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Sure, but Al has a point when he says that, for what he does, the constraints of an album don't really make sense anymore. Things are so flash-in-the-pan now that if you aren't on top of it almost immediately, you get left in the dust.
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Jul 16, 2014 23:56
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ComposerGuy posted:Sure, but Al has a point when he says that, for what he does, the constraints of an album don't really make sense anymore. Things are so flash-in-the-pan now that if you aren't on top of it almost immediately, you get left in the dust. This is true. Al mentioned on his Reddit AMA that he was going to do a parody for "Let It Go" from Frozen called "Make It So" about ST:TNG but saw dozens of Trekkers already made their own versions on YouTube (a majority of which are, predictably, total poo poo). So the upside of digital is that he can release a parody right as a song is #1 and fresh. We saw how that worked when he did it with Internet Leaks, anyway.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:02
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As for physical media, I certainly understand the appeal (I STILL own most of my cassettes)...but honestly I think we're due to move beyond that entirely. It's actually kind of strange we haven't already. The Audio CD has had a longer practical lifespan than the Cassette Tape and the 8-Track Tape before it. I don't know if we'll ever move away from physical albums entirely (at least in our lifetime), but it's going to become a pretty niche market if it hasn't already.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:16
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ComposerGuy posted:I don't think he repeats any lines in the whole of "Tacky" unless I missed it somehow. Ah, yeah those were two separate things. The song is kinda repetitive - which works well in the original but kinda grated on me in Tacky. The song also has a lot of non-vocal parts so I felt it wasn't a great fit for a Weird Al parody. But those weren't really the whole reason or anything, as I said I can't really put my finger on it.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:26
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Crazy Dastard posted:Given the awesome quality of the Foil video I hope to hell that he's done one for Inactive. I know Al usually has either a third party make an animated video or collaborates with someone if they're live-action due to budget restraints from his label, but given how "iconic" the original video for Radioactive was I would love to see his treatment of it for Inactive. Sorry to disappoint. The next video is "Handy" and then after that the rest of the 8 videos are for original songs. No "Inactive" video. Doesn't necessarily mean he won't have one though. He eventually got a video for every song on Alpocalypse even way after the initial release.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:33
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weirdojace posted:Sorry to disappoint. The next video is "Handy" and then after that the rest of the 8 videos are for original songs. No "Inactive" video. Yeah here's holding out hope. The video I'm imagining in my head for it is pretty good. I mean the character in the song is essentially the same kind of lifestyle that befits the Goon stereotype, Cheeto dust included.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:35
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For some reason I thought I'd get laughed at for this thread, so it's pretty awesome that there is a bunch of fans here. I'm also really really surprised about the amount of posts I see on facebook with these videos. People that I would never think would listen to a Weird Al song. The internet is a strange place. Kind of bummed about no Inactive video and no more Polka songs (possibly, he should just do one at the end of every few years as a recap though...) It will also be interesting to see how fast he will be able to parody a song now that he has so much competition and can actually release singles instead of full albums.
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Jul 17, 2014 01:34
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I love that the Reddit post in the Word Crimes videos is by George Newman. All the videos so far have been right up with some of his best like Smells Like Nirvana, Jurassic Park, and Amish Paradise.
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Jul 17, 2014 01:35
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Harminoff posted:For some reason I thought I'd get laughed at for this thread, so it's pretty awesome that there is a bunch of fans here. I'm also really really surprised about the amount of posts I see on facebook with these videos. People that I would never think would listen to a Weird Al song. The internet is a strange place. Honestly, I don't run into much Weird Al hate at all. Most people I know think he's really funny, and genuinely respect him as a musician. And the people who don't are always people I think are assholes anyway.
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Jul 17, 2014 01:43
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That, and he is highly respected in the industry not just for his musical talent, but his artist-friendly approach to his parodies. Guy has 4 gold records, 6 platinum and 3 Grammys.
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Jul 17, 2014 02:14
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Chalk me up as someone who, when skimming through the album on Google Music, didn't bother listening past the first verse/chorus of "Foil". Then I read the thread. Well then!
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Jul 17, 2014 02:34
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Read any interview with Yankovic and it's clear that he's just about the nicest guy on the planet. Only uptight pricks like Prince don't love him.
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Jul 17, 2014 03:32
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There was a spoof of him for HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David where Bob had a character "Daffy" Yal Yinkleheimer. It seemed a little mean spirited, and I could see David Cross not really caring for Al's schtick.
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Jul 17, 2014 03:58
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This album's been brilliant so far, just watching them one at a time as they come out so I don't spoil myself and the 2nd half of Foil just blew me away.
