Jasper
5-07-03, 05:47 PM
Weird Al vs. Eminem, Avril
Weird Al Yankovic's new album Poodle Hat, out May 20th, will include parodies of Eminem, Avril Lavigne, Nelly and the Backstreet Boys, as well as the smorgasbord send-up "Angry White Boy Polka," which targets the Strokes, the Hives, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and more.
The Eminem spoof, "Couch Potato," set to the tune of "Lose Yourself," tackles America's favorite pastime. "It's a diatribe about the state of TV," Yankovic says. "It's about a guy who watches it constantly, but has a love-hate relationship with it. It's full of snarky little jibes."
On the track, Yankovic raps, "Oh! Ozzy's family/Sho' loves profanity/Whoa, the insanity/Oh, dogs that crap and pee/Home of depravity?/No, they live happily."
Eminem signed off on the parody but would not grant permission for a video, a first in Yankovic's eleven-album career. "I'm very grateful to Eminem for allowing me to have the parody of the track on the album, but I have to say it is a bit disappointing," says Yankovic. "His manager said that Eminem was afraid that a Weird Al video might somehow detract from his legacy or make people view him in a less serious manner, because he's concerned about his status as an important, serious hip-hop artist. I certainly don't agree, but those are his feelings."
Yankovic's struggle to successfully ape Lavigne's "Complicated" gave his version its title, "A Complicated Song." "I knew I wanted to do a parody of that song," he says. "I had literally twenty different versions and none of the versions would sustain for an entire song. So I wound up taking three of my favorite ideas and basically interweaving them together."
Despite having mocked a significant percentage of the pop world, Yankovic claims neutrality. "When I do parodies," he says, "it's not really with any kind of agenda per se. It's not because I feel it's a bad song or even that it's a good song -- it's basically a function of how popular a song is. If it's infiltrated our media to the point where it's a huge part of our zeitgeist, then by definition it's a good candidate for parody."
Yankovic will tour behind Poodle Hat starting June 19th in Del Mar, California.
Poodle Hat track listing:
1. "Couch Potato," parody of Eminem's "Lose Yourself"
2. "Hardware Store"
3. "Trash Day," parody of Nelly's "Hot in Herre"
4. Party at the Leper Colony
5. "Angry White Boy Polka," parody of Papa Roach's "Last Resort," System of a Down's "Chop Suey," the Vine's "Get Free," the Hives' "Hate to Say I Told You So," the White Stripes' "Fell In Love With a Girl," the Strokes' "Last Nite," Disturbed's "Down With the Sickness," Rage Against the Machine's "Renegades of Funk," Limp Bizkit's "My Way," Staind's "Outside," Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba," P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation" and Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady"
6. "Wanna B Ur Lovr"
7. "A Complicated Song," parody of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated"
8. "Why Does This Always Happen to Me"
9. "Ode to a Superhero," parody of Billy Joel's "Piano Man"
10. "Bob"
11. "E-Bay," parody of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way"
12. "Genius in France"
Weird Al tour dates:
6/19: Del Mar, CA, Del Mar Fairgrounds
6/20: Kelseyville, CA, Konocti Field Amphitheater
6/21: Las Vegas, Aladdin Theater
6/22: San Luis Obispo, CA, Christopher Cohan Center
6/26: Milwaukee, Summerfest
6/27: Kalamazoo, Kalmazoo State Theater
6/28: Toledo, OH, Zoo Amphitheater
6/29: Buffalo, NY, Melody Fair Theater
7/1: Verona, NY, Turning Stone Casino
7/11: Poughkeepsie, NY, Mid-Hudson Civic Center
7/12: Allentown, PA, The Great Allentown Fair
7/13: Doswell, VA, Paramount's Kings Dominion
7/18: Hampton Beach, NH, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
7/19: Philadelphia, Mann Center for the Performing Arts
7/20: Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
7/22-23: Westbury, NY, Westbury Music Fair
7/25: Pittsburgh, Amphitheater at Station Square
7/26: Chicago, Navy Pier
7/27: Cincinnati, Paramount's King's Island
8/1: Tulsa, River Park Amphitheater
8/3: Wichita, The Cotillion
8/5: Kansas City, Starlight Theater
8/6: Oklahoma City, Bricktown Events Center
8/8: Gulfport, MS, Grand Casino Gulfport
8/9: Valdosta, GA, Wild Adventures Theme Park
8/10: Charlotte, NC, Paramount's Carowinds
8/12: Houston, Verizon Wireless Center
8/13: Dallas, Bronco Bowl Theater
8/15: Albuquerque, Kiva Auditorium
8/16: Pueblo, CO, Colorado State Fair
8/17: Denver, Universal Lending Pavillion
8/22: Detroit, Meadowbrook Music Festival
8/24: St. Paul, Minnesota State Fair
8/27: Sault St. Marie, MI, Kewadin Casino
8/29: Putnam, Woodstock Fair
8/31: Cleveland, Tower City Amphitheater
9/4: Phoenix, Dodge Theater
9/5: Los Angeles, Greek Theatre
9/7: Santa Clara, Paramount's Great Adventure
Weird Al Yankovic's new album Poodle Hat, out May 20th, will include parodies of Eminem, Avril Lavigne, Nelly and the Backstreet Boys, as well as the smorgasbord send-up "Angry White Boy Polka," which targets the Strokes, the Hives, System of a Down, Limp Bizkit and more.
