Running With Scissors--"Weird Al" Yankovic (1999)

I'm pretty sure I got this album on the day it was released. I do know it was a Tuesday because after we got back from Best Buy, Lori and I went to Video Update and got 2-fer movies (Fargo and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.) I got it be cause, one, I had heard "Saga Begins," and thought it was cool, but mostly because I'm a big nerdy Weird Al fan. Anyway, this album proved a worthy edition to his impressive catalogue. It's one of those that you might not appreciate as a whole right away (due to the two singles, "Saga Begins" and "Pentiums," which really stand out) but after awhile the rest of the songs grow on you too.

The Saga Begins I can't remember if I had heard about this song before listening to it for the first time (on KURE, btw). It's very cool, and impressive since the album came out fairly quickly after the release of the film Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace. I mean, there's some material you could glean from teaser trailers and the like, but it's still quite an accomplishment. American Pie was a great choice for a parody too, since it has so many words to work with. You can really get the story of TPM.
As always, the rhymes are catchy enough to stick with you but clever enough not to get annoying. An interesting perspective, to have it narrated by Obi-Wan ("..and I thought me and Qui-Gon Jin...") This song was really cool at the concert too; it was the encore. All the young nerds got their toy lightsabers out and we all sang along. And then, the moment I had been waiting for since I was a mere highschool sophomore: Yoda. I can say no more.

My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder Granted, this tune probably comes a few years too late. But let's pretend it's like 1995 or something and the grunge thing is still a major, marketable force among the young people. It would have a pretty decent impact. And that's because this is a good song. The zydeco thing even works, I mean what could be more opposite? The lyrics do enroach on cliche territory a bit, but the rhymes are cute, and Alanis Morisette could probably use a random mention to jog her career. Also, anyone who puts flannel in their song is hereby cool.

Pretty Fly For A Rabbi When I saw the track listing for RWS, I thought (in a Comic Book Store Guy voice) "Um, excuse me, I believe there was already a parody of the Offspring hit denouncing white boy hip hop posers. It was called "Pretty Sy for a White Guy" and there were hilarious results."
But, since I'm a nice girl, I gave this song a chance. It's very funny. A nice little sketch of a culture, in the tradition of "Amish Paradise." Armed with my "Seinfeld," "Northern Exposure," and "Coffee Talk"-based knowledge of Yiddish, I was able to get most of the references. All of the words knit together to create a unique rhyming network of sounds that have humor built in by virtue of their excess consonants. It's great.
Also of note in this song is the inspired use of Tress MacNeil, best known for her work in The Simpsons.

Weird Al Show Theme Why are the innovators always stomped on? First Hey Vern it's Ernest gets yanked, then the Al show. It was pretty cool, what I remember of it anyway. It premiered after I was pretty much out of the cartoon watching age. But Al did have TV's Squiggy on one episode as some kind of underground miner guy.
Back to the tast at hand. This is a great little theme, with all the randomness of a great Al tune. Nice to see it included on the disc. I especially like the metal-ish turn it takes at "And the very next day..." Plus the nods to UHF with the dental hygenist (Victoria Jackson's character was some type of oral health professional) and of course, spatulas. SPATULA CITY!!! Sometimes I find this song running through my head for no apparent reason. And that's a good thing.

Jerry Springer This is probably the most disappointing song on the album. For one thing, the Springer phenom has pretty much peaked. And the lyrics rehash territroy that was already adroitly mapped on "Talk Soup." Sill, the fact that anyone was able to effectively parody the tongue-tangling lyrics of the Barenaked Ladies "One Week" is pretty impressive. And the line, "That goat doesn't love you!" can always bring a smile.