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Jul 17, 2014 04:59
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Soulcleaver posted:Read any interview with Yankovic and it's clear that he's just about the nicest guy on the planet. Only uptight pricks like Prince don't love him. Pretty much. He's usually happy to stay after a concert for hours signing stuff for fans. My mom and I got pictures taken with him at a book signing for My New Teacher And Me, and despite Barnes & Noble having a lot of rules about "no touching or making direct eye contact with "Mr. Yankovic" (which I ascribe to creepy motherfuckers that stalk famous authors, I seriously doubt Al suggested that) he was happy to give seated one-armed hugs to fans and sign whatever we liked. I brought my Peter and the Wolf CD to sign and he was impressed that I had it, assuming I'd bought it on eBay. I told him I actually got it at a used CD store for $5, totally ripping them off. Took the wind out of my sails a little when I saw hardcore fans that had the vinyl LP's of Peter and The Wolf, or breast-tattoos of his autograph, etc. Oddly, there were a surprisingly large number of local Jedi there decked in their robes and wielding ForceFX sabers all to get memorabilia signed as well. This confused random customers that thought it must mean George Lucas was in the store. quote:Honestly, I don't run into much Weird Al hate at all. Most people I know think he's really funny, and genuinely respect him as a musician. And the people who don't are always people I think are assholes anyway. I always run into an ignorant dick now and again that thinks he failed after the 80's (King of the Hill probably didn't help with their joke about Al committing suicide, as funny as it was). I have a coworker that says he's talented, but she has a very different sense of humor and finds him rather hit-or-miss and hates it when I sing or play any of his material at work. There have been a few GBS threads about Al in the past that seem to bring the Al-haters out of the woodwork. The negative responses ranged from "Oh he was funny WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD!" to "He is the musical equivalent of Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, etc." So I can see why you'd think goons dislike him after seeing that poo poo. Crazy Dastard fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 05:04
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Crazy Dastard posted:There have been a few GBS threads about Al in the past that seem to bring the Al-haters out of the woodwork. The negative responses ranged from "Oh he was funny WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD!" to "He is the musical equivalent of Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, etc." So I can see why you'd think goons dislike him after seeing that poo poo. Sure. I mean, generally speaking, goons as a whole have objectively terrible opinions and taste. GBS doubly so.
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Jul 17, 2014 05:20
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ComposerGuy posted:Sure. I mean, generally speaking, goons as a whole have objectively terrible opinions and taste. The GBS thread is quite positive about him and this album...
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Jul 17, 2014 05:32
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het posted:The GBS thread is quite positive about him and this album... Didn't know there was a current one, as I stopped wandering in there (GBS) back when the giant change-up went down (that I still don't really know the story behind). I was speaking more generally.
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Jul 17, 2014 05:38
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ComposerGuy posted:Didn't know there was a current one, as I stopped wandering in there (GBS) back when the giant change-up went down (that I still don't really know the story behind). The story of the changeup is that GBS was awful and now it's good again. It took a while to settle in, though.
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Jul 17, 2014 06:12
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TheJoker138 posted:The story of the changeup is that GBS was awful and now it's good again. It took a while to settle in, though. Last time I was a regular in GBS was about the time they closed Helldump and it was flooded overnight with complete assholes. I got red-titled drat fast and just avoid it really. I've looked at it semi-recently and am surprised how much FYAD/BYOB bleedover there is, people are talking in all lowercase and not being poo poo on for it anymore. Note: I'm kinda implying that it looks like it's acceptable again, I guess?
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Jul 17, 2014 07:45
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I try to see Al every time he's around. I've met him a couple of times and he is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. I even lifted a line from Jon Stewart's interview with Kurt Vonnegut and thanked him for making middle school bearable. And high school. And college. And grad school. Seriously, he's one of those celebrities that realizes that he gets to have his dream job because of his fans. Since I mostly listen to old music and I'm clueless, could anyone clue me on to what the pastiches/homages/originals are in tribute to? Edit: I should note that Word Crimes is already a favorite of some of my former professors and my best friend - a high school teacher. It's going to live forever. AlmightyPants fucked around with this message at 08:45 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 08:40
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AlmightyPants posted:Since I mostly listen to old music and I'm clueless, could anyone clue me on to what the pastiches/homages/originals are in tribute to? Mission Statement is a Crosby Stills and Nash pastiche. Al said on his Reddit AMA that Nash asked him "When are you gonna parody me?" and he busted it out on his iPhone to play in person and he loved it. quote:Edit: I should note that Word Crimes is already a favorite of some of my former professors and my best friend - a high school teacher. It's going to live forever. Word Crimes is saying humorously what every English professor/teacher/major has been screaming for decades but always got called a Grammar Nazi for doing so. It's also getting a surprising amount of backlash from European fans where the word "spastic" apparently is a horrific slur against people with cerebral palsy. Crazy Dastard fucked around with this message at 09:38 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 09:33
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Crazy Dastard posted:Word Crimes is saying humorously what every English professor/teacher/major has been screaming for decades but always got called a Grammar Nazi for doing so. It's also getting a surprising amount of backlash from European fans where the word "spastic" apparently is a horrific slur against people with cerebral palsy. Pretty sure that's just British people not understanding that their english is not the only english there is. No reason to lob the entirety of Europe in with them.
