Comments
[deleted] t1_j4h7dm1 wrote
[deleted]
darkbee83 t1_j4h82v6 wrote
We already know the rumors are true: Weird Al is... Just as nice (and weird) as he seems.
DrQuantum t1_j4h9elh wrote
Everybody has demons. And with cancel culture its only a matter of time someone films him saying something mildly mean to someone on a bad day and the tabloids start coming out.
dubbsmqt t1_j4hb92z wrote
Naw, not everyone is shitty
LegendOfBobbyTables t1_j4hc3l3 wrote
I briefly met him once, in passing, in LA. He was truly a nice guy who seemed to genuinely appreciate us as fans even though we approached him in public.
nesenn t1_j4hdehh wrote
He doesn’t duck around.
Psychological-Rub-72 t1_j4hdn45 wrote
"Went to the library and researched ducks for a week"
Ahh, life before the internet. Going to the library, looking in the card catalog, writing down the Dewey decimal system numbers, then going to the stacks to get the books (598.41*).
Good times, good times.
WhatACunningHam t1_j4he21n wrote
Makes you wonder what kind of research he did for his music videos like Amish Paradise and Like a Surgeon.
Fullspectrum84 t1_j4heha9 wrote
But everyone does shitty things sometimes.
Duffman66CMU t1_j4helk7 wrote
Doesn’t sound like it. “I want a new duck. One that won’t try to bite…”
ElderCunningham OP t1_j4heozv wrote
But not Weird Al.
DashWhitmore t1_j4hewel wrote
One that won't stick his bill in my mail...
FastWalkingShortGuy t1_j4hf534 wrote
In this case, it would be the Huey, Dewey, and Louie decimal system.
MooseInDisguise t1_j4hf93g wrote
Seriously! The lyrics do not reflect this alleged "week of research" at all???
amadeus2490 t1_j4hgy6w wrote
Like A Surgeon reportedly came from Madonna, herself: Weird Al called her up to ask for permission to do a parody of her song, and she laughed and asked "What is it called, 'Like A Surgeon?'".
He thought the idea was actually a lot better than what he had come up with on his own, so he scrapped it and wrote an entire parody based off her idea!
kozmonyet t1_j4hh0tg wrote
Very wise man--
You've seen 2+ decades of running joke from simply not verifying the definition of the word "ironic"...
DrQuantum t1_j4hhfls wrote
Are you claiming you’ve never done anything bad in your entire life that could be misconstrued by a tabloid? Give me a break.
Van_GOOOOOUGH t1_j4hhjkm wrote
That's just punny.
[deleted] t1_j4hhz47 wrote
SummerMummer t1_j4hj4dp wrote
Well, they don’t call him Normal Al.
Duffman66CMU t1_j4hjlc6 wrote
Oh I’m not saying they don’t bite. Just that I could write that without a card catalogue.
NightSpirit2099 t1_j4hjqlc wrote
Weird
Black-Thirteen t1_j4hjz5a wrote
1985 was before 'True Facts About the Duck' was released. Otherwise, that much effort wouldn't have been necessary.
BartholomewBandy t1_j4hlzp1 wrote
His dad gave him Amish Paradise as a description of his childhood. Don’t you know…
Data444 t1_j4hm3ie wrote
if they have a award for the most wholesome joke on the internet. This would be a contender.
BartholomewBandy t1_j4hm5gy wrote
You’re all normals, he’s the weird one.
DirtyDanTheManlyMan t1_j4hn5qq wrote
What a ducking badass
Skin_Effect t1_j4hohu0 wrote
Better than his fish version "like a sturgeon"
NotAPimecone t1_j4hq0e8 wrote
> DON'T YOU KNOW THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM?!
- Conan the Librarian
DialsMavis t1_j4hrc6c wrote
Ya I’m here to see what information he got from this research that he used in the song. In order to take a week he’d have to go beyond the paragraph there would be in the encyclopedia. But what else would there be on ducks. Scientific journals with a study on habits and behavior or something?
WibbyFogNobbler t1_j4hrjvz wrote
They could've used that as the theme for Wheel of Fish
Toaster_bath13 t1_j4hscle wrote
I saw UHF in theatres as a kid. My grandma suffered through a lot of weird movies. She was the best.
TheSpiceMelon t1_j4ht9hy wrote
He really is dedicated to his craft. I read that he spent years studying Jewish history and texts before writing “Pretty Fly for a Rabbi”
Tincams t1_j4hu27e wrote
Lol like a book report.
