We’ve Got A File On You features interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.

Ten years ago, the beloved parodist known as “Weird Al” Yankovic was on top of the world, reveling in the success of Mandatory Fun, his first #1 album in the United States. That album’s popularity was aided by an ingenious marketing campaign in which Yankovic dropped eight music videos during its first week of release.

At the same time, Yankovic alarmed fans by stating that he was shifting away from the album format and that Mandatory Fun would be his last conventional album. He’s been true to his word, though the guy has hardly disappeared into retirement. In the decade since, Yankovic has kept impressively busy, performing multiple concert tours centered around deep cuts, writing and producing a satirical biopic about his life, spoofing Lin-Manuel Miranda with “The Hamilton Polka,” starring in a Weezer video, doing cameo roles in approximately 12 million TV shows, and just generally making us laugh during otherwise laughter-challenged times.

Now, Yankovic is playing catch up on what he missed. His brand new single “Polkamania!” is a classic Yankovic-ian polka medley, compressing the biggest hits of the last decade into one goofy whirlwind. The track gives the comedian a chance to spoof a new generation of young stars, like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, while also having his way with now-ancient standards like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” If you’re a fan of Yankovic’s many previous polka medleys, you’ll probably dig this one, too.

During a recent Zoom interview from what appeared to be his couch in sunny Los Angeles, Yankovic reflected on his 10-year break from making records and effusively discussed some of the many odds and ends from his legendary 45-year career.

“Polkamania!” Medley (2024)

Normally, when you do a polka medley, you’re catching up on two or three years of pop music. This time, you’re trying to compress a whole decade into one medley.

“WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC: It was more of a challenge. It was a long period of time, as you mentioned. But in the last 10 years, I haven’t been very prolific with my recorded output, and I haven’t been really doing the parody songs. There are so many songs that came and went and fell by the wayside because I was busy doing other things. This was my opportunity to have my way with a lot of songs that I figured would sound a little better [in the] polka-style. Also, it’s the 10-year anniversary of my last album and I figured that was a good excuse.

One of the many songs you included in the medley is “WAP.” I love that you’ve established this tradition where instead of singing the profanity, you use animal noises, which is what you did with “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails in “The Alternative Polka.” Tell me about that tradition.

YANKOVIC: The polka medleys owe about as much to Spike Jones as they do to traditional polka. I always loved the old Spike Jones songs that have the horns and the whistles and the shotguns and just the weird sound effects. When I first heard “WAP,” I thought, “Oh, this would make a perfect polka, but how do I make this family friendly?” And then one day I thought of those sound effects for the chorus, and I thought, “Oh yeah, that would work.”

“THE ALTERNATIVE POLKA” (1996)

My all-time favorite polka of yours is “The Alternative Polka.” And the only thing that would make that polka better is if “Buddy Holly” by Weezer was in there.

YANKOVIC: [laughs] I tried!

Why didn’t Rivers Cuomo want you to include it?

YANKOVIC: You’d have to ask him. He was probably going through something at the time, because he’s definitely had a change of heart. At one point, I got a text from him saying, “Sorry about the whole ‘Buddy Holly’ thing.” It’s all water under the bridge.

It was very disappointing for me at the time because I don’t know how the wires got crossed — I was obviously under the impression that they had approved using “Buddy Holly” in the song. Literally, while we were mixing, we get a phone call from their office saying, “No, they don’t want you to put that song in there.” They said, “Oh, just take it out with Pro Tools.” And I said, “We’re not even using Pro Tools! We’re still on the analog tape.” We had to literally cut it out of the mix with a razor blade. It was a bummer at the time, obviously. Thankfully, it still worked as a medley and didn’t sound like too jarring of a segue.

Starring In Weezer’s “Africa” Video (2018)

Speaking of Weezer, you were in the music video for their cover of “Africa” by Toto.

