source:
The Old Master
The man has been doing this for forty-four years.
What is your favorite?
Published in Group Writing
Jeez, Arahant, around here you’re the old master, even if you’re a generation younger than me!
Half a generation. 😉
I think you have to know what’s being parodied before you can appreciate it, and I recognized neither of these.
Reminds me of a story (not apocryphal, I don’t think), about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, fairly early in her reign. They met with a group of–I think it was–coal miners, although it might have been boiler stokers at the railway. In any case, strong, grubby men with large shovels, moving large quantities of heavy matter from one place to another with great efficiency and dispatch. (Hell, maybe they were shoveling manure out of a barn. I can’t remember.)
The Queen commented admiringly on their strength and how much they could lift with just one shovel full, and the fellow she was speaking to said, in a broad rural accent, “O, I can lift a bloody ton!”
Aghast at the affront to the Royal ears, Prince Philip, standing the requisite two paces behind his wife, muttered “Steady on.”
Abashed, the man revised his boast, and after a brief pause to recalculate, happily announced, “Well, arf-a-bloody ton, anyway.”
“Do You Think I’m Disco” was released in February 1979.
The infamous “Disco Demolition” at Comiskey Park (Note the spelling Mr. Obama. Sound it out.) occurred that July.
Your post is a big hit with my Weird Al aficionado son…
You’re very lucky.
What is his favorite Weird Al parody?
He just recommended “White and Nerdy” but doesn’t have confidence naming a favorite…
He’s also (Al-so?) fond of “The Saga Begins” Star Wars/ American Pie parody.
He always had fun with Michael Jackson songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcJjMnHoIBI
I remember Eat it.
I thought you might.
Even better is watching reaction videos. (May not be suitable for all audiences):
Oh this is easy for me. I even almost dedicated this song to my then-future-wife at a college dance (the DJ was a friend of mine, I had to talk him out of announcing the dedication).
https://youtu.be/yWhpk-8QLFQ
This is a close second, though.
Yeah, I’m not up on a lot of the newer songs (and by newer I mean from the past 20 years).
Since I lived in Lancaster PA for a few years, I always liked this one . . .
Plus, I remember both the Coolio song and the Stevie Wonder song that Coolio sampled
I didn’t recognize either song, but I am definitely going to play #WordCrimes to my Poli Sci writing classes!
At least I knew the song this was parodying.
That could have made a video by itself.
He fell off my radar until my niece and her husband brought him to my attention again with “First World Problems”.
But my all-time favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=FklUAoZ6KxY&feature=emb_logo
Smells Like Nirvana, yes. I love how he often transforms himself.
I gotta go with his debut
Still remember laying in bed as a kid, listening to “My Bologna” and “Another Drives the Bus” on the Dr. Demento Show.
Me too. I remember when VH-1 did a “Behind the music” on him and had trouble coming up with anything controversial – Coolio not liking Amish Paradise; Prince refusing to let him do any parodies; and one of Al’s earlier parodies (“Still Billy Joel to Me”) he stopped playing because it hurt Billy Joel’s feelings. He’s generally considered a nice guy with no debilitating vices or tragic band-killing traffic accidents. His only real public tragedy was when his parents died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
He’s had more hits, more grammies, and more staying power than many of the people he’s riffed on. And he’s a fantastic live show. His “style parodies” and polka mashups are some of my favorites.
This one deserves special mention because my wife absolutely hates it: giving Charles Nelson Reilly the Paul Bunyan treatment.
We lived for ten years in southern Maryland, St. Mary’s County (the Mother County…founded in 1632). There were many Amish families there, too. Weird Al published Amish Paradise the year we moved there, and it was awesome. We’d left SoCal (just north of L.A.) and dragged our Jr. High/High School aged children to dad’s new job site there. He worked at a Navy base that was the location of a test pilot school. So there were jets in the sky and buggies on the highway. Seriously…hitching posts at all the grocery stores. It was a hard job transfer. Weird Al helped out by making us all laugh!
He’s also promoted a lot of online artists, using various creators to do his music videos in their distinctive style (and budget) his last several albums. And he’s guested on other youtube channels, like Epic Rap Battles of History (as Isaac Newton) and this, for Shmoyoho’s songify the debates in 2016. The man’s an indefatiguable music machine.