Weird Al’s parodies: The hitmakers weigh in

By Andrea Wang

Famed parodist Weird Al Yankovic asks for permission from musicians before including his spoofs on an album, but are they always happy with the results? Hover over the videos to see how the artists subjected to his comedy have reacted, and click to listen to the singles.

'White & Nerdy'

Parody of 'Ridin''

Rapper Chamillionaire told MTV: "He's actually rapping pretty good on it; it's crazy. ... Weird Al is not gonna do a parody of your song if you're not doing it big. You gotta be a big dog."

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'Dare To Be Stupid'

Musical pastiche of Devo

Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh told VH1 on "Behind the Music: Weird Al": "I was in shock. [His synthesizer sound] was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. ... And, um, I hate him for it, basically."

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'Bedrock Anthem'

Parody of 'Under the Bridge' and 'Give It Away'

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea told VH1 on "Behind the Music: Weird Al": "I didn't think it was very good. I enjoy Weird Al's things, but I found it unimaginative. It wasn't that great. Yabba Dabba Doo."

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'Gump'

Parody of 'Lump'

Presidents of the United States of America drummer Jason Finn told culch.ie: "Sometimes we'll do 'Gump' instead of 'Lump.' Yeah, believe me, the kids go pretty bonkers when that happens."

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'Perform This Way'

Parody of 'Born This Way'

Lady Gaga told Rolling Stone: "It's sort of a rite of passage into the next level of your career, I think, when Weird Al does one of your songs. … I actually really appreciate the philosophy behind [his parody]. It's actually very empowering."

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'Smells Like Nirvana'

Parody of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'

Dave Grohl told Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show": "We said yes [to the parody] — I mean it's Weird Al Yankovic! It's amazing. And it turned out great!"

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