“Weird Al” Yankovic – “Tacky” Video (Pharrell Parody)
In the YouTube era, Weird Al’s shtick isn’t so novel anymore. The songs he spoofs on his 14th album Mandatory Fun — “Happy,” “Royals,” “Fancy,” “Blurred Lines,” etc — have already been parodied on the Web. But Yankovic realizes that he’d be better off with a more timely release strategy, not beholden to the LP format. The new album is the last under his RCA contract and he tells NY Post he’ll likely pursue digital self-distribution, Louis CK-style. “The album format doesn’t seem to be the best for my stuff,” he admits. Still, Mandatory Fun is enjoyable, especially on the first listen, and “Tacky” (his remake of Pharrell’s chart-topper “Happy”) is a highlight. The video features Yankovic along with comedians Aisha Tyler, Margaret Cho, Eric Stonestreet, Kristen Schaal, and Jack Black all dancing in garish outfits. Not sure why there is no #PharrellHat cameo. (UPDATE: Scratch that, it’s there.) But watch it below via Nerdist, who point out that it was filmed in the space that was Julianne Moore’s apartment in The Big Lebowski.
This is the first of eight videos for the album that will be rolled out over the next eight days. “Because what I do is comedy, it burns more quickly than a traditional album,” he says. I like the idea of every single one of my videos going viral for a day.”
Mandatory Fun is out tomorrow via RCA. As always, the polka is the best part.
Yankovic also has something planned for the 25th anniversary of cult hit UHF on 7/21.