Album recording

[ETB]

Hey Bermuda, so has Al gotten to begin on any parodies, you know writing the songs, or is that being held until something great happens in the Country? and How many songs have been recorded since Al and the band went into the studio?

[CatraDhtem]

Even if it had been done, it might have been delayed by 9/11 too. Nobody was in a laughing mood around that time

That I'm not too sure I would agree with you on. Humor can be very cathartic and therapeutic at times (remember that dumb Robin Williams movie?...I know, I know, which one?). Grieving and being grateful for what you still have is very important, of course, but a good laugh can be very cleansing for the soul.



Sure, certain subjects would have seemed inappropriate around September, but never did I think that the entire country had to suddenly become serious about everything. Who would want to live in a society like that?

[bermuda]

ETB -



We've worked on 6 originals, and when work begins on the parodies, that news will appear - AS ALWAYS - at weirdal.com first!!

[hamsterpal]

Even if it had been done, it might have been delayed by 9/11 too. Nobody was in a laughing mood around that time

That I'm not too sure I would agree with you on. Humor can be very cathartic and therapeutic at times (remember that dumb Robin Williams movie?...I know, I know, which one?). Grieving and being grateful for what you still have is very important, of course, but a good laugh can be very cleansing for the soul.

Sure, certain subjects would have seemed inappropriate around September, but never did I think that the entire country had to suddenly become serious about everything. Who would want to live in a society like that?

It's not a matter of wanting to, it's a matter of having respect for the thousands of people who died, and the thousands more grieving those deaths. Even the major networks and motion picture studios postponed many TV shows and movies, because this country just wasn't in the mood. A good laugh can be cleansing for the soul, but not in the face of a terrorist attack killing more than three thousand people. The only thing people were laughing at after 9/11 were all those "kill Bin Laden" sites. And those were all topical, satirical humor - not Al's style, as Al has said himself in interviews. As much as I would've loved to hear him do a Spike Jones cover and call it "Bin Laden's Face", I knew it'd never happen....

[CatraDhtem]

It's not a matter of wanting to, it's a matter of having respect for the thousands of people who died, and the thousands more grieving those deaths.

Finding something funny is not the polar opposite of having respect for a tragedy. You're kind of going to extremes here. I recall there being a light laugh or two in "Schindler's List," but I don't think the seriousness of what was going on was lost at all.

Even the major networks and motion picture studios postponed many TV shows and movies, because this country just wasn't in the mood.

C'mon, let's be honest. Television in general was postponed because of news coverage, and the only movie pulled from immediate broadcast because of content was "Independence Day." The only movies I recall not opening in theaters when they were supposed to were either terrorism or bomb-related.

And if the country wasn't in the mood for humorous escapism, then how do you explain comedies like "Rat Race" and "American Pie 2" each grossing three million that weekend at the box office?

A good laugh can be cleansing for the soul, but not in the face of a terrorist attack killing more than three thousand people.

Which I don't believe I implied. I said laughter is important to get us through times as such.

Take a look at when Leno, Letterman, Conan, or SNL first went back on the air very soon after the attacks. I can't recall his exact wording, but Conan said something to the effect of that they're on the air to make fools of themselves, and although events such as 9/11 put it into a different perspective, it is more important now than it has ever been to keep doing what they've always done.

Keeping a sense of humor in times of world suffering does not make one a cold, heartless jackass. If that was true, then the Three Stooges have some explaining to do for making films during WW2.

The only thing people were laughing at after 9/11 were all those "kill Bin Laden" sites.

This I really don't agree with, again since two very irrelevent, wacky comedies did fairly well that following weekend.

And those were all topical, satirical humor - not Al's style, as Al has said himself in interviews.

Which is exactly why I think that if a new Weird Al album was targeted for a Fall, 2001 release, then it probably wouldn't have been postponed. In fact, a lot of people would have most likely welcomed it.



But, that is neither here nor there. I'm not trying to argue with you, I just think you may be underestimating when people can handle humor.

[hamsterpal]

Finding something funny is not the polar opposite of having respect for a tragedy. You're kind of going to extremes here.

Actually, I'm just repeating what I heard repeated so often on so many newsgroups, message boards, etc. This isn't my personal opinion, it's the opinion of the majority of people. IMHO, the majority of people were the ones who went to extremes, but more on that in a moment.

C'mon, let's be honest. Television in general was postponed because of news coverage, and the only movie pulled from immediate broadcast because of content was "Independence Day."

