Weird Al

Image: www.facebook.com/weirdal/

I've been a Weird Al Yankovic fan for many years. Even before I was a filk fan, which came later. I loved Weird Al's song parodies, often more than the original song.

Like other Weird Al fans, I've been enjoying all the new videos from his new album. Eight videos in eight days, I think, was a great idea to get the stuff out there. My facebook and twitter feeds have been full of Weird Al all week.

It reminded me of the time that I saw him in concert - before I was a fan of his music.

When I was younger, the old Monkees tv show started doing re-runs. My sister and I became big fans so when the Monkees did their tour in the mid-80s my parents got us tickets. It was at the Allegan County Fair, I believe.

We waited excitedly for the Monkees to come on (sans Mike) when the opening act came on. It was Weird Al! This was the first time I heard of him and his music, but he was very popular at that time. A lot of people in the audience were there to just see him.

I didn't get a lot of it and was a bit confused by the parody of it all. When I got a bit older, I started to actually become a fan of his.

I look fondly back at the time when I saw him live. I know he sang "Like a Surgeon" but I don't remember any of the other songs. But if he toured again, I might go see Weird Al - as a fan this time.