Weird Al Yankovic is an American comedy musician, parody artist, producer, and actor.
Born Alfred Matthew Yankovic on October 23, 1959, in Downey, California, Yankovic has cemented his name in the entertainment scene with his humorous songs that light up pop culture.
He also has his original musical work, besides performing polka medleys of popular songs that feature his trademark accordion.
With more than 13 million albums sold worldwide and four Grammy Awards, Yankovic is probably one of the greatest comedy artists of all time.
This has left most of his fans questioning his Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and whether he is a musical genius.
How smart is Weird Al Yankovic?
Weird Al Yankovic started showing his smartness while he was still a kid.
He was always far ahead of his peers, something that made him skip his second-grade school.
However, he was always bullied by other older students in his class, who thought he was some kind of a rocket scientist.
Weird’s fastest-growing household name also made his torturous childhood worth it as it exposed him to more adult opportunities at a tender age.
According to various sources, Al Yankovic could have an IQ of 156. He also revealed in his interview with Freezone that his IQ is up to triple digits.
As an intelligent student, Al Yankovic graduated from Lynwood High School as valedictorian at the age of 16 before attending the California Polytechnic State University where he graduated with honors.
Al Yankovic’s high IQ is also seen in his ability to learn and master musical aspects faster.
For instance, he took his first accordion lesson one day before his 7th birthday and taught himself to play it.
Only three years later, he could play rock n roll just by listening to Elton John.
He also worked as a part-time accordion instructor and in a radio syndication firm in Culver City, California as a mailman before moving into the office.
Is Weird Al Yankovic a musical genius?
It seems easier to create parody songs that captivate the audience with their humorous content.
But it requires some kind of smartness to create parodies that the audience can milk for decades before getting tired of them.
And that is what set Weird Al Yankovic ahead of other comedic parody artists.
Despite graduating with a degree in architecture, Weird Al decided that architecture was not for him and he chose to venture into music professionally.
He started by sending his taped recordings of his parodies to radio DJ Dr. Demento who was famed for playing comedy songs on his show.
His musical breakthrough, however, was when he created a parody of The Knack’s song My Sharona and named it My Bologna.
The Knack band loved his creation and connected Weird to Capitol Record where he signed his first six-month contract.
Fast-forward through his 27-year musical journey, Al Yankovic has managed to stay on top of many pop stars with his parodies and original songs.
Many people also believe that musicians are not successful until Weird has parodied their songs.
It is, therefore, fair to say Weird is a musical genius, having won four Grammy awards for his work and with over 13 million albums sold globally.
While it is somehow challenging to create parodies of hit songs and still get the intended attention, Weird makes everything look easier through his effortless artistic skills.
This has made him join the list of musical geniuses like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
What is Weird Al Yankovic up to now?
Still considered the king of pop star parodies, Weird Al Yankovic released his last album titled Mandatory Fun in 2014 and got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018.
Currently, he is more focused on his international tours and having a good time with his family.
His Roku biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, was also slated to be released on November 4, 2022, while a graphic novel titled The Illustrated Al: The Songs of Weird Al Yankovic was slated to hit bookstores on November 22, 2022.