Sweaty-Lock-1931 t1_j4huj91 wrote
The song is nearly 40 years old. Have you considered it's responsible for turning deep duck lore into common knowledge? Of course nowadays everybody knows ducks bite!
Duffman66CMU t1_j4huofk wrote
Many different encyclopedias. Grolier? Encyclopedia Brittanica? That time all adds up.
Duffman66CMU t1_j4huyff wrote
That’s true, but I knew it at the time. Maybe I’m just a duck-o-phile. I figured everyone majored in Anas Platyrhynchos.
drkensaccount t1_j4hvd6q wrote
You wouldn't find too many scientific journals at your neighborhood library, but you'd probably find a few "Waterfowl of North America" type general interest books. Maybe one or two on ducks themselves.
ioverated t1_j4hxv26 wrote
People don't get cancelled for saying something mildly mean to someone on a bad day. This happened to Tom Hanks. He's fine.
sm9t8 t1_j4hygep wrote
I chose to believe he tried to write biologically accurate verses about the rape, necrophilia, and corkscrew penises, but after a disastrous demo he was chased out of the library and went with a much tamer concept.
Duffman66CMU t1_j4i10qq wrote
Duffman66CMU t1_j4i14a8 wrote
When the parody is worse than the original song about drugs
roryorigami t1_j4i559w wrote
Dewey Decimal?
Dewey ever!
eremite00 t1_j4i8xb1 wrote
“Chicken Pot Pie” would’ve been great. I still can’t believe that Paul McCartney opposed it because he’d gone vegetarian, the proposed song being a parody and all, versus a serious advocation.
Pathorix t1_j4i9wf8 wrote
Who gives a shit lol
tangcameo t1_j4ia53u wrote
He definitely did research for Living With A Hernia. It’s how I learned to name the hernia I have.
jonoodz t1_j4ian7i wrote
The superior joke.
Fullspectrum84 t1_j4icay2 wrote
Somebody somewhere thinks he’s an asshole. Not me, but it’s part of life.
MagnanimousMook t1_j4icuhb wrote
Can't even tell if this is a joke or not, but either way it's hilarious
TatteredCarcosa t1_j4idanb wrote
I mean, like what?
__Noble_Savage__ t1_j4ie1bc wrote
I think there's a death metal song about that.
PzGrn101 t1_j4igenx wrote
Isn’t he dead yet?
JustAPerspective t1_j4igq7x wrote
"A week gong to the library" was half an hour en route, an hour or two there, and half an hour back, plus notes that would hand-written (nobody was hauling a typewriter that far) and "photocopier" was not a publicly available thing.
JustAPerspective t1_j4igzpl wrote
About a week more of research than Mick Jagger has put into all of his songs combined, if John Mulaney's recounting is accurate.
seawaver1 t1_j4ii6by wrote
And we'll never know what it was
OwlAcademic1988 t1_j4iifl1 wrote
That's awesome.
Dapaaads t1_j4ilzbp wrote
You did enough to comment
cynicalimodium t1_j4io097 wrote
DonutCola t1_j4ip2ha wrote
Huey Dewey Louie and the News
wolfpwarrior t1_j4iq7vz wrote
For Like A Surgeon, it started after the wild success of his first ever original song Eat It, which was then parodied by Michael Jackson with the song Beat It. After some heavy drinking and drugs with his then girlfriend Madonna, he ended up in the OR, where he gained his inspiration.
It's a shame he and Madonna had a falling out after he killed Pablo Escobar, and she took over the drug Cartel. She had a hit done on him on live TV back in 1985. RIP.
Or at least that is what I got from the movie.
Cinema_King t1_j4irpwx wrote
He was assassinated by Madonna in 1985
OSCgal t1_j4isb1g wrote
Handwritten notes would be easiest, but portable typewriters did exist. And libraries could have typewriters available.
I am slightly too young to remember what kind of copy technology my library had in the mid-1980s, but commercial copiers were introduced in 1959, so it's entirely possible that libraries has them.
ElderCunningham OP t1_j4ivbpw wrote
Just don't call Al a liar, 'cause shut up, you weren't there
Fullspectrum84 t1_j4ivyfx wrote
I don’t care who you are. Somewhere someone feels crossed by you.
ElderCunningham OP t1_j4iyeyh wrote
plaid_rabbit t1_j4j1mnd wrote
Well. We still talk about Paul being a vegan all these years later on random internet threads because of it.
