Ty Watches "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story"

We watched "Weird" this weekend and I am here with a review today. Right off the bat, I was super hype to watch this movie. I could not wait. From the time that Aaron Paul did the short for Funny or Die, then the movie was announced and then Daniel Radcliffe was cast in the lead, I was ready for this movie to be released.

“Weird” totally delivered. This movie was everything I wanted it to be. This movie was nuts and funny and goofy and silly and did not take itself seriously at all. It was wonderful. I have similar feelings to this movie that RD and I both have for "Mad Max: Fury Road", but in a totally different way. "Weird" will definitely be on my best of list at the end of the year, spoiler alert. I mean, I don't even know where to begin when explaining everything I love about this movie. From start to finish this movie delivered.

When we see a young Weird Al, it is awesome. The actor they got to play him looked like him as a kid. The actor also did a phenomenal job. The actors who played his parents were so over the top and for that kid to keep pace, that was a feat. His mom is hyper supportive, but also knows when to tell the truth. His dad is straight out of every other music biopic, and that is exactly what they wanted. He is mean and grouchy and full of pain and anger. He is constantly yelling and fighting everyone. He breaks Al's accordion when he is a teenager. He is a perfect parody. And the kid who plays teenage Al, again, perfect casting. It was glorious. I loved that they also made accordion music like rock music in the movie. When teenage Al goes to a party all the kids are listening to polka and dancing like it is the best thing ever. And then when Al plays the accordion, they all lose their minds like it is the best thing they have ever heard.

After Al's dad breaks his accordion we transition to college Al, and this is when Radcliffe takes over. He is magnetic. He is up for anything in this role and he absolutely goes for it. I found myself super impressed at how well he acted in this role. He acted the hell out of it. From his rise to fame to his murderous rampage to his booze and drug fueled rants to audiences, it all works. It is all great. My favorite part was when he went to a party at Dr Demento's house and we got all sorts of cameos. From Conan O'Brien to Jorma Taccone, there were cameos aplenty. The best, for me, was Jack Black as Wolfman Jack. It was simply amazing. He had the look, voice and charisma of Wolfman. His perfectly coiffed beard was a sight to behold. I also need to point out how awesome Rainn Wilson was as Dr Demento. He played him superbly. Also, Evan Rachel Wood was phenomenal as Madonna. I was so surprised by how well she did. I fully understand how good of an actor she is, but this was a totally different role for her. She embodied Madonna. She made her even more bitchy and clout chasing. It was an incredible performance. I am not speaking out of turn, but I do think she should, at the very least, get Oscar consideration. The whole subplot with her taking over for Pablo Escobar was dynamite. Also, her being a bad influence on Yankovic, that was comedy gold.

I think what I liked most about this movie was how seriously they played all of it out. The movie was meant to be big and bold and wild and action packed. They did all of that, but they went even further than they had to. The violence was a shock, but it was also hilarious. Radcliffe's performance was second only to Evan Rachel Wood's. This movie is perfect. I think the idea of doing a parody movie about a parody singer is all too perfect. I love this movie. Please check out "Weird". It is totally worth your time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Let's Make Movie Soundtracks Great Again

Over the last few years I have taken an interest in collecting physical media. It started with vinyl records, moved into Blu-Rays and 4K DVDs and now includes comic books. I have a running list at a local comic shop and a local record store for things I am looking for. The comics are easy, it is mostly stuff I read as a kid in the 1980s. The DVDs I collect are a mix of new and classic movies. The vinyl records, my most prized collection, are made mostly up of movie soundtracks, and I am finding that almost all of my wants come from films prior to 1990s.

What happened to the movie soundtrack? Now I know some of you are out there are saying, '“All movies have soundtrack, they have an Oscar for film score.” Yes, I know, but I am not talking about score, I’m talking about songs. The only current director I can see doing a proper playlist for his movies is James Gunn. Both “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and “The Suicide Squad” have killer soundtracks that help tell the story of those movies. I also own all three of those records. All the other modern movies, and I am using the word modern to represent the entirety of the 21st century, have a score and one song that usually plays over the end credits. We can do better than that.

