‘Weird Al’ Yankovic keeps dorkiness close to his heart
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: I usually have to finish a conversation with a guest before I can draw some big conclusion, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say this about “Weird Al” Yankovic: I think that more than the perfect rhyming scheme, more than the most ridiculous pun, more than music itself, what “Weird Al” loves most in the world is making people happy.
Hey, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he fell hard for the accordion as a kid and realized a few years later that he was really good at making up fake lyrics to real songs. And that this — THIS was his ticket to fame and stardom.
But I don’t think so. His art is too self-effacing to be about ego. When performing, “Weird Al” is the spiritual manifestation of every dorky kid who never fit in, now finally getting their moment — not by trying to fit into someone else’s idea of cool — but by leaning into every single thing that makes them weird. And that is a beautiful and generous thing.
And 46 years after his first big hit, “My Bologna,” came out, “Weird Al” is still at it. His “Bigger & Weirder 2025 Tour” kicks off in June.
As Israel recovers the bodies of three more hostages, how many are still in Gaza?
Israel said Sunday that it has recovered the bodies of three more hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that ignited the ongoing 20-month war in the Gaza Strip.
Iran’s top officials condemn U.S. strikes and assert their right to self-defense
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the American operation an "outrageous, grave and unprecedented violation" of the United Nations Charter and international law.
FedEx founder Fred Smith, who revolutionized package delivery, dies at 80
Smith once said he came up with the name Federal Express because he wanted the company to sound big and important when in fact it was a start-up operation with a future far from assured.
In this rural Colorado valley, cuts to Medicaid would have vast ripple effects
Cuts to Medicaid moving through Congress would shake up health care in the scenic San Luis Valley — with negative downstream effects on local jobs, businesses and education.
LA Dodgers pledge $1 million in support of immigrants amid ICE raids
The pledge comes amid ongoing federal immigration raids targeting migrants in the area, and calls from the Dodgers' fanbase for the organization to speak out against them.
What separates the ultrarich from the just-plain-rich? The gigayacht.
A new collection of essays by New Yorker writer Evan Osnos, The Haves and Have-Yachts, provides rich research and material for the conversation about extreme wealth in America today.