So. Paul McCartney: 1, You: 0. You lost the game by playing it.
Bitter_Mongoose t1_j4j2jmg wrote
> I AM HERE TO FEEL THE LAMINATION OF YOUR INDEX CARDS
-Conan the Librarian
Pathorix t1_j4j4k8u wrote
The same can be said of the original post
letmesleep t1_j4j523y wrote
I've had "Huey Louie and the Booze" in my back pocket for the name of a ska band since like 2008. One of these days...
brendanjones t1_j4j5kfz wrote
Important to know all the variables before choosing a new duck.
eremite00 t1_j4j5nf2 wrote
McCartney is vegetarian, not vegan.
So, no loss, continued consumption of dairy products and all. Probably honey, too.
Edit - Or, as Todd from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World would say, Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian.
creggieb t1_j4j7fzq wrote
In the early 90s my library had coin-op photocopiers.
creggieb t1_j4j7ola wrote
Too bad Coolio has come around first.
eremite00 t1_j4j99tk wrote
Maybe, since McCartney has invested in Next Gen Foods, Weird Al can revisit the song, fitting in plant-based artificial chicken, somehow.
Euphoric_Finding_385 t1_j4jbjeo wrote
Fucking bravo.
creggieb t1_j4jblr2 wrote
Coolio change of heart has merit because he accepts weird als creation as it is.
If Paul wants to give permission for al to do the song his way, great. Otherwise, I'm not interested.
eremite00 t1_j4je7hg wrote
That's true. I hadn't thought of that. It might seem like some sort of commercial or ad pitch, otherwise.
TatteredCarcosa t1_j4jeok5 wrote
Sure, but people don't get cancelled for making one person cross. They generally get cancelled for shit like sexual harassment or promoting white supremacist conspiracy theories.
FastWalkingShortGuy t1_j4jerbv wrote
Ska will come back around in the 2030s.
pressNjustthen t1_j4jerta wrote
Sure you do! 40 Year Old Virgin
Sorry I couldn’t resist
JustAPerspective t1_j4jhub0 wrote
>Handwritten notes would be easiest, but portable typewriters did exist. And libraries could have typewriters available.
Those "portable" typewriters - you might want to look up the weight & size. Then remember that "wheels on the case" wasn't a thing yet, and imagine lugging that to a public building. Also the replacement ink, erasing cartridge (if applicable) and if it's electric you're gonna need to plug it in.
Notes were easier - we were there.
>I am slightly too young to remember what kind of copy technology my library had in the mid-1980s, but commercial copiers were introduced in 1959, so it's entirely possible that libraries has them.
Largely, they did not until the 90s.
TheSpiceMelon t1_j4jhy59 wrote
Is a joke
reconstruct94 t1_j4jih8i wrote
Gotta be smart to be a smartass.
Fullspectrum84 t1_j4jjzaj wrote
When did weird Al get cancelled or when did I mention that?!?!
TheIronMark t1_j4jmi5k wrote
SinisterDev t1_j4jn2m0 wrote
Weird Al is a national treasure... Dare I say International Treasure!
PlainTrain t1_j4jqoho wrote
Nonsense. Canon was advertising personal photocopiers in 1985.
JustAPerspective t1_j4jsa46 wrote
Common sense would realize that public libraries didn't often have funding for expensive equipment in most neighborhoods, especially new stuff that was delicate and required a lot of maintenance.
donslaughter t1_j4jsb7h wrote
I, for one, can't wait.
noxii3101 t1_j4jsjin wrote
Yea. Because that’s what a professional does. People think you ain’t shit until you drop those crunchy beats
PlainTrain t1_j4ju2ow wrote
You really should just quit because you have no idea what you are talking about. Photocopiers were extremely common in the mid ‘80s. My small rural high school had two in 1985: one in the office, one in the library.
The9tail t1_j4jw4if wrote
Michael Jackson should be ashamed of what he did to Eat It.
lissabeth777 t1_j4jxa63 wrote
Lol! I do wonder how Weird Al found all of the phrases used in his lyrics. They are almost a total Gen X experience.
Lizard-Pope t1_j4jxj1u wrote
The man is a bloody genius.
calebmke t1_j4jxk5k wrote
Study for a week probably really means he went in an hour here or there a couple times that week and read over a few books. The dude didn’t spend 40 hours in the library like it was his job
RudeIBegYa t1_j4jyktj wrote
You’ve peaked. Unfortunately, it’s all downhill from here, but on the bright side you chose a hell of a joke to end on
FastWalkingShortGuy t1_j4jypop wrote
I made a better one about Bic lighters.
