Polkarama
September 21, 2006 7:58 AM   Subscribe

Polkarama
posted by triv (14 comments total)
 
Courtesy of Weird Al Yankovic.
posted by triv at 7:58 AM on September 21, 2006


MusicVideoFilter!
posted by antifuse at 8:14 AM on September 21, 2006


I'll say one thing about Weird Al... he sure is consistent.
posted by bobot at 8:17 AM on September 21, 2006


Along the same lines as this video, I once watched a string of hip-hop videos with the sound down, and ragtime melodies playing from my own CD. The effect of changing the rhythm of the accompaniment was astonishing! When watched with Scott Joplin playing in the background, all those humpy-jerky hip hop moves were transformed into gentle, fairy ballets. The ragtime correlated precisely with the hip-hop in a different time scheme at some slower rhythmic level. Seen in rag time, the line dancing was drained of its jagged aggressiveness, and took on the peaceful mein of a pastoral, almost druidic ritual. The apelike arm-waving and penis-framing of the rappers turned into wan, wistful gestures of appeal, like a child's hands reaching from a cradle. Try it sometime!
posted by Faze at 8:25 AM on September 21, 2006


I like Weird Al just fine, but one two threads per album plzktnx.
posted by Plutor at 8:36 AM on September 21, 2006


yay, just what MeFi needed, more youtube, huzzah...
posted by Vindaloo at 9:51 AM on September 21, 2006


He's just not that weird, is he?
posted by DenOfSizer at 10:13 AM on September 21, 2006


What a quirky observation, DenOfSizer.

Oh, I guess it's not that quirky, someone says it in every Weird Al thread. And cortex points out that "...he chose the moniker in a more gentle timeā€”he was just a boy with an accordian and a cover of "My Sharona", about bolgna (sic), mailed in to one Dr. Demento on cassette. It was, against any reasonable baseline, an arguably weird thing to be doing."
posted by Plutor at 11:56 AM on September 21, 2006


Triv, have you been visiting MY blog? If so, you'd have discovered this video goodie four days ago. Anyway, I have always considered the polka medleys to be one of Weird Al's finest comedy achievements and am delighted that somebody has done such a good job of video-fying it - the speeding up of the songs videos to fit the polka tempo is hilarious!
posted by wendell at 2:14 PM on September 21, 2006


I know of at least 4 Mefites that were in a Madison, Wisconsin-based polka band (after the last meeting, that is). It is said that they are the only band to ever play at a student bar in the afternoon, and then have a second gig that evening at the senior center.
posted by thanotopsis at 2:25 PM on September 21, 2006


Sorry, Plutor, from now on I'll read all your favorited comments.
posted by DenOfSizer at 3:23 PM on September 21, 2006


I'm a huge Al fan. But I must be getting older - I only recognized a few of the songs in that polka-fest. Also, not a big single-youtube-link fan, but... thanks!
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 6:33 PM on September 21, 2006


wendell - I bow to your superior yankovic finding skills! and yes, I have to agree that it is one of his best moments, in my opinion.

Satirising pop music with polka music set to over choreographed videos just hits the spot. I'd like to compare Weird Al to the Banksy of music, but I don't think either would forgive me.
posted by triv at 1:49 AM on September 22, 2006


I'll hold you to that, DenOfSizer. Sorry that came off a bit snarky by the way. I just meant to point out that "Weird Al isn't that weird, is he?" is the kind of thing you hear in a bad standup routine right after "Why do you park in a driveway?". Which I guess is still pretty snarky, but at least now it's clearer.
posted by Plutor at 3:14 AM on September 22, 2006


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