“Weird Al” Yankovic

Upcoming shows

Sat Oct 31 Los Angeles, United States · The Greek Theatre Tickets
Mon Nov 16 Los Angeles, United States · The Wilternwith Norah Jones, St. Vincent, Queens of the Stone Age, The Kills Tickets

Tour dates elsewhere: Bandsintown · Songkick

About

Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion. Since having one of his comedy songs aired on The Dr. Demento Radio Show in 1976 at age 16, Yankovic has sold more than 12 million albums (as of 2025), recorded more than 150 parodies and original songs, and performed more than 2,000 live shows.

Yankovic's success has been attributed to his effective use of music videos to further parody pop culture, the songs' original artists, and the original music videos themselves. He has directed some of his own music videos and also directed music videos for other artists including Ben Folds, Hanson, the Black Crowes, and the Presidents of the United States of America. With the decline of music television and the onset of social media, he used YouTube and other video sites to publish his videos; this strategy helped boost sales of his later albums. He has not released a full album since Mandatory Fun, opting instead for timely releases of singles amid touring.

Yankovic's work has earned him five Grammy Awards and a further eleven nominations, four gold records and six platinum records in the U.S. His first top ten Billboard album (Straight Outta Lynwood) and single ("White & Nerdy") were both released in 2006, nearly three decades into his career. His fourteenth studio album, Mandatory Fun (2014), became his first number-one album during its debut week. In addition to his music career, Yankovic wrote and starred in the film UHF (1989) and the television series The Weird Al Show (1997). He has produced two satirical films about his own life, The Compleat Al (1985) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). He has appeared in various television shows and web series, in addition to starring in Al TV specials on MTV. He has also written two children's books, When I Grow Up (2011) and My New Teacher and Me! (2013).

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also in Français

Alfred Matthew Yankovic, dit « Weird Al » Yanković, est un chanteur, humoriste, musicien, auteur-compositeur, acteur, accordéoniste et producteur de télévision américain né le 23 octobre 1959 à Downey (Californie). Il est surtout connu pour ses parodies de chansons populaires contemporaines. Il réalise également des chansons originales dont la plupart sont des pastiches d'un artiste ou d'un style, ainsi que des medley en polka de chansons populaires, où il s'accompagne à l'accordéon.

Depuis la diffusion d'une de ses chansons comique dans le Dr. Demento Show en 1976 à l'age de 16 ans, Yankovic a vendu plus de 12 millions d'albums, enregistré plus de 150 chansons, et effectué plus de 1000 concerts. Son travail a été récompensé de cinq trophées et onze nominations aux Grammy Awards, quatre disques d'or et six disques de platine aux États-Unis. Son premier album (Straight Outta Lynwood) et son premier single (White & Nerdy) à atteindre le top 10 du Billboard sortent en 2006, quasiment trente ans après le début de sa carrière. Son quatorzième album, Mandatory Fun (2014), en atteint la première place dès sa semaine de sortie.

Le succès de Yankovic est attribué à son utilisation efficace des clips pour parodier davantage la pop culture, l'artiste de la chanson originale, et le clip de l'originale lui-même. Il a réalisé certain des clips de ses propres chansons, et en a également réalisé pour d'autres artistes, notamment Ben Folds, Hanson, les Black Crowes, ou encore The Presidents of the United States of America. Avec le déclin de la télévision musicale et l'avènement des réseaux sociaux, il utilisa YouTube et d'autres sites de vidéos pour publier ses clips ; cette stratégie l'aida à booster les ventes de ses albums récents. Depuis Mandatory Fun, il n'a pas sorti de nouvel album, privilégiant les singles.

Outre sa carrière musicale, Yankovic a écrit et joué dans le film Télé ringards (UHF, 1989) et la série télévisée The Weird Al Show (1997). Il a produit deux films satiriques sur sa vie, The Compleat Al (1985) et Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). Il a joué dans de nombreuses séries télévisées et webséries, en plus de son émission Al TV (en) sur MTV. Il a également écrit deux livres pour enfants, When I Grow Up (2011) et My New Teacher and Me! (2013).

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0