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Jul 17, 2014 11:19
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Harminoff posted:It will also be interesting to see how fast he will be able to parody a song now that he has so much competition and can actually release singles instead of full albums. Probably pretty quickly considering the rest of his band does a ton of session work and film/tv composition when they're not touring or recording with him.
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Jul 17, 2014 12:26
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  I'm actually really glad he got Jarrett Heather to do "Word Crimes". His kinematic typography for the Jonathan Coulton song "Shop Vac" is one of the best one's I've seen. (Speaking of Jarrett and Coulton, I wonder if tumblr ever complained about the fat jokes in Portal, even though they were deliberately so unfunny they were funny) TinTower fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 14:13
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TinTower posted:(Speaking of Jarrett and Coulton, I wonder if tumblr ever complained about the fat jokes in Portal, even though they were deliberately so unfunny they were funny) Of course they did.
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Jul 17, 2014 15:38
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The video for HANDY is up https://screen.yahoo.com/weird-al-yankovic-handy-parody-133702425.html
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Jul 17, 2014 16:00
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Word Crimes is not just a commentary on bad grammar, but also a sendup on insufferable grammar sticklers. Those insults are there for a reason, you're supposed to laugh at them because they're dumb and reflect poorly on the kind of people who think they are wicked smart but aren't above stupid petty insults. All the legit criticisms of bad writing and grammar are correct but it's wrapped up in such assholery that people would dismiss them. That is, as they say,  . Not surprising someone on tumblr would miss it.
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Jul 17, 2014 16:04
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This thread was literally (not figuratively) the first time I'd ever even heard that the word "spastic" was offensive.
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Jul 17, 2014 16:09
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Xoidanor posted:Pretty sure that's just British people not understanding that their english is not the only english there is. I feel like you have this backwards. It's an unfortunate situation, but I'm sure Al had no idea. He wouldn't do something like this on purpose. You'd think that someone would catch something like this for an album being released globally from a major label, though. Bass Bottles fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Jul 17, 2014 |
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Jul 17, 2014 16:34
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kefkafloyd posted:Word Crimes is not just a commentary on bad grammar, but also a sendup on insufferable grammar sticklers. Those insults are there for a reason, you're supposed to laugh at them because they're dumb and reflect poorly on the kind of people who think they are wicked smart but aren't above stupid petty insults. All the legit criticisms of bad writing and grammar are correct but it's wrapped up in such assholery that people would dismiss them. That is, as they say,
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Jul 17, 2014 16:39
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Related video on the word "spastic": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpMW_YSvz6k&t=169s
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Jul 17, 2014 16:39
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weirdojace posted:This thread was literally (not figuratively) the first time I'd ever even heard that the word "spastic" was offensive. Yeah me too. In my country the equivalent slur would simply be "cp".
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Jul 17, 2014 16:43
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:The video for HANDY is up "I got 99 problems but a switch ain't one" Hahaha
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Jul 17, 2014 16:54
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:The video for HANDY is up Straight out of a Tim and Eric episode.
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Jul 17, 2014 17:04
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The backup dancers rule.
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Jul 17, 2014 17:08
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:The video for HANDY is up Ehhh, the song and video are ok. The others so far have been better.
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Jul 17, 2014 17:18
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Yeah, part of it is just that Fancy really really doesn't suit Al's voice to my ears. It was really grating. I mean, the original isn't exactly my favorite listen either, but still. Liked the terrible special effects though.
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Jul 17, 2014 17:22
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Blackbelt Bobman posted:The video for HANDY is up Everyone should take the time to listen to the original "Fancy" if they have them time. Overall the song isn't really that bad, the rapping is for once actually kinda good and it has a nice beat going but the lyrics. The loving lyrics.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-zpOMYRi0w
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Jul 17, 2014 17:26
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het posted:I don't think that actually is the joke. It'd be nice if it were though I fully admit this is my interpretation, having known many of those kinds of people. Not so much with the spastic thing, but the "you're a mouth breather, I can't teach you" type of stuff. The tone of writing comes off to me as mocking. The actual grammar criticisms are funny, of course, and it's my favorite song on the album because the lyrical wordplay is so strong. Bass Bottles posted:I feel like you have this backwards. Yeah, I had no idea this was a thing either until this. Now I know. I always thought spastic or spazz was referring to hyperactive little kids who can't stay still. The situation is quite unfortunate, but there's similar situations across the pond as well that we might not be aware of as Americans. It's bound to happen in a language as broadly used as English.
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Jul 17, 2014 17:51
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