You're mistaken here, I'm afraid. Many TV networks didn't even air their previously scheduled Xmas episodes, because they thought it would be upsetting to the families who lost loved ones. The thinking being that this would upset those whose relatives had died, because it was their first Xmas without the relatives who perished. My personal opinion was that it was kinda stupid to postpone a Xmas episode of "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" (apparently you didn't hear that the WB scrapped its entire Xmas schedule that year, incl. that show) over the events of 9/11. IMHO, letting a terrorist act disrupt Xmas programming was a form of admitting defeat. If anything, Xmas should have been a time for people to gather together and find strength--not something to be set aside and forgotten. But the decision to skip Xmas episodes was made, even though you apparently didn't hear about it.

And if the country wasn't in the mood for humorous escapism, then how do you explain comedies like "Rat Race" and "American Pie 2" each grossing three million that weekend at the box office?

Three million is a pretty pathetic figure, for movies that opened as widely as those did. IIRC, isn't that about the same amount "UHF" pulled during its first weekend? It too was on a lot of screens nationwide, and it was considered a box office failure. With the sizeable NYC audience at home, in shock, and frightened after 9/11, their absence took a big toll on movies and live theater.

I said laughter is important to get us through times as such.

I agree, but our opinion is in the minority. And for all I know, maybe my opinion would have been different too, if I'd lost a loved one on 9/11. It's hard to predict, unless (God forbid) it happens to you personally.

Take a look at when Leno, Letterman, Conan, or SNL first went back on the air very soon after the attacks. I can't recall his exact wording, but Conan said something to the effect of that they're on the air to make fools of themselves, and although events such as 9/11 put it into a different perspective, it is more important now than it has ever been to keep doing what they've always done.

Actually, Letterman's show was widely praised because of its post 9/11 sensitivity, rather than comedy-as-usual. To this day, more people remember Letterman's heartfelt conversation with Dan Rather, than the monologue that night.

Keeping a sense of humor in times of world suffering does not make one a cold, heartless jackass. If that was true, then the Three Stooges have some explaining to do for making films during WW2.

That's comparing apples to oranges. In WW2, the Stooges and other comedians of their era were helping to rally the public to endure the war. And, like the "kill Bin Laden" web sites we saw more recently, the humor involved was very much topical. As I mentioned earlier, Weird Al has often said he doesn't do topical humor.

The only thing people were laughing at after 9/11 were all those "kill Bin Laden" sites.

This I really don't agree with, again since two very irrelevent, wacky comedies did fairly well that following weekend.

Again, a lousy 3 mil is nowhere near "fairly well". If it were, UHF would have been a hit from the start, instead of taking all these years to finally be recognized by the public.

And those were all topical, satirical humor - not Al's style, as Al has said himself in interviews.

Which is exactly why I think that if a new Weird Al album was targeted for a Fall, 2001 release, then it probably wouldn't have been postponed. In fact, a lot of people would have most likely welcomed it.

Apparently, you've forgotten what happened to Britney Spears, when her album was released around that time. Not that she's a comedienne, but people just became hostile toward lightweight entertainment in general. Posters advertising her then-forthcoming HBO special were defaced with obscenities that I won't repeat in a family-friendly forum like this. There's even a web site devoted to the graffiti on these posters. Like her or hate her, Spears has far more "star power" than Al. So if people turned on her lightweight pop with such a vengeance, I hate to think how they might have turned on someone releasing a comedy album. Your opinion and mine notwithstanding, it's the majority opinion that counts. And the majority of people were feeling grief, which turned into anger. That's why they lashed out at anything that seemed inconsequential, such as Britney Spears. Again, our personal opinions notwithstanding, the majority of people view Al's humor as pretty lightweight, as well.

I just think you may be underestimating when people can handle humor.

I understand. But you've assumed that this is my opinion, when it's not. The postponement of TV programs, the attacks on Britney Spears, all these things that happened after 9/11 weren't my "opinion". These are all actual facts that you've simply overlooked. When a major network even caught flak for airing a documentary about 9/11 recently, you yourself are underestimating how deep people's post-9/11 grief still is.

[WHiZZi]

Guys. Please stay on-topic. You both told your opinions, and that's ok to do that, but not in this kind of topics.. (This is Ask Bermuda remember )

[Johnnytimewarp]

Regarding a statement previously made in this post...Al has done topical stuff in the past..."Buckingham Blues", "Trigger Happy", and "Headline News" being but three examples...

[minnick27]

these argumens are pretty pointless. if there had been a new weird al album scheduled for the fall, would he have not started working on it this time last year? maybe al planned to have a release for late 2002 or 2003, we shouldnt keep speculating, its just silly



Mike

[Johnnytimewarp]

Speculation is a good thing! Maybe if our goverment speculated a little more we wouldn't have had to go through September 11 and wind up near the brink of human extinction...