Weird Al: Seriously

Music writer Hirsch celebrates the career of music comedian Alfred “Weird Al” Yankovic in this thoroughly researched debut biography. Best known for his parodies, Hirsch argues that Yankovic is much more than a comedy act, and that his songs allow listeners to “be whoever you are,” as “he creates a mix of tribute and mockery in his work, and he mocks himself just as he slyly takes down the bad behavior of others.” Hirsch charts Yankovic’s rise to fame, beginning with 1979’s “My Bologna” (a take on the Knack’s “My Sharona,” which he recorded in a bathroom at California Polytechnic State, where he worked as a student DJ), and recounts how artists have responded to having their work remade (Coolio was originally outraged by Yankovic’s “Amish Paradise” parody of his “Gangsta’s Paradise,” but years later admitted, “I was being cocky and stupid.... The song’s actually funny as s___”). Hirsch details dozens of songs, at times to the point of overkill, as in an entire section devoted to politics (Yankovic addresses gun violence in several songs including his original song “Trigger Happy” and “Canadian Idiot,” a parody of Green Day’s “American Idiot”). While it probably will not win over any new fans, this is the perfect volume for all who proudly rock out to Weird Al. (Mar.)