Back in the 1980s every movie had a soundtrack with songs, and many of these songs became instant classics. Try to imagine “Rocky III” without “Eye of the Tiger”. I bet you are humming the beat right now. There is no “Top Gun” without Loggins explaining a highway that leads to the “Danger Zone”. “The Karate Kid” is not only one of the greatest love stories ever, but it also reminds you that “You’re the Best” around and ain’t nobody gonna take you down. We learned in the mid eighties that “The Power of Love” is our key to getting “Back to the Future”. Before Optimus Prime fell in battle, he had “The Touch”. Not all of these movies are great, actually yes they are all great, but these songs are timeless bangers.

The movie soundtracks were not always populated with original music. The aforementioned “Harold and Maude” used music that was already popular. “The Lost Boys” used music from The Doors. “Vacation” used a Lindsey Buckingham B-side. Weird Al leant “Dare to Be Stupid” to a particularly stupid part of “Transformers: The Movie”. Even today, James Gunn uses classic songs from a bygone era to back his superhero spectacles much like the iconic soundtrack to “Dirty Dancing” and “The Big Chill. All these movies owe part of their legacy to the music supervisors who crafted these iconic albums.

Many of the movie soundtracks from the past are as important, if not more important, than the films they back. “Purple Rain” the album is “Purple Rain” the movie. The collection of Cat Stevens songs that accompany “Harold and Maude” bring an extra melancholy and quirkiness to another one of our greatest love stories. The Blondiesqu and rockabilly in “Streets of Fire” is one of the few redeeming spots in a mess of a movie. Many of these movies may have been lost to time if it was not for their epic soundtracks.

We need to bring back the classic movie soundtrack. Scores are great, but remembering my favorite movie scenes through songs with lyrics is a piece of heaven. Let me know if I’m just an old man yelling at a cloud, or let me know what other classic movie soundtracks need to be remembered. As Stan Bush tells Daniel and Hot Rod, we need to “Dare” to champion the reemergence of the movie soundtrack.

RD

RD is the founder and Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Finally Listens to the Music of Weird Al

Recently I was given some gift cards to iTunes and I decided that it was time I finally started to really dive into Weird Al's music catalog. Now, before I get raked over the coals by the music snobs, I bought 2 "Best Of" albums and "Mandatory Fun". I wanted to hear all his hits, and the newer stuff he has put out. I always liked what I heard from Weird Al as a kid, but I never owned one of his CD's or tapes or anything. I either saw him on MTV, heard him through friends and family, or heard him on the radio.

For years I tried to distance myself from Weird Al, especially when I was, myself, a very big music snob. I am still snobby, but about 10 years ago, I was ruthless. I didn't listen to anyone that didn't write their own music or play their own instruments, so Weird Al was out of the question. But, as I got older, the snobbery started to go away. I have allowed myself to like things that are considered "popular" by society now. Hell, I just saw Lorde and the Run the Jewels on tour, and Lorde is one of the biggest pop stars in the world right now, rightfully so. So, as I was looking thought the iTunes store the other day, I decided that now was as good a time as ever to start listening to Weird Al. I was also talking with a friend of mine about him the other day, and he was singing his praises, which only furthered my want for his music.

With the 30 bucks I had, I bought the three albums I already listed. And, they are wonderful. He is extremely talented. The way he takes famous songs and turns them on their heads is amazing. I know this may be old news for some, but for me, this is all fairly new and wonderful. I chose "Mandatory Fun" to start with, and the parody songs he does on that record are amazing. A song like "Tacky", which is a parody of "Happy" is so much better than the hit song he parodies. I would so much rather listen to "Tacky". He does a parody of Lorde's "Royals" called "Foil", about conspiracy theorists, and it cracks me up every time I listen. "Handy" is another great parody. Taking on that Australian lady's mega hit rap song and turning it into a song about fixing up homes works so much better than I thought it would. "Word Crimes", which is his cover of "Blurred Lines", is one thousand times better than any song that Robin Thicke has had written for him. "Mandatory Fun" is a really, really good record.

