Once
upon a time, a father offered this sage advice to his five-year-old son –
"The key to
success is doing for a living whatever makes you happy."
And then he handed
that child an accordion.
Well, somehow that
success spiel and squeezebox combo created a kid who grew to be a man so
strange that “Al” was his middle name…
Because
Weird became his first.
Yes,
today we are celebrating that Prince of Parody, that Sultan of Spoof, that Monarch
of Mockery, and October 23rd Birthday Boy…
Weird
Al Yankovic.
This
creative genius has been going strong since 1980 with hits like Another One Rides the Bus, Smells Like Nirvana, and Eat It.
He’s
won three Grammy Awards and has been nominated for an additional 11.
When
asked about his creative influences, he mentions children’s author Shel Silverstien.
When
asked about his creative process, he says that he makes charts of songs and
then brainstorms the parody possibilities…
But
he admits that 99% of his ideas are horrible.
No
matter.
Because
this is his philosophy –
“You
fake something until you're good at it.”
That
sounds like a great plan to me!
And
dang if it isn’t a proven one –
Because
Al has found a way to live out his dad’s advice.
And
if you’re wondering how to do that yourself, look no further than Al’s favorite
children’s author and creative inspiration…
“Listen
to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts.
Listen
to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.
Listen
to the never haves, then listen close to me...
Anything
can happen, child. Anything can be.”
~Shel Silverstein
PROMPT: We’ve
parodied before and we are not afraid to do it again! Pick a song and GO! But
first, enjoy a little inspiration… Al à la Gaga.
Heck yeah
ReplyDeleteWell, duh! ;)
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