“Weird Al” Yankovic, musician, satirist, producer, and author, was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Aug. 27.
“I actually could have gotten the star like 10 or 20 years ago but I told the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce that I specifically wanted the 2,643rd star and it took a while for that number to come up on rotation. So my bad. Sorry about the wait everybody,” he joked.
“I first heard of Al with a homemade cassette in the mail, probably one of 20 or 25 that I got that week,” said Dr. Demento at the ceremony. ”It was not state of the art, but it was funny. The lyrics and the accordion and everything. And somehow, most importantly, he made that song really come alive on that cheap cassette recorder. Well after he sent me a couple more of those tapes, I was convinced he had a special talent and I wanted to meet him.”
The musician has since become famous for his hilarious parodies of popular songs, such as “Amish Paradise,” based on “Gangster’s Paradise” by Coolio; “Like a Surgeon,” from “Like a Virgin” by Madonna; and “Eat It,” a parody of “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. Yankovic’s 14th studio album, “Mandatory Fun,” was the first-ever comedy album to debut on top of the Billboard 200 in 2014, reported The Hollywood Reporter.
“Having my name in a star on a sidewalk, that’s cool, that’s really nice. You know, who wouldn’t want that?” said Yankovic. ”But just knowing that I have the love and support of the fans, people who would go through all this time and effort and money to do something completely crazy like this, that means everything in the world to me.”
During his speech, Yankovic alluded to the recent destruction of President Donald Trump’s Walk of Fame star.
“By the way, I’m sorry I even have to say this. I don’t even want to ask this, but please, please don’t pickaxe my star. OK guys? I know it’s all the rage these days, but that’s not cool,” he said.
Yankovic and his band just finished their “Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour” in June. In 2019, the artist will tour again, this time with a full orchestra.