The "Best Of" records I got are so much better though. The songs on these records are just one hit after another. Songs that litter these records include, "Gump", his parody of "Lump", "Canadian Idiot"("American Idiot"), "Eat It"("Beat It), "Yoda"(Lola), "Fat"(Bad), "Smells Like Nirvana"(Smells Like Teen Spirit), "Amish Paradise"(Gangsters Paradise), "It's All About the Pentiums"(It's All About the Benjamin's), "Ebay"(I Want it That Way) and "White and Nerdy"(Ridin Dirty). That is an amazing list of his best songs. The records also include some originals, but honestly, if I'm going to listen to Weird Al, I want to hear his parody songs. "Eat It" and "Fat" brought me back to being a kid and hearing him for the first time. And, those are such well written parody songs. He makes them almost more fun than the originals. When I was a kid I used to like the band Presidents of the United States of America, and one of their hit songs was "Lump". Well, "Gump", listening with adults ears, is a much, much better song. "Amish Paradise" might be the best parody song ever written. The song actually made Coolio so upset, that when he won a Grammy for "Gangster's Paradise", someone asked him about Weird Al's version, and he angrily polished the Grammy while saying he didn't care for it. It is a wonderful video to watch. I was big into the whole Puff Daddy, Mase and Biggie stuff as a kid, so to hear him parody one of their biggest hits, "It's All About the Benjamin's", was an absolute delight. My wife and I both love, and think "White and Nerdy" is one of the funniest songs ever written. The music video rules too. "Yoda" is great because he covers one of the greatest bands of the 60's, The Kinks, but he doesn't make fun of them. He just wrote a funny tune using their music. "Ebay" is a great song for people from my generation because of how big the Backstreet Boys were. To hear someone make fun of one of their songs was awesome. I mean, he even did a proper job of making a Nirvana song a parody. That is , in and of itself, a major accomplishment.

I'm so glad that I have opened my mind to music like Weird Al's now. He is truly a genius, and his song writing skill, even if he is a parody song writer, is second to none. He is funny, and he has made quite a career for himself doing this. I know he is on tour now, but he isn't doing the parody songs. He is doing something totally different, and I respect the hell out of that. I'm not going to see this tour, but if he goes on another world tour and does what he is famous for doing, you best believe I am going to see him.

Weird Al is a genius, and I love that I have endless hours of his music to listen to now. What a gem.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He forgot to mention modern classics like "Hamilton Polka", and the incredible "Trapped in the Drive Thru". Truly a gem

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SeedSing's Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music: Day 8 - Christmas at Ground Zero

ed note: This article was originally published on December 8th, 2015

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a new awesome holiday song for every day of Advent. This is the greatest music of the season. Enjoy.

Day 8: Christmas at Ground Zero by Weird Al Yankovic

Opened Doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven

When I was a young child I was extremely frightened of being killed in a nuclear strike. Growing up in St. Louis, I would hear people say that the McDonnell Douglas plant my dad worked at was a prime target for the Soviets. The weapons being developed and built in the St. Louis area made us a prime strategic target, so I heard. The television movie The Day After  freaked me out even more with it's setting being in Missouri. Nuclear annihilation was never far from the front of my mind. If it was not for the joyous holiday season, I would be worried about being vaporized, mutated, or full of cancer. That fear would last the whole year.

"Christmas at Ground Zero" was included on Weird Al Yankovic's 1986 album Polka Party! Many people associate the great Weird Al with parody songs, yet "Christmas at Ground Zero" was one of his original tunes. The song uses classic and joyful holiday compositions with words that are absurd to our minds today. Weird Al makes fun of the popular culture associated with nuclear paranoia. Duck and cover, mutations, flying debris, fallout shelters, they are all combined with the yuletide celebration. No amount of atomic carnage seems to dampen Weird Al's holiday mood.

The video, directed by Weird Al, is a great companion piece to "Christmas at Ground Zero". The stock videos of duck and cover drills highlight the lunacy of nuclear paranoia. The inclusion of Hollywood Ronald Reagan counting down to the big day is a great touch. President Reagan was quite happy to increase our fear of being destroyed by nukes, and in hindsight his rhetoric is as absurd as Weird Al's tune. Reagan loved cold war paranoia, and he loved Christmas. Weird Al found married Reagan's to loves into something quite magnificent. That is the mark of a great director.

I am comfortable with the knowledge that I will not be vaporized while I duck and cover this holiday season. I am even more at ease that I will probably never need to dodge atomic bombs throughout the rest of the year. Anything is possible though, and if I need my radiation suit on New Year's Day, I will have the spirit in my ears with Weird Al's "Christmas at Ground Zero".

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. His biggest fear watching The Day After is that his family may have to move to Lawerence, Kansas. That is frightening.  Tell your tales of duck and cover by writing for SeedSing.