Eight of 10 Naperville fifth-graders surveyed Friday agree: “Weird Al” is cooler than Justin Bieber.
But just a week ago, most of the Brookdale Elementary School students who were enlisted to perform a dance to Al Yankovic’s parody song “Eat It” during an appearance Friday afternoon at the school by the musical comedian had never listened to his work.
“I’d heard of him, but I never looked into his music,” said Noah Elston, one of the dance performers.
But now Noah is not only watching the accordion-playing Yankovic’s videos on YouTube, he’s making up his own knock-offs of today’s hits, much like “Weird Al” did to Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and scores of other songs through the years.
Brookdale School was among several Naperville locations Yankovic hit Friday to promote his bestselling book, “When I Grow Up.” Also on the schedule were stops at Anderson’s Bookshop and Meiley-Swallow Hall at North Central College.
“Usually, my audience is a little more multigenerational than this,” Yankovic said after reading his book to the Brookdale students. “I remember going to auditoriums when I was that age. I only hope this was more exciting.”
Yankovic fielded questions from kids, some screened, some improvised. His favorite authors? Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. What other jobs has he had? An accordion teacher. Was he in the movie “Avatar”? No, but he would consider a part in the sequel.
“When I Grow Up,” a book about careers, was an idea Yankovic developed after being approached by an editor who said his humor and word play would translate well into a children’s book.
Yankovic’s visit also drew 75 parents, many of whom said they went to “Weird Al” concerts as kids. “I had to come,” said Timothy Ory, whose wife, Carrie, helped organize the visit. “Growing up, my wife and I found him very amusing.”
But despite Friday’s young audience’s unfamiliarity with Yankovic, the students now consider themselves fans.
“I think I’ll buy a couple songs off iTunes by him,” student Andrew Winchester said.