YANKOVIC: It started with a live performance. What happened was, I’m friends with the Pixies. I got to perform with them at a benefit show years ago. Frank Black’s wife, Violet Clark — she called me up and said, “Hey, the Pixies are opening for Weezer at the Forum, do you want to go?” I said, “Yeah! I love the Pixies, I love Weezer. I’d love to do it.” And then she called me back 10 minutes later and said, “I told the guys in Weezer that you’re coming to the show and they want you to perform onstage with them.” I said, “Uhhh… OK??” So, I said, “OK, I’ll play the solo for ‘Africa.’ Bring my accordion on the stage.” So we did that, and that was really a blast for me.

The Forum is near and dear to my heart because the first rock show I ever saw was at the LA Forum. It was in the mid-’70s, and I got to see Elton John there, who I was obsessed with at the time. So, it was a big deal for me to be actually performing onstage at the Forum.

Then, after that, when they decided to do an actual music video for “Africa,” they said, “Do you want to be Rivers Cuomo in the video?” And I was like, “Yes, of course!”

As one does.

YANKOVIC: Yes, as one does!

Unreleased Parody Of U2’s “Numb,” Performed On Television in 1993

I’m a big fan of the parody of U2’s “Numb” that you did, “Green Eggs And Ham.” You did the whole video, rapping like the Edge. Why did that not appear on any of your albums? Was it because of the rights to Dr. Seuss?

YANKOVIC: It was. I don’t know if we’d gotten U2’s permission at that point. I think we started with Dr. Seuss’s estate. And oddly, they turned us down. Dr. Seuss’ widow felt very protective of the Dr. Seuss books and didn’t want anybody changing anything about them or altering people’s memory of them, I guess. I understood that. But the thing was, [a few years later], the Mike Myers Cat In The Hat movie came out. And I was like, “Oh! Really?”

Mark Mothersbaugh’s Reaction To “Dare to Be Stupid” (1985)

You did a wonderful Devo parody called “Dare To Be Stupid.” There was a clip of your Behind The Music that went viral a few years ago. In it, Mark Mothersbaugh is talking about the impact that parody had on him and says, “It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. He sort of resculpted that song into something else, and… I hate him for it, basically.”

YANKOVIC: People that take that at face value, I think, are not understanding Mark’s sense of humor. He wasn’t having a Salieri moment. I don’t think that he in fact hates me. I think he just has a very dry sense of humor. And he does, in fact, like the song. I remember, in 1985, after I’d recorded it, we had a mutual friend. So I went over to his house and played it for him in person. I was sitting right there, so I’m not sure how honest of a reaction I got, but he seemed to enjoy it. And in fact he complimented me. He said he really liked the sounds we got on the synthesizers. So, you know, Mark’s a friend and as far as I know, he doesn’t hate me [laughs].

It’s obvious from the song that you’re a big Devo fan as well.

YANKOVIC: Absolutely.

Have any other artists that you’ve parodied had such a profound reaction to a parody song?

YANKOVIC: Well, Chamillionaire. After I did “White & Nerdy,” we wound up at the Grammys together. He wasn’t my +1 or anything, but we were there at the same time. “Ridin'” had just won for Rap Song of the Year. And he came up to me and he said, “I want to thank you, because I think your parody is a big reason why I won this Grammy for Rap Song of the Year. You made it undeniable how big and important this song was.”

Unrecorded Parody Ideas

One artist who I heard wasn’t down to let you parody him was Beck. Is it true that you wanted to do a parody of “Loser” called “Schmoozer”?

YANKOVIC: I heard him actually just talking about that in the media. And I honestly can’t remember asking for that. It’s certainly possible, and if he remembers another way, I guess I did. But, you know, I heard that he regretted not giving me permission and honestly, I don’t even remember that. He did allow me to use “Loser” in a polka medley, which is great. I’m a huge Beck fan as well, of course.

It is true that Prince never allowed you to parody his songs?

YANKOVIC: That is true, yeah.

Have you made your peace with not having a Prince song parody?

YANKOVIC: Oh, I made my peace with that a long time ago. I wish things were different. There were several times when I had an idea that I thought was pretty good. In fact, there was gonna be a Prince parody that was gonna be a centerpiece of my movie UHF. He had a great sense of humor; he just didn’t have a sense of humor about his own work. He was very serious about his recorded output, so he just didn’t want people messing with his music. Which I can understand, to some extent.

