What’s weird these days is that “Weird Al” Yankovic can no longer be considered to be … well … weird — in spite of the fact that his current world tour that brings him to Just for Laughs here July 25 is called Bigger & Weirder.
The world is weird. But the singer who has been giving us giggles over the last four decades by belting out parodies of the biggest pop stars in the business is not.
“My name has been ironic for quite some time now I think,” concedes Yankovic in a Zoom interview. “But I believe I am getting weirder every year I’m on this planet and the show is quite literally bigger, because we have doubled the size of our band: four new players to go along with our core band from the ’80s.”
Of note, Yankovic is likely on the same socio-economic plateau as those he parodies. Let the record(s) show that the five-time Grammy award-winner is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist in history, with more than 12 million albums sold as of 2025. Which is saying something when names like Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Steve Martin are factored into this equation.
For many Montrealers, the highlight of this summer’s JFL fest is that he is performing a free outdoor concert on July 25 at 9 p.m. at Place des Festivals.
“I’ll tell Jerry Seinfeld you said that,” cracks the ever-self-deprecating Yankovic.
Of course, the operative word here is “free.”
Not even the rain could dampen the spirits of spectators as “Weird Al” Yankovic performed a free outdoor concert at the 2015 JFL fest. John Kenney / Montreal Gazette
Hopefully the skies won’t open up on him this time as they did when he performed a free outdoor concert at the 2015 JFL fest — although not even the rain could dampen the spirits of the thousands who caught the entire show.
His shtick never seems to get old or tired. Try not convulsing listening to Eat It or Smells like Nirvana or Like a Surgeon or Amish Paradise or — the platinum-selling — White & Nerdy. Audiences still crack up listening to him parody everyone from Madonna to Michael Jackson, Queen to U2. Not even Taylor Swift or Lady Gaga are immune from his touch.
But here’s the kicker: Most pop royalty considers it a badge of honour to be parodied by Yankovic. And he never parodies without getting permission ahead of time from the targeted singers, which explains how he avoids lawsuits.
Ever-clever that “Weird Al.”
“That’s why I have a pretty good track record of people being happy with what I put out there. It’s done with a great deal of respect. I think that’s one of the reasons I have been able to hang around in this industry as long as I have.”
I somehow managed to buck the odds the last four decades.
“Weird Al” Yankovic
He notes that in most cases he’s doing straight parody as opposed to satire. Regardless, not all the fans of the parodied artists are amused.
“There are always going to be some fans who don’t understand that the original artists approved it. When I did Eat It or Smells Like Nirvana, some people asked how I could make fun of Michael Jackson or how dare you do that to Kurt Cobain.” But each artist “loved the song” parodying them. “So I say if they can take the joke, you can, too.”
Though there would appear to be an abundance of up-and-coming artists he could have fun with these days, he acknowledges that he has put a pause on new parodies for now.
“I haven’t given up doing them. The last time I did any one-to-one straight parody songs was on my last album (his 14th studio album, Mandatory Fun), which came out in 2014. And my act is not all parodies, either. We also sit around like regular musicians and do plenty of other music as well.”
Editor’s Picks
There’s also more to Yankovic than just the music. He wrote and starred in the film UHF (1989) and the TV series The Weird Al Show (1997). And he did turn to satire in producing two films in that genre about his own life: The Compleat Al (1985) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022), the Emmy-winner which he also co-wrote, and which starred Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. He’s currently developing a “Weird Al” jukebox musical for Broadway.
But even he is amazed how long he has been on the scene.
“I had no idea I’d have a career lasting this long. When I first started out, no one wanted to sign me to a record deal. ‘Comedy music?’ they would ask. ‘That’s the domain of one-hit wonders. You’ll be lucky to have one hit single. Then you’ll be a footnote.’ I guess I somehow managed to buck the odds the last four decades.”
By today’s pop-music longevity standards, Yankovic at 66 could probably keep it going a few more decades.
“I’ll continue taking my vitamins and will see what happens,” he muses. “It’s just worked out so far … I’m like comfort food.”
