Tag: nerdcore

Maybe it’s harder to parody when pop stars are smaller than they used to be? Weird Al did parody a Lady Gaga song; it’s not bad but for someone who has recently refreshed his memory of Al’s whole career — Al’s parody of Lady Gaga is more similar to his parody of Madonna than… well you get the point. But he’s had a string of songs over the last decade that are more broadly aimed at problems; annoyances of society; technology run amok. The problem with email [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCSA7kKNu2Y?rel=0&w=550&h=309] The problem with cell phones [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwqFgnl4rMs?rel=0&w=550&h=309] The problem with the …

I don’t know how much credit is given to him, but Weird Al basically inspired a whole musical subgenre, Nerdcore, with his parodies of rap music that focused on suburban, middle class, well nerdy, subjects. He’s had three fairly large hit songs parodying rap songs and his last one, White & Nerdy was a top ten hit, a Platinum single according to the RIAA. Amish Paradise [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg?rel=0&w=550&h=413] All About the Pentiums [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpMvS1Q1sos?rel=0&w=550&h=413] White & Nerdy [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qYF9DZPdw?rel=0&w=550&h=309]

As a kid and than a teenager I loved Weird Al songs and most of the time I felt largely embarrassed by my love of Weird Al songs. I still would probably be reticent to bring up all of my pop culture enthusiasms with everyone I know. I had these pockets of compartmentalization in my life even then – things I liked where I just knew a bunch of people I otherwise liked (or were trying hard to get to like me) would not “get it” or even worse think less of me (or at least that was my fear). …