The Huffington Post | By Christine Dalton
Get out your accordion, crank up the weirdness, and get ready to laugh because today is "Weird Al" Yankovic's birthday!
Our beloved prince of parody turns 55 today, so we thought we'd share 11 tidbits about Weird Al that you might not know. Check them out below!
1
Yankovic has been playing the accordion since age 7.
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Well, to be exact, one day before his seventh birthday, October 22, 1966.
2
He was the valedictorian of his high school class.
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Some inspiration for "White and Nerdy?"
3
The "Weird Al" nickname started while he was studying architecture at Cal Poly.
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At California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Yankovic hosted a radio show under the moniker "Weird Al."
4
His first single, "My Bologna," was also born during his college days.
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Yankovic recorded his introductory parody (of The Knack's song "My Sharona") in a college bathroom.
5
"Ricky," an "I Love Lucy" themed parody of Toni Basil's hit "Mickey," was his first song to crack the Top 100.
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He achieved this feat in 1983. Since then, he's had 10 more Top 100 hits.
6
Coolio is the only artist who did not give Yankovic permission to parody his song.
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A breakdown in communication between Yankovic, Coolio, and Coolio's record label led to the release of the "Gangsta's Paradise" parody against Coolio's wishes. Yankovic sent a personal apology and now only acquires permission directly from the artist.
7
He was rejected from working at McDonald's.
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The Golden Arches turned down his post-college application because he was overqualified.
8
"Like a Surgeon" is the only parody idea that Yankovic did not come up with himself.
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Madonna asked if he was going to turn "Like A Virgin" into the doctor-themed parody. So he did.
9
He has won three Grammy Awards.
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Yankovic won Best Comedy Recording for "Eat It" (1984), Best Concept Music Video for "Fat" (1985), and Best Comedy Album for "Poodle Hat" (2003).
10
The number 27 creeps up in many of Yankovic's songs.
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He first started using the number because it was a "pretty funny number." When fans started noticing the references, though, he started integrating it into his work more often. For example, on the Michael Jackson parody, "Fat," he claims to have eaten every Twinkie on 27th Avenue.
11
His most recent album, "Mandatory Fun," is the first comedy album to debut at number 1 in over 50 years.
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Long live "Weird Al!"
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