Summary
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a parody that blurs the line between reality and fiction, leaving viewers unsure of what actually happened in Yankovic's life.
- The movie makes outrageous and unsubstantiated claims about Yankovic, including the false assertion that he dated Madonna.
- Yankovic himself finds the confusion and misinformation amusing, but clarifies that he only met Madonna briefly and their relationship was platonic.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story left viewers wondering which parts of the movie are based in reality and left many fans wondering "Did Weird Al date Madonna?" Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is partly a parody of music artist biopics, serving up drama and bizarre scenarios that never actually happened in Yankovic's life. Among the claims made in the film are the ideas that his parents were not ive of his music-making, that he had an alcohol problem and the bombshell that he dated Madonna.
"I hope this movie confuses a lot of people," Yankovic told Weird: The Al Yankovic Story distorting the truth and making outrageous, mostly unsubstantiated claims about the artist and his personal life. "Weird Al" having a relationship with Madonna is the most confusing assertion of the movie. With fans watching the movie wondering "Did Weird Al date Madonna," it caused a lot of people to question reality from fantasy. Of course, as it is in movies, the areas of fact and fiction often veer closely to each other.
10 Celebrity Biopic Tropes That Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Parodies
Celebrity biopics all seem to share bullet points for the genre, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story parodies the tropes seen in these movies.
The Truth About Weird Al And Madonna's Dating History
"Weird Al" Yankovic, who co-wrote Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, portrays Madonna as both his love interest and the villainess of the movie. But neither was true in real life. Despite Madonna being one of the main characters in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Yankovic actually only met Madonna one time. "Our relationship is platonic, by the way," the music parody icon shared on The Tonight Show. "The only time I actually met her was in 1985. I talked to her for maybe like 45 seconds backstage. So that's the extent of the relationship."
That year, "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded "Like a Surgeon," a parody of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" that she had personally suggested. After she told a friend about the idea, that friend shared it with Yankovic's manager, Jay Levey. Yankovic decided "Like a Surgeon" would be a pretty good idea, so he decided to create the parody for his third album, Dare to Be Stupid.
The song, which is given a different origin story in the positively reviewed Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, peaked at number 47 on the Billboard charts during the week ending July 13, 1985. "Like A Surgeon" was the one and only time Yankovic recorded a parody suggested by the original song's artist, and it would remain his sole Madonna parody.
Why Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Made Up A Madonna Romance
There was some rhyme and reason behind the contrived Madonna storyline in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. "Weird Al" Yankovic explained this storyline was added to demonstrate to viewers 'The Yankovic Bump," the phenomenon that caused the original artist's record sales to soar after he parodied a song. Yankovic claims this happened with Nirvana, among other artists.
Yankovic had Madonna's character (played by Evan Rachel Wood) in the movie relentlessly pursue "Weird Al" (perfectly played by Daniel Radcliffe) in an effort to convince or manipulate him into parodying one of her songs so that she would reap the financial benefits of "The Yankovic Bump." That concept was then exaggerated to result in the Madonna character becoming romantically involved with "Weird Al."
Yankovic wanted Weird: The Al Yankovic Story to be a roller coaster for viewers. "I want to take people on a ride," he told Decider, and that's exactly the effect of the movie. With such a loose portrayal of Yankovic's story, the movie set audiences on a quest to separate the nuggets of truth — of which there were few — from the fibs and exaggerations. Despite what the movie depicts, "Weird Al" Yankovic also had an excellent, ive relationship with his parents, he rarely drank, never did any drugs, and most importantly, he never actually ever dated Madonna.
Every Song In Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (& Who Sings Them)
Weird features a full lineup of "Weird" Al songs, including parodies of Madonna and Queen, but Daniel Radcliffe isn't the one singing them.
What Weird Al Said About The Movie's Made Up Madonna Romance
It didn't take long for someone to ask Weird Al Yankovic about his affair with Madonna that was shown in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. He seemed amused at the entire confusion that fans came away from the movie with.
It showed him having his affair with Madonna, ri the ranks to become a drug kingpin, and then eventually getting his guacamole laced with LCD by radio DJ Dr. Demento. None of that happened obviously, and Weird Al just laughed about it, saying he was amused that the Madonna affair was "the number one Google search. I don’t know if Madonna is even aware of this movie. I’m very curious what she thinks… I hope she’s OK with it." (via Variety).
Yankovic said Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is mostly just a joke. He mentioned his parents' portrayal in Weird and said he thought they would have enjoyed it because "They would have gotten that it’s a joke. They know me." While many fans wondered about the legitimacy of the movie, specifically asking "Did Weird Al date Madonna?" he said he saw how inaccurate the Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was, and it bothered him so much that he thought, "maybe I can do a biopic but just like, just throw facts out the window. Just go completely off the rails."
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is available to stream on Roku.
