My chum Rick Curl just sent me a link to this video by “Weird Al” Yankovic. As you are doubtless aware, “Weird Al” — who was born in 1959, which makes him two years younger than your humble narrator — is best known for his humorous songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts.

 

Of course, the reason Rick sent this video to me is that it’s all about grammar and I’m a writer. Maybe Rick is trying to tell me something. Be that as it may, as with all of “Weird Al”’s work, this is really very clever.

I couldn’t help myself, I had an urge to read up on “Weird Al,” so I bounced over to the “Weird Al” Wikipedia page where I discovered that he started playing the accordion the day before his seventh birthday.

It appears a door-to-door salesman offered a choice of accordion or guitar lessons for “Weird Al” at a local music school. According to “Weird Al,” his parents “chose the accordion over the guitar because “they figured there should be at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world” (they were referring to Frankie Yankovic to whom “Weird Al” is not related).

Additionally, “Weird Al” says that another reason his parents chose the accordion was because “they were convinced it would revolutionize rock.” Now I wish I could have grown up near “Weird Al” and met his parents. How about you? Do you have a “Weird Al” favorite you’d care to share?