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Weird Al: Seriously
- Narrated by: Emily Ellet
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
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Publisher's summary
Funny music is often dismissed as light and irrelevant, but Weird Al” Yankovic’s fourteen successful studio albums prove there is a lot more going on than his reputation suggests.
Music Professor Lily Hirsch dives deeper into the world of the iconic man who has made a career out of making us laugh. Hirsch weaves together her interviews with the prince of parody himself and reveals the deeper meaning of Yankovic’s jests, addressing such topics as bullying, celebrity, and racial and gender stereotypes.
This new edition celebrates Yankovic’s vast influence on musicians, comedians, and performing artists as well as what the man has meant to fans—in a time of uncertainty, Yankovic has served as a much-needed bright spot for many.
From his love of accordions and Hawaiian print shirts to his popular puns and trademark dance moves, Yankovic remains unapologetically and unmistakably himself. Reveling in the mischief and wisdom of Yankovic’s forty-year career, this book is a behind-the-scenes tour of the comedic and musical genius behind the hit songs “Dare to Be Stupid,” “Eat It,” “Like a Surgeon,” and “Amish Paradise.”
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- The Inside Story of Singing
- By: Tracey Thorn
- Narrated by: Tracey Thorn
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In her bestselling autobiography, Bedsit Disco Queen, Tracey Thorn recalled the highs and lows of a 30-year career in pop music. But with the touring, recording and extraordinary anecdotes, there wasn't time for an in-depth look at what she actually did for all those years: sing. She sang with warmth and emotional honesty, sometimes while battling acute stage fright.
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Fascinating
- By Jane Sheedy on 01-11-17
By: Tracey Thorn
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The Never-Ending Present
- The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip
- By: Michael Barclay
- Narrated by: George Stroumboulopoulos
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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From our talent-rich neighbor to the north comes this biography of one of the most successful Canadian rock bands, The Tragically Hip, which announced a year-long tour after sharing the news of lead singer Gord Downie’s inoperable cancer. Now available to US listeners, The Never-Ending Present details what led up to the memorable night when music fans all over the world watched Downie’s heroic final performance.
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Hometown Heroes
- By Tommy Garou on 12-13-18
By: Michael Barclay
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Seven Dirty Words
- The Life and Crimes of George Carlin
- By: James Sullivan
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In Seven Dirty Words, journalist and cultural critic James Sullivan tells the story of Alternative America from the 1950s to the present, from the singular vantage point of George Carlin, the Catholic boy for whom nothing was sacred.
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Carlin's CV with no Depth or Insight
- By Dubi on 01-23-14
By: James Sullivan
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The Secret Life of the American Musical
- How Broadway Shows Are Built
- By: Jack Viertel
- Narrated by: David Pittu
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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For almost a century, Americans have been losing their hearts and losing their minds in an insatiable love affair with the American musical. It often begins in actors and reaches its passionate zenith when it comes time for love, marriage, and children, who will start the cycle all over again. Americans love musicals. Americans invented musicals. Americans perfected musicals. But what, exactly, is a musical?
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Great review lacked music
- By joseph f mcgovern on 10-14-18
By: Jack Viertel
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The History of Gangster Rap
- From Schoolly D to Kendrick Lamar, the Rise of a Great American Art Form
- By: Soren Baker, Xzibit - foreword
- Narrated by: James Shippy, Soren Baker
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that fascinates music junkies and remains at the forefront of pop culture.
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Brilliant chronicle
- By R. C. DeJesus on 03-12-21
By: Soren Baker, and others
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Fornication
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers Story
- By: Jeff Apter
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite an epic reputation for exhibitionism, drug taking, and drunkenness, through it all the Chili Peppers have continued to produce records that shock, challenge, and intrigue their fans. Jeff Apter tells the complete Red Hot Chili Peppers story, from their first meeting at a Los Angeles high school to the creation of such career-defining albums as BloodSugarSexMagik, Californication and By The Way.
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Cabron
- By Amazon Customer on 10-02-19
By: Jeff Apter
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Beatles '66
- The Revolutionary Year
- By: Steve Turner
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The year that changed everything for the Beatles was 1966 - the year of their last concert and of Revolver, their first album created to be listened to rather than performed. This was the year the Beatles risked their popularity by retiring from live performances, recording songs that explored alternative states of consciousness, experimenting with avant-garde ideas, and speaking their minds on issues of politics, war, and religion. Music journalist and Beatles expert Steve Turner investigates the enormous changes that took place in the Beatles' lives and work during 1966.
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Great listen
- By Tad Davis on 07-28-18
By: Steve Turner
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Here We Are Now
- The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain
- By: Charles R. Cross
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 4 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Simply stated, Kurt Cobain changed the cultural conversation in his all-too-brief life, and even after his shattering death. With interviews and commentary from all corners of the pop culture universe, from the people who knew Cobain to those who continue to help his legend grow, Here We Are Now explores what a singular life meant, and how that meaning can be measured, when and if it can be.
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An amazing afterword on culture post Cobain
- By Rebecca F. on 06-11-15
By: Charles R. Cross
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Never a Dull Moment
- 1971 - the Year That Rock Exploded
- By: David Hepworth
- Narrated by: David Hepworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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On New Year's Eve, 1970, Paul McCartney told his lawyers to issue the writ at the High Court in London, effectively ending The Beatles. You might say this was the last day of the pop era. The following day, which was a Friday, was 1971. You might say this was the first day of the rock era. And within the remaining 364 days of this monumental year, the world would hear Don McLean's "American Pie", The Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar", The Who's "Baba O'Riley", Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven", and more.