People have said, “Well, he’s gone now. You can just get permission from his estate.” But I don’t roll that way. He made his wishes pretty clear when he was still with us, and regardless, I’m not gonna go against the artist’s wishes.

Mandatory Fun And Subsequent Retirement From The Album Format (2014)

It’s been 10 years since Mandatory Fun. When that album came out, you hinted that it might be your last album and you were moving away from the album format. Is that still how you feel?

YANKOVIC: I think so. I think that’s gonna remain my last traditional album. There are other projects that have come out — like, there was a 2-LP soundtrack to the movie that got released last year. There’s projects like that, which I’m sure will continue happening. But in terms of traditional “Weird Al” albums, I sincerely doubt there’s gonna be another one.

The album format is slowly fading away, I think. And it’s just never been the best way for me to get my stuff out there. I know that sounds ironic because my last album was a #1 album, but it was always very frustrating for me to come up with a great idea for a topical song and then have to write 11 more songs so I could put out the album. Even though I haven’t been terribly prolific in the last 10 years, I appreciate the freedom of being able to do whatever I feel like, and at my own pace.

You must hear pop songs on the radio and still come up with parodies. Are you able to turn off that part of your brain?

YANKOVIC: Oh, pretty easily! I listen to music for fun and for relaxation, and I’m certainly not always thinking, “How can I screw this one up,” you know? When I do get parody ideas, sometimes they’re spontaneous. Sometimes they come to me when I’m driving the car. But most of my ideas come from just being really focused and going through reams of notes and studying the Billboard chart and coming up with variations on a theme. I put a lot more work into it than probably people would realize. So it’s not something that comes super naturally to me. And therefore, it’s very easy to turn off.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

Since your last album, you made a movie. It seems like you and Daniel Radcliffe became buddies throughout that process.

YANKOVIC: Yeah, I’d say we’re friends! In a way, we’re bonded for life now. I don’t know how he feels about that, but I think it was pretty cool. It was great. We were so fortunate to get Daniel because Eric Appel, who directed the movie, and I both were such big fans of Dan for the choices that he made post-Potter. And just for his acting chops. I mean, we needed somebody that could pull off the comedy but also who’d be able to play it extremely straight and be dramatic in the role. It was a very specific tone we were going for, and we knew that Daniel would nail it. And he certainly did.

I mean, I can’t believe I get to say that Daniel Radcliffe got an Emmy nomination, a BAFTA nomination, and won a Critics’ Choice Award for playing me in a movie!

Did Madonna ever react to her villainous portrayal in the film?

YANKOVIC: What’s mind-boggling to me is I haven’t heard a single peep from Madonna’s camp. I have to assume that she’s at least heard about it? And I would love to know her reaction. I’d hope that she’d enjoy it and take it all in stride and find it funny. I would hope!

Your movie ended with “Amish Paradise.” Right around the time the movie came out, Coolio passed away, sadly. Do you feel glad that Coolio eventually came around to “Amish Paradise”? He eventually admitted that that song is “funny as shit,” in his words.

YANKOVIC: Oh, I’m very glad that he didn’t have any ill feelings for me. It was awkward for a couple of years in the late ’90s. And over time, he softened. And I’ve heard the same quotes that you heard. It’s nice that he didn’t hold that against me and in fact came around to liking the song.

I remember the last time I saw him — and this was years ago — I was signing some autographs at some convention in Las Vegas. The Consumer Electronics Show, I think it was. And I heard, “Oh, Coolio is in the room!” I was like, “Oh gosh, does he want to beat me up?” I was starting to worry. And then he comes up behind me and gives me a big hug, and then he signs his name on one of my headshots. We hugged it out and it was great. It was sort of like, I didn’t have to watch my back after that. At that point, I knew everything was gonna be OK.

Cameo In Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

Speaking of parody movies, you had a great cameo in Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping with Andy Samberg. What was that experience like for you?

YANKOVIC: That was great. That was a quick shoot. I’m friends with the Lonely Island guys. A couple of them were in my movie. They were nice enough to have me in Popstar. What was the band — Hammerclaw?

