Northern Uproar: Tanya Tagaq's Favourite Albums | Page 11 of 14 | The Quietus

Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

10. “Weird Al” YankovicMandatory Fun

I love "Weird Al" Yankovic" so much. I think that if I met him, I would be completely star struck. I haven’t been star struck meeting anyone, but I would freak out if I met "Weird Al" and I cannot explain to you why I love him so much. Could you try? It’s difficult. I just find him so funny. For example, the way he can capture the inflection of a teenage girl’s voice just kills me. I have been listening to "Weird Al" since I was a little girl. I would go to his concerts. My daughter touched his shirt once – I had brought my whole family to see him. I love everything he does.
Mandatory Fun was a pinnacle. I think it hit number one on the Billboard chart. It won a Grammy and rightly so. It is so funny. He brings so much joy and laughter into my life. I may make very dark, serious music but I love to laugh and I am a very light-hearted person in real life, when I am not doing my music. I feel like he is a perfect outlet. I find laughter is a perfect conduit to love. I find too much sappiness really cheesy. I don’t like love ballads and I cannot watch ‘chick flicks’. But, if I was going to fall for anyone it would be "Weird Al" because he makes me laugh so hard. Every time. So, I would assume that the greatest thing that could happen in your life would be for "Weird Al" to cover one of your songs? Oh my god! I would fucking die. I dare him to try. Do you know what made me laugh so hard? It was the idea of one of my songs being on a karaoke machine. Can you imagine? What would the words be at the bottom of the screen? Can you imagine people trying to throat sing while drunk? Especially ‘Retribution’ as there is a bit of singing at the beginning, but then it goes completely insane. The thought of someone trying to replicate the throat singing on that song actually makes me want to cry laughing. However, "Weird Al" would never cover one of my songs as he only makes fun of really famous artists. He said in an interview that as soon as one of his young daughters are talking about a song and then he knows it is time.

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