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A blast from the past
- By Amazon Customer on 07-30-16
By: David Hepworth
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You Say Potato: A Book About Accents
- By: Ben Crystal, David Crystal
- Narrated by: David Crystal, Ben Crystal, Jane Savage, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Some people say 'sconn' while others say 'schown'. He says 'bath' while she says 'bahth'. You say 'potayto'. I say 'potahto'. And - wait a second, no one says 'potahto'. No one's ever said 'potahto'. Have they? From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of received pronunciation, actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father, David, travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English.
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Wish there were more native recordings.
- By Matt Dobler on 07-01-16
By: Ben Crystal, and others
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All Shook Up
- How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America
- By: Glenn C. Altschuler
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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As Glenn Altschuler reveals in All Shook Up, the rise of rock 'n roll--and the outraged reception to it--in fact can tell us a lot about the values of the United States in the 1950s, a decade that saw a great struggle for the control of popular culture. Altschuler shows, in particular, how rock's "switchblade beat" opened up wide fissures in American society along the fault-lines of family, sexuality, and race.
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50's Rock&Roll was more of a force than I thought
- By James on 10-19-11
What listeners say about Weird Al: Seriously
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-30-23
Finally! A deep dive into the oeuvre of Weird Al!
I've been a pretty devoted and diehard fan of Al since I was in my teens in the mid-1980's, when his music helped me through some very personal and difficult issues in my life. Some family and friends gave me a hard time for being such an outspoken lover of Al, but I didn't care. I was already a target for judgment from the world as a totally blind girl anyway. So I took perverse pride in being a fan of Al, and in everything about Al, from his "weirdness" and his wacky music to his long luxuriant curls, which my mother's good money helped me to replicate with very curly and very regular perms.
So when I stumbled on this book a month ago or so, I was over the moon with glee. Here at last, I found an entertaining, yet thoughtful and respectful, treatment of Weird Al's work that both my inner 14-year-old self and my middle-aged self could totally revel in! I appreciate Ms. Hirsch immensely for such a well-written, thoughtful, and respectful treatment of Al and his oeuvre! I enjoyed how she came up with unique questions that no one else had ever asked Al before. I also appreciated the attention Ms. Hirsch gave to Al's "pastiches" and style parodies and originals, as well as his commercial parodies. She explored so many different topics in each chapter in such a thoughtful and thought-provoking way, making it almost impossible for me to put this book down. I came away with a deeper understanding of Al's character and creative process around some of the more dicey subjects he covers in his work. I am purposely being vague, and omitting examples of what I'm talking about here, so as not to inadvertently give out any major spoilers. I want my fellow readers to be as excited and even pleasantly surprised as I was by all the awesome subjects covered in this book.
I especially appreciate the way Ms. Hirsch, in this book, gave us glimpses into Al as a regular person, a very intelligent, witty, creative, yet unpretentious family man, with a kind, caring, down-to-earth energy that is as real as the character he presents himself as in the public eye. Since my teens, this has always been the sense and feeling I've had about Al, reinforced when I've met Al in person over the years. So thank you, Ms. Hirsch, for also validating and re-confirming my sense of Al as well. I've cried more than a few times as I read about other Al fans like me, who found permission to be their true, authentic selves because of Al and his music. I admire how Al took the slur "Weird Al" from his college days, and turned that into a badge of honor and pride. Al embraced his weirdness, and even made fun of himself sometimes, and ultimately, Al turned being weird into something cool. He never let others judgment of him defeat him, or deter him from being his true, authentic self in every area of his life. Silly as this may sound, I feel so proud of Al, so proud to be a fan of his, and I have learned so much from Al. More than anything, I learned that it really is okay and safe for me to be my true, authentic self, too. I can even embrace my uniqueness and unique perspective as a blind woman and even as a later-blooming lesbian. I actually do NOT have to conform to any heteronormative, ableist or sightist expectations and ideals. I don't know if I would have said these things quite so coherently if not for having just finished this wonderful book. Thank you again, Ms. Lily Hirsch! I guess it really is safe to say that I have brought my deep admiration and respect and even love for Al with me into my middle-aged adulthood!
I apologize if my review lacks the coherence, intelligence, eloquence, or substance of the author herself. If nothing else, though, I hope readers of my review will know that I truly appreciated this book as a whole, and I will come back to it again and again. I found it to be as much of a treat as Al himself and his music is for me. The author, and the narrator, and of course Al himself, all get 5 stars from me all around! I would give 10 stars if that were possible.
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- Erin Shepherd
- 05-25-23
This book is by definition a parody
I gave up after Chapter 7 due to the dull nature of the author's writing. I stuck it out as long as I did for two reasons: the narrator had done a fantastic job and because I had hoped it would get better. The book is written in the format of an informative essay. The reason I refer to the book as its own parody above is because Hirsch is able to take very entertaining subject matter and deliver it in such a way to underwhelm the reader/listener. I will not deny that Hirsch had done some very wonderful research. Where I felt she fell short was in her own observations, as well as descriptions that are dismal at best, making the legendary Weird Al seem as interesting as a serial killer lacking a sense of humor. On subject matter that could be evocative the author doesn't dive in deep enough in her writing, despite the vast amount of research and references used, opting instead to narrowly scratch the surface. When presenting subject matter where less research and more inference seems to be used, she drones on with what seems to be a self-satisfactory amount of effort while dismissing her audience and Al altogether.
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