Weird Al: the prince of parody

Weird Al Yankovic's career can be

divided into two distinct periods.

Before "Eat It," and after "Eat It."

That 1984 parody of Michael

Jackson's hugely popular hit single

"Beat It" turned Yankovic from a relatively

obscure cult phenomenon into

a household name.

"I would be walking on the street,

and I'd hear people say, 'Look, there's

the "Eat It" guy!'" Yankovic said.

"Almost overnight, that song changed

my life."

More than two decades later,

Yankovic is still doing song parodies.

His latest album, "Straight Outta

Lynwood," recently went gold on

the strength of the single "White and

Nerdy."

He's in the midst of a national tour,

which will include a stop Sunday at

the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan. (If

you can't make that show, don't worry;

Yankovic will return to the area

Sept. 25 to play the College ofDuPage

in Glen Ellyn.)

And he's beginning work on television

andmovie projects he hopes will

bear fruit in the near future.

"I'm happy with howthings are going,"

the 47-year-old comedian said.

"The tour is going really well and my

fans have always been great."

Yankovic got his start in comedy

when he was a teenager by sending

song parodies to the syndicated Dr.

Demento radio show. Dr. Demento

played the songs on the air, and

Yankovic developed a small cult following.

Yankovic's fan base eventually

grew large enough to land him a record

deal. He enjoyed a few small hits

(including "My Bologna," a parody of

The Knack's "My Sharona"), but remained

a relative unknown.

Then, "Eat It" came along.

Since that song and its accompanying

video, which received heavy airplay on MTV -- rocketed him to stardom, Yankovic has put out 10 albums that include dozens of song parodies, including takes on songs by Madonna ("Like a Surgeon"), Coolio ("Amish Paradise") and Nirvana ("Smells Like Nirvana").

Yankovic said there's no real science behind the way he goes about choosing songs to parody.

"I just scan the charts and see if anything jumps to mind, any funny image that I can link to the song," he said.

Any song or artist is fair game, especially as Yankovic doesn't see his parodies as disrespectful.

"They're homages more than anything, tributes," he said, pointing out that some artists, including the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, have said they were proud to be chosen by Yankovic.

Videos have been key to Yankovic's success. MTV, which came along at roughly the same time as he did, provided the perfect vehicle for his comedy. Today, Yankovic's videos are a mainstay on YouTube, and several can be found on his Web site, www.weirdal.com.

"In the beginning, most radio stations weren't willing to put my songs in their regular rotations," he said. "But MTV did, and that really helped."

With a career that spans 25 years, it's not surprising that the crowds at Yankovic's family-friendly shows feature kids and adults. Yankovic said he often sees parents having as good a time as their kids.

"I try to keep the energy level up and make sure everyone has fun," he said. "Once that stops happening, I'll stop doing this."

Weird Al Yankovic

The comedian will make two local appearances:

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan

Tickets: $28, $38

Information: Call (847) 782-2366 or visit www.geneseetheatre.com

When: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25

Where: McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage, Fawell and Park boulevards, Glen Ellyn

Tickets: $55, $100 for first two rows

Information: Call (630) 942-4000, or visit www.cod.edu/ArtsCntr