Got me to #1 on r/all
Kurtotall t1_j4jza0o wrote
I would like to hear him cover:
Dragon-Force - Through the Fire and Flames
WhatAboutDubs t1_j4jzwzj wrote
Ah, red snapper! Very tasty! Or you can have what's in the box!
shhhhquiet t1_j4k04be wrote
Coin op copiers were a thing in the 80s and any library with a collection big enough to support a week of in-person research just on ducks probably had one. It would have been a high priority in fact. I remember using them in my not-terribly-large public library in the late 80s.
When_Ducks_Attack t1_j4k0afk wrote
...as is only fitting for our brave and noble species.
[deleted] t1_j4k0lpn wrote
[removed]
[deleted] t1_j4k19qh wrote
[deleted]
Mini_Mega t1_j4k6f4v wrote
I've never heard that one before.
Moist_666 t1_j4k9wu9 wrote
Eleventy years he spent.
sadistic342 t1_j4kbyyz wrote
I mean his songs are good so
-tiberius t1_j4kece3 wrote
Ah, yes, his last single before being gunned down by Madonna's henchman. RIP, Al.
-tiberius t1_j4keo9q wrote
He spent 6 months in Jerusalem studying the Torah and he even got circumcised as an adult to better understand Jewish culture. Fun fact, he's now a registered mohel in the state of California.
-tiberius t1_j4kezf4 wrote
A hand-carried typewriter is the kinda thing Al would own.
JustAPerspective t1_j4kftb0 wrote
Entirely possible - our experiences weren't universal, & our recollection could readily be wrong.
StrictlyForWorkM8 t1_j4khkie wrote
Knew uhf would pop up here lmao
IncaThink t1_j4kiaqe wrote
Ducks. How to make them pay.
oceanduciel t1_j4knm0r wrote
That’s the 1985 version of falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole
Albertsongman t1_j4kuarl wrote
What the duck is going on!! 🦆
The_ODB_ t1_j4l4j7c wrote
https://genius.com/Weird-al-yankovic-i-want-a-new-duck-lyrics
The only non-obvious duck fact in the song is a reference to a male duck being a "drake". 10 minutes reading an encyclopedia article was enough to learn that.
RedSly t1_j4ladoi wrote
Who's Dewey?
TheUntalentedBard t1_j4lhl75 wrote
How else would he have known if he indeed wanted a duck.
DasPuggy t1_j4lie4a wrote
That's how "Weird Al" do.
fezfrascati t1_j4lm25o wrote
He even had a bris. Oy!
DoesntFearZeus t1_j4lq4pm wrote
Gotta find enough terms to use for the rhymes and synonyms, etc.
evilkumquat t1_j4lu258 wrote
And yet NONE of the lyrics talked about the penis.
*exasperated sigh
murph_diver t1_j4lzmge wrote
Duck around and find out
rick_blatchman t1_j4m404d wrote
Weird Al became a vegetarian too, but he still played at high-profile BBQ cook-off events. His head his nowhere near his rear, and yes I know about his love of yoga.
rick_blatchman t1_j4m4bzw wrote
Yeah, I mean what's his song about? Eggs?
rick_blatchman t1_j4m4p3t wrote
Oh, I fuckin' hope so...
VeryJoyfulHeart59 t1_j4mef88 wrote
I don't doubt that Weird Al made handwritten notes.
Although portable typewriters were definitely a thing in 1985, they were loud. (Libraries were still a shhhhh zone back then.) Plus people didn't really take notes on a typewriter. Typewriters were generally used once you had all your notes and were ready to type your final document (or at least a first draft).
Photocopiers were definitely available in Southern California libraries (where Weird Al grew most likely resides). I know that my library had one in 1967. However, they were fairly expensive to use.
Besides, given the lyrics, I don't think he was taking down massive amounts of duck details.
Blutarg t1_j4n0pxb wrote
On the other hand, your research wasn't constantly being interrupted by asinine pop-up ads.
LemonPepperSniper t1_j4h5apw wrote
In college I had an exam that would possibly determine the course of rest of my life and I didn't even study a week on it.
I guess that's why he has a major motion picture partially based on his life and I don't.