| Jul. 23rd, 2009 @ 02:19 am How my brain is working right now. |
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As most of you know, I moved to Santa Barbara, California at the beginning of June. As most of you know, it was pretty much a spur of the moment decision. And as most of you know, it's one that's caused me plenty of emotion, good and bad, happy and sad.
I read over a article on Weirdal.com that I hadn't known existed, because at the time of its being written, the site didn't have any real links to it that I could find, nor does it now. It was about when his parents were killed in a tragic accident. And how he pressed on through it. It talked about his wife and his baby. He addressed it to his fans, and spoke like we, his fans, matter to him.
I remember when that happened, I remember my dad picking me up from school and telling me that he'd read in the newspaper that Weird Al's parents had died. Of course, I was devastated. I never met, and to this day have never met, Weird Al, nor would I have known his parents, but the sadness I felt for him, the grieving and the pain were very real.
Thinking back to that, just now, when I read the piece he wrote, made me break down and sob. I don't even know why that still effects me.
Al Yankovic is my hero. I don't know if he'll ever know that, and I don't know if he'd care. The best thing that could ever happen would be for me to meet him, just once. I just want to shake his hand and thank him for the wonderful music he's put out and still puts out.
I know that if I never knew about Weird Al I would not be the same person I am today. I wouldn't have the same taste in music, I wouldn't draw, hell, if I hadn't seen part of a special about band tattoos or something on television when I was 13 I wouldn't want to be a tattoo artist and I wouldn't have the three tattoos I currently have. The clip I saw of the tattoo thing on tv? About a guy who had Weird Al and his bandmates tattooed on him.
Thinking on that note, had my mom not called me away from doing some homework when I was 11 so that I could see some "really funny music videos she thought I'd like," I wouldn't know who Weird Al was.
In 6th grade my Weird Al CDs inspired me to write parodies for an English assignment. In 12th grade I used the song "Pancreas" to help me with a project on the digestive system in my advanced Anatomy and Physiology class. Twice when I was younger (I forget the specific dates) my father took me to see Weird Al at the Minnesota State Fair. The first time we were sitting so far back we could hardly see the big screens on stage, let alone Al. The second time he won 4th row tickets through work and we went and it was epic.
And then in 2007 two of my friends and I decided on a whim that we were going to go see Weird Al again at the MN State Fair. On the day of the show, we arrived barely two hours before the show started, and we still managed to score decent seats. It was hot, it was humid, there were crying babies, but when the warm-up act was over, and Weird Al FINALLY took the stage, we were cheering just as loud or louder than the rest of the crowd. I went absolutely nuts.
Three weeks later, I finally had enough money to buy Straight Outta Lynwood and I played that CD until it was too scratched to identify as a CD.
I own 10 of his CDs. I have Weird Al Live! on tape. I draw Weird Al fan art.
My goal in life right now is to meet him. I just want five minutes with him, just long enough to look him in the eye, shake his hand, and say: Thank you, Al, for being a stable thing in my life. Thank you for writing music that can improve my mood no matter how sad I get. Thank you for existing. |
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