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'Weird Al' goes live with his 'White & Nerdy' self
Parody king "Weird Al" Yankovic is making touring a priority this year as he heads out next month for dates in New Zealand and Australia to be followed by a US outing that kicks off in May.
Yankovic will travel from coast to coast during the trek, which begins May 2 in Glen Allen, VA. So far, the funnyman's itinerary takes him through mid-September, including a run of fairs. US dates are listed below and international shows can be found at Yankovic's website.
The performer said in a blog entry at his MySpace page that he may tour Europe in late April, as well.
Yankovic's September release, "Straight Outta Lynwood," debuted at No. 10 on The Billboard 200 album chart, making it his first Top 10 album in his nearly three-decade career. The song "White & Nerdy," a parody of Chamillionaire's hit "Ridin," is also his first Top 10 single.
"Straight Outta Lynwood" also features parodies of songs by Green Day, Usher, R. Kelly and Taylor Hicks, along with several originals. The set comes in a DualDisc format that includes Karaoke versions of the entire album, a behind-the-scenes documentary and six new music videos.
A few cuts and videos from the record are streaming at Yankovic's MySpace page, as is the tune "You're Pitiful," a parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," which didn't make it to the album because of a lack of support from Blunt's label, Atlantic Records.
Yankovic got his start in the music business as a teenager when he began sending homemade tapes of his accordion-powered songs to nationally syndicated radio jockey Dr. Demento. After building a modest cult following from the radio show, he scored a couple of nationally released singles, which led to a record deal.
Yankovic has since sold more than 12 million albums and won three Grammys. He was up for two more Grammys--Best Comedy Album and Best Surround Sound Album--at this month's ceremony but to no avail.
