"Weird Al" Yankovic's next album to be his last

Musical parody pioneer "Weird Al" Yankovic is working right now on his next album.  And he's not planning on making another.

Yankovic confirmed it with journalist John J. Moser of The Morning Call in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania...

There's no question about it, parody singer "Weird Al" Yankovic says.

A world where virtually everyone has access to YouTube or other Internet video sites, and far more immediately than he does with physical CDs – and a world where music comes and goes with ephemeral popularity , his job has become far harder.

In fact, it's so difficult that Yankovic, who plays Sands Bethlehem Event Center at 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, says his next album is likely to be his last.

"I have one more album on my contract, and I'm looking forward to doing more digital distribution," Yankovic says in a call last week from his Los Angeles home. "Cause I think, particularly with what I have to do, I need to be as immediate as possible, and that means getting my material out quickly."

"So I don't even know after this next CD if I'll be doing any kind of traditional releases anymore because it seems like everything I do is geared more toward being online and being immediate. And I'm doing my best to figure out a way to do that."

Sounds like Al will not be retiring anytime soon, thank goodness!  He's just doing something he's very very good at: adapting and rolling with the times.  Besides, Al has been tilting toward this direction in the past few years already: in the summer of 2009 he did his "Internet Leaks" series of song releases, and they sold quite well on iTunes.  After his new album, we won't have to wait years for new Al songs.  They'll get to come to us immediately!

But even so: I honestly can't imagine a world where there are no more upcoming Weird Al albums.  Every time a new one came out, I've been there on its release date to buy it (sometimes even driving out of the way to get it).  When Poodle Hat was published ten years ago I pulled the shrink-wrap off the CD as soon as I got in the car, put the disc in the player and began listening immediately.  I was laughing so hard that a highway patrolman pulled me over 'cuz he thought I was drunk!

Maybe if we're good, Al will someday give us a compilation album of the new stuff.  Along with the requisite polka medley :-)

In related news, it's been discovered this week that "Weird Al" Yankovic joins Nicolas Cage, John Travolta and Kurt Russell in the illustrious ranks of celebrity time travelers!  The photo on the right is of a framed portrait found in a Cracker Barrel and Al Twitter-ed it.  Given that he is now in apparent possession of a working TARDIS, rest assured that we will have Weird Al to entertain us for many more eons to come...