Germs This song is annoying at first, but the further you descend into the madness, the funnier it gets. This is another of the enjoyable "style" parodies. Here, it clearly sounds like Nine Inch Nails but isn't a parody of any one NIN tune. Just like "Dare to be Stupid" with Devo. After rooming with a confirmed Trent Reznor-worshipper for three semesters, I now must say I've found an appreciation for the Germs. Especially the anguish in the line, "Don't tell me I'm paranoid!" This was a cool song live, too. There were these fake educational films throughout the show, and before Germs there was one on dirt ("Some people like to study rocks. Whatever.") and toothbrushing. The latter topic caused us all to mock Little Rach for her at least thrice daily oral hygiene regimen. Also, when one of the band members (I forget which...I'm a bad fan, sorry) sang the line "microscopic bacteria," Al did some kind of spazzy dance move. And that was just neat.

Polka Power! Sadly, I find this polka not as exciting compared with the other mixes I have heard. I think this is attributable mostly to my own tastes and the current state of pop music. See, I figured it out. The years between Bad Hair Day and this album represent the years when I made a conscious decision to pretty much stop listening to new music. So, a polka composed of tunes from those years would logically be less appealing. So, don't worry Al, it's not you, it's me =) Not a bad little song though, just sad the state music is in. Also I love the fact that Lori sang along with the Dope Show song.

Horoscope for Today Are those horns I hear? By cracky, it's that ska that the kids seem to like so well. And the lyrics concern a topic near and dear to my heart, horoscopes. As a high school student, I was the official lunchtime astrologer , with predictions courtesy of the Des Moines Register. The great thing about this song is that it achieves random cruel humor without sounding forced, as is sometimes the case. It quickly slices through vague, warm-and-fuzzy horoscopes with lines like "Your tongue freezes to the back of a speeding bus," "Your fiancee hurls a javelin through your chest," and my personal favorite, "All your friends are laughing behind your back--Kill them." The little break/bridge/whatever section in the middle is well used, too.

It's All About the Pentiums Yes, it's true, I've never heard the song (and I use the term loosely, we're talking about Puff Daddy here) this is a "lyrical adaptation" of. So I've got that goin' for me, which is good.
Being the computer geek that I am, I was quickly won over by this song. Particularly the fact that there are no negative Macintosh/Apple references! Thanks, Al, for taking the high road. Either that or he wanted to be sure he could use Quicktime on his site...nah, I bet it's the integrity one. Just like "Rabbi," this tune is definitely better when you know the language. I finally learned what defragging a hard drive is, and even though I wasn't the one who installed the T1 line in Helser, I still sing that line with much pride. The video is awesome too, esepcially for the inspired use of Drew Carey hangin' out in the tunnel.

Truck Driving Song (cough) Throwawaytrack (cough, cough) throwawaytrack. No, this song isn't too bad, it's just not one of my faves. It sounds like it's trying to hard. And much of the imagery is, well, icky. I know that's what they were going for, but still. This song is redeemed by the fact that I read Al had to record it early in the morning when his voice was lower. Isn't that great? For some reason this amuses me.

Grapefruit Diet I hate this song. Can I make that any plainer? Zoot Suit Riot got waaaayyy overplayed, and the fat-guy schtick has been done to death. Give me one reason not to skip past this track to the holiest of holies...

ALBEQUERQUE I love this song. No matterwhat kind of crappy mood I am in, this song can always snap me out of it. THIRTEEN MINUTES! Even without a keyboard solo =)
Again, the randomness here sounds totally natural and not forced at all. Just the funkiest stream-of-consciousness lyrics this side of Jerry's Bait Shop. It's sort of a cross between George Thorogood's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer," REO Speedwagon's "157 Riverside Avenue," and Monty Python's "Cheese Shop."
Some notable lines include, "'Cause I had my tray table up, and my seatback in the full upright position," and the fact that the air smells like warm rootbeer. I love when that happens! I think if they would have performed this song in Ames, I would have become pure energy. Or maybe someday I could direct the video! It would be fun to audition the person to play a big fat hermaphrodite with a "Flock of Seagulls" haircut.

Well that's all from RWS. Hard to follow up and instant classic like BHD, and some of the lesser material looks even poorer in comparison with the 2 hit singles. Still the CD is worth buying for even casual Al fans, and the epic last track is a pure joy .
Previous album by this artist.

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