Uh… something like that.

YANKOVIC: Something like that. But yeah, they got me looking like some blonde Europop star kind of guy. It was a very quick shot. I had like one or two lines, and Akiva [Schaffer] threw me a bunch of extra lines just that would play well in editing. So I did a couple different variations on my line reading. And that was it! I was thrilled to be a part of that.

I think Popstar is certainly one of my favorite movies and one of a small group of movies that I would associate Weird with. There’s Spinal Tap, Dewey Cox, and Popstar are the three big ones that are sort of that same genre.

Spotify Wrapped Video (2023)

https://twitter.com/rayfp/status/1729941035852181768?s=20

Your Spotify Wrapped message went viral at the end of last year. You had a cheeky way of commenting on the low royalty rate. Were you surprised by the response? I’m sure you have your own frustrations with the streaming economy.

YANKOVIC: I certainly didn’t think it would go viral. My manager just said, “Oh, Spotify just wants you to do some kind of 30-second message for people that have been streaming your music this year.” I was like, “OK.” I just went in my backyard. My wife used her iPhone and we just knocked it out. I didn’t think it would go as viral as it did.

Some people were checking my math, like, “You earned a lot more than $12 with all those streams.” Yeah! But you know, not a lot more! ‘Cause that money goes to the record label, and it gets split up into small pieces, and by the time it gets down to me… And I’m a successful recording artist, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for people that are just getting started out, trying to earn a living from streaming.

Speaking of social media, you have this recurring bit where you respond to headlines about AI and you confuse them with yourself. Does it drive you crazy when you see all these headlines and it looks like they’re talking about you?

YANKOVIC: I just think it’s funny. I wish they would put the periods after “A” and “I” just to distinguish it. If you’re gonna live in a world without Serifs, it is very confusing! I see that all the time and I have to stop myself from continually making that joke on social media.

Peter And The Wolf (1988)

You narrated Wendy Carlos’ recording of Peter And The Wolf in the late ’80s.

YANKOVIC: That was really fun. That was a very abrupt departure from the kind of “Weird Al” albums I’d been doing. It was a classical children’s album, and it was great working with Wendy. We worked mostly independently. She worked at her apartment in New York and I worked at home in LA. This is pre-email, so we actually probably talked on the phone. Like cavemen! But I kinda figured out the rough idea of what we were gonna do.

I went to Village Recorders in LA and she recorded in her home studio. I remember it was Village Recorders because Fleetwood Mac apparently had been recording there. They’d been recording there for a couple of years, and I remember specifically because they told me that the windscreen that I was singing through was actually made from Stevie Nicks’ pantyhose.

Oh my God.

YANKOVIC: So I got to put my lips on Stevie Nicks’ pantyhose. I can say that now.

And then, every now and then, I would fly to New York and work with Wendy in person. She had such an amazing setup and she’s such a visionary. I remember her talking about how she didn’t like the whole CD format because it cut off certain frequencies — frequencies which I couldn’t hear because I’ve lost most of my hearing from playing in rock shows. But she was very concerned about that. Such a genius. It was just such an honor to work with her.

UHF (1989)

This month marks the 35th anniversary of UHF. I know the movie didn’t do well at the box office when it came out, but I’m glad that it’s now rightfully regarded as a classic. It feels like there’s some justice in the world for that.

YANKOVIC: Thank you. You know, it’s not a perfect movie. After it bombed at the box office, every night before I went to sleep, I’d think, “Oh, I shoulda done it this way! Or we should have used that scene!” Always Monday-morning-quarterbacking. But I am very glad that it’s gone on to cult status and that fans have got such love for it. I’ve seen dozens of “Weird Al”-themed tattoos. I just recently saw a picture of a person whose entire back was covered with UHF tattoos! It blows my mind. Even though it was not a big box office hit at the time, I definitely feel the love these days. The people that love it really love it.

Will there ever be a UHF 2?

YANKOVIC: I think not. Movie studios tend not to do sequels to movies that bombed 35 years ago. I hate to rule anything out. But I think it’s kind of a given that there’s not gonna be a UHF 2.