31 Weirdest Easter Eggs In ‘Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story’

“Bizarre Al” Yankovic has some of the intense, loyal, obsessive, and simply plain bizarre fanbases in all of popular culture. He is aware of that his followers will take heed to his albums and watch his movies again and again and over so he fills them with neat little particulars you don’t choose up on through the first, second, and even twenty-seventh pay attention.

And…I…the writer of this piece, ought to know. I wrote the guide on Al, and with Al, within the 2012 espresso desk guide Bizarre Al: The Ebook (which is credited to Nathan Rabin with Al Yankovic), then adopted it up with a number of different books in regards to the pop parodist, together with 2020’ The Bizarre Accordion to Al: Ridiculously Sick-Suggested Vainness Version, a 500-page information to his life’s work in music, tv and movie, and the lately launched coloring guide The Bizarre A-Coloring to Al: Cynical Film Money-In Version, which was simply launched.

Anyway. Yankovic’s rapturously acquired Roku faux-biopic Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story, which lately received the Midnight Insanity Folks’s Selection Award on the prestigious Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant and is opening to deafening buzz. Though the film may be very a lot not an actual account of the particular lifetime of Al Yankovic, it’s stuffed with many references to Bizarre Al lore.

Listed here are 31 nifty Easter eggs and deep-cut references you might need missed in Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story.

1. Lin-Manuel Miranda: The surgeon who revives “Bizarre Al” Yankovic within the opening scene is Al’s shut buddy Lin-Manuel Miranda, the topic of Al’s “The Hamilton Polka”
2. Mad Journal: Mad journal mascot Alfred E. Neuman could be seen within the background of a number of scenes, a tribute to Al’s love for the journal, a significant affect on his music and movies. Problems with Mad may also be present in Al’s boyhood bed room.
3. Bing Crosby: Al’s dad mockingly compares his son to Bing Crosby, a famously chilly and emotionally abusive father like Al’s within the film.
4. Music Man: Thomas Lennon’s viciously abused and anachronistic accordion salesman is a parody of con artist Harold Hill from The Music Man.
5. Polka Occasion: As a teen, Al attends a wild and raucous polka get together, a nod to his unsuccessful 1986 album Polka Occasion!
6. Comedy Bang! Bang! The cop who brings younger Al residence to his dad and mom from the polka get together is performed by Scott Aukerman, host of the podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! and its tv adaptation, which featured Al because the bandleader in its fifth and remaining season.
7. The Band: Although they’re by no means talked about by their full names, Al’s roommates-turned-bandmates are his real-life band Steve Jay, Jim “Kimo” West, and drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz
8. UHF: When Al tears off a ticket for band auditions a flier for Kuni’s Karate Faculty —which was prominently featured within the movie UHF — could be seen within the background.
9. Punk: Al auditions for a punk band by enjoying a one-man, accordion model of “Beat on the Brat”, a track he lined for a Dr. Demento punk compilation. Demento, by the way, was additionally one of many first DJs to play The Ramones.
10. Thriller Science Theater 3000: One of many punks who rejects Al’s audition is performed by comic and Thriller Science Theater 3000 host Jonah Ray, who launched an EP of punk “Bizarre Al” Yankovic covers referred to as You Can’t Name Me Al.
11. Future meals: When Al makes the bologna sandwich that conjures up “My Bologna”, Cap’n Crunch and Raisin Bran could be seen within the background, foreshadowing their look in “Eat It.”
12. Bologna: Al recording “My Bologna” in a rest room is a nod to “My Bologna” being recorded in a rest room close to the workplace of KCPR, the school radio station the place Al was a DJ.
13. Large document deal: Al mockingly being provided a 14-album take care of Scotti Brothers is a nod to Al really recording 14 studio albums together with his band collected on the Squeeze Field field set.
14. Document label: Will Forte and the true Al play the Scotti Brothers, the real-life house owners of the label that put out Al’s early albums.
15. Rocky Highway: Al debuting “I Love Rocky Highway” in a punk membership is extra believable than you may think! It was written by Alan Merrill and Jake Hooker of The Arrows (who put out their very own model in 1975) however was made well-known by Joan Jett, a member of the seminal punk band The Runaways, and The Intercourse Pistols’ Steve Jones and Paul Prepare dinner backed up Jett on her preliminary recording of it.
16. Humorous or Die origin: The heckler on the punk rock membership is performed by comic and writer Patton Oswalt, who performed Dr. Demento within the Humorous or Die sketch that impressed the movie and is within the video for “Foil.”
17. Fish heads: When Dr. Demento says that the Scotti Brothers wouldn’t acknowledge actual expertise if it hit them within the face with a fish, it’s a winking homage to Barnes & Barnes’ “Fish Heads”, the most well-liked track within the historical past of the Dr. Demento Present.
18. Outsider artwork: Demento compares Al to Wild Man Fischer, an outsider artist fashionable on The Dr. Demento Present.
19. Dirk Diggler: Demento’s pool get together is a parody of Boogie Nights.
20. Devo: The boys in purple hats within the Demento pool get together scene are members of Devo, the inspiration for Al’s “Dare to be Silly”
21. Playhouse: Pee-Wee Herman does the dance he did to “Tequila” in Pee-Wee’s Large Journey at Demento’s pool get together. Elvira, who seems within the iconic scene as a biker chick beneath her actual identify, can also be a partygoer at Demento’s huge pool get together.
22. Emo: Salvador Dali is performed by Emo Phillips, who costarred in UHF and has opened for Al on a number of excursions.
23. Queen: John Deacon, the Queen member nobody acknowledges even after he says his identify, is the only credited songwriter of “One other One Bites the Mud”, which signifies that he would have a monetary incentive in Al parodying his track.
24. Accordion case: Al being accompanied by a man banging on an accordion case and a person making flatulent noises together with his arms is a reference to his drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz “enjoying” the accordion case on the unique recording of “One other One Rides the Bus” and fart-rock virtuoso“Musical” Mike Kieffer, whose peculiar specialty livened up Al’s early albums.
25. LSD: Within the movie, Dr. Demento doses Al with LSD. In actual life, Al is managed by Jay Levey (who directed UHF), who has additionally managed Dr. Demento in addition to the late LSD guru Timothy Leary
26. CBB: The Yankovic Bump references “The CBB Bump”, or will increase in recognition after somebody seems on the Comedy Bang! Bang! Podcast.
27. Indy: Al angrily tells Demento that he received’t be the brand new Indiana Jones, a personality he parodied in UHF.
28. 27: When Al reveals up drunk for his present and is confronted by his band members, it’s by Part 27. The quantity 27 has a particular which means in Al’s mythology. (Nonetheless, in actual life, he doesn’t drink)
29. The Doorways: Al drunkenly, shirtlessly insulting followers is a parody of an analogous sequence in Oliver Stone’s The Doorways.
30. Actual-life love: The girl seated subsequent to Al’s character on the closing awards ceremony is Al’s real-life spouse Suzanne Yankovic.
31. RIP Coolio: The person with the loopy hair scowling at Al whereas he performs “Amish Paradise” is the late Coolio, who famously objected to Al’s parody earlier than later making peace with him.

Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story streaming

You’ll be able to solely stream Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story in a single place, the Roku Channel. It’s one hundred pc free and also you don’t want a Roku account.