The Eminem spoof, "Couch Potato," set to the tune of "Lose Yourself," tackles America's favorite pastime. "It's a diatribe about the state of TV," Yankovic says. "It's about a guy who watches it constantly, but has a love-hate relationship with it. It's full of snarky little jibes."
On the track, Yankovic raps, "Oh! Ozzy's family/Sho' loves profanity/Whoa, the insanity/Oh, dogs that crap and pee/Home of depravity?/No, they live happily."
Eminem signed off on the parody but would not grant permission for a video, a first in Yankovic's eleven-album career. "I'm very grateful to Eminem for allowing me to have the parody of the track on the album, but I have to say it is a bit disappointing," says Yankovic. "His manager said that Eminem was afraid that a Weird Al video might somehow detract from his legacy or make people view him in a less serious manner, because he's concerned about his status as an important, serious hip-hop artist. I certainly don't agree, but those are his feelings."
Yankovic's struggle to successfully ape Lavigne's "Complicated" gave his version its title, "A Complicated Song." "I knew I wanted to do a parody of that song," he says. "I had literally twenty different versions and none of the versions would sustain for an entire song. So I wound up taking three of my favorite ideas and basically interweaving them together."
Despite having mocked a significant percentage of the pop world, Yankovic claims neutrality. "When I do parodies," he says, "it's not really with any kind of agenda per se. It's not because I feel it's a bad song or even that it's a good song -- it's basically a function of how popular a song is. If it's infiltrated our media to the point where it's a huge part of our zeitgeist, then by definition it's a good candidate for parody."
Yankovic will tour behind Poodle Hat starting June 19th in Del Mar, California.
Poodle Hat track listing:
1. "Couch Potato," parody of Eminem's "Lose Yourself"
2. "Hardware Store"
3. "Trash Day," parody of Nelly's "Hot in Herre"
4. Party at the Leper Colony
5. "Angry White Boy Polka," parody of Papa Roach's "Last Resort," System of a Down's "Chop Suey," the Vine's "Get Free," the Hives' "Hate to Say I Told You So," the White Stripes' "Fell In Love With a Girl," the Strokes' "Last Nite," Disturbed's "Down With the Sickness," Rage Against the Machine's "Renegades of Funk," Limp Bizkit's "My Way," Staind's "Outside," Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba," P.O.D.'s "Youth of the Nation" and Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady"
6. "Wanna B Ur Lovr"
7. "A Complicated Song," parody of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated"
8. "Why Does This Always Happen to Me"
9. "Ode to a Superhero," parody of Billy Joel's "Piano Man"
10. "Bob"
11. "E-Bay," parody of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way"
12. "Genius in France"
Weird Al tour dates:
6/19: Del Mar, CA, Del Mar Fairgrounds
6/20: Kelseyville, CA, Konocti Field Amphitheater
6/21: Las Vegas, Aladdin Theater
6/22: San Luis Obispo, CA, Christopher Cohan Center
6/26: Milwaukee, Summerfest
6/27: Kalamazoo, Kalmazoo State Theater
6/28: Toledo, OH, Zoo Amphitheater
6/29: Buffalo, NY, Melody Fair Theater
7/1: Verona, NY, Turning Stone Casino
7/11: Poughkeepsie, NY, Mid-Hudson Civic Center
7/12: Allentown, PA, The Great Allentown Fair
7/13: Doswell, VA, Paramount's Kings Dominion
7/18: Hampton Beach, NH, Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
7/19: Philadelphia, Mann Center for the Performing Arts
7/20: Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
7/22-23: Westbury, NY, Westbury Music Fair
7/25: Pittsburgh, Amphitheater at Station Square
7/26: Chicago, Navy Pier
7/27: Cincinnati, Paramount's King's Island
8/1: Tulsa, River Park Amphitheater
8/3: Wichita, The Cotillion
8/5: Kansas City, Starlight Theater
8/6: Oklahoma City, Bricktown Events Center
8/8: Gulfport, MS, Grand Casino Gulfport
8/9: Valdosta, GA, Wild Adventures Theme Park
8/10: Charlotte, NC, Paramount's Carowinds
8/12: Houston, Verizon Wireless Center
8/13: Dallas, Bronco Bowl Theater
8/15: Albuquerque, Kiva Auditorium
8/16: Pueblo, CO, Colorado State Fair
8/17: Denver, Universal Lending Pavillion
8/22: Detroit, Meadowbrook Music Festival
8/24: St. Paul, Minnesota State Fair
8/27: Sault St. Marie, MI, Kewadin Casino
8/29: Putnam, Woodstock Fair
8/31: Cleveland, Tower City Amphitheater
9/4: Phoenix, Dodge Theater
9/5: Los Angeles, Greek Theatre
9/7: Santa Clara, Paramount's Great Adventure