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Music Media

It's All About the Pentiums 121

Posted by Hemos from the just-eat-it dept.
Keith Calder writes "Weird Al's new video is going to be viewable online today at 3:30 PM (edt) after its debut on MTV's Total Request Live. The song is "It's All About the Pentiums", and has a lot of funny net-references. Probably the closest thing to a nerd song that MTV will ever play. The website is thepentiums.com (will launch later today). It's apparantly done by the same team that did sagabegins.com. "
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It's All About the Pentiums More

It's All About the Pentiums

Comments Filter:
  • The slashdot effect may have won the battle, but the war will go on! (gonna distribute images across other servers)
  • You have the right to record it off TV. The problem isn't your right, but rather our rights (the record label). I don't know all the details, but if it makes you feel better I tried to get downloadable instead of streaming.

  • (Score:1)

    by zztzed ( 279 )
    I took a few screen grabs from the video when it was aired on eMpTyV. If you're impatient (like me) and you can't wait to download an entire video file, you can see them here [bellsouth.net].
  • Almost perfect, just a Linux reference and it would have been there.
    What do you call this:

    "While your computer's crashin', mine's multitaskin'"

    :-)

  • Just a few weeks ago in Boston area. It was one of the best concerts I've been to in a while. Al did a lot of new stuff, followed by his classics. Many were done in costume (bedrock anthem, fat, etc) and in between songs, there were video clips from either his TV show, UHF, or references to him in mass media (Naked Gun, King Of the Hill, etc).
    Afterwards, he came out and signed his autograph for everyone that waited around (about 100-150 of us). Bass and keyboard player came out as well and chatted with us for a while. If you're a fan, definately check out if he'll be playing near you and go. Worth the trip.
  • Pretty Fly for a Rabbi is my vote.

    Tho Jerry Springer would be the second vote.
  • Oh, man. I love Weird Al, but of all the songs on the album he could've picked a better one to make a video for. I skip past that song on the CD every time it comes up. It's too full of tired old cliche's and "I'm cool cause I know how to turn on a computer"-type claptrap. "I'm down with Bill Gates, I call him Money for short." - Puh-lease. Barf.

    I'd have much rather seen *any* of the other songs turned into videos. (Somehow I think the song that would be best enhanced with visuals is "Truck Drivin Song" - that could come out very funny if it was doen right.

    IMO "All about the Pentiums" is the second worst Al song ever. It would be the worst if it weren't for the existence of "Waffle King".

    Other than that one song, though, it was a great album.

  • Watched something about him on VH-1 a while back. He also got a bachelors in architecture while he was starting his music career on the side.

  • you're just mad because he dissed your favorite Cindy Lauper song.

    "The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
    -jafac's law
  • I can solve your slow server problem!!!

    Provide the file as downloadable, NOT as a stream.

    Person A downloads the file, distributes it to person B, and person C, who distribute it to persons D, E, F, and G, etc. INSTEAD of persons A-Z trying to all view the stream at once, and not one of them getting a decent viewing experience because the server's bogged.

    If I ever get a chance to view it on your site, I'll decide if I like it, THEN I'll buy the CD. Until then, my money sits in MY bank account, collecting interest for me, instead of your bank account collecting interest for you.
    Multiply that by 100,000 pissed off would-be internet viewers, and you have probably enough money to pay off Puff-Daddy's punk ass.

    "The number of suckers born each minute doubles every 18 months."
    -jafac's law
  • Sometime in my dreams
    I can still hear her screams
    Oh, I wonder if she ever made it home?
  • I admit its not his best, but its still Al.
    Germs is actually my least favorite song on the Album, and I think "Your Horoscope for Today." is the best.

    This is the second album in which I had to see what was a parody because I hadn't heaed the originals, since I stopped listening to mainstream music.

    It peaked at 16 on the billboard and has alread gone gold in 4 weeks (not that thats an indication of quality, the Backseat Boys went gold instantly)

    I think Bad Hair Day was the best of the recent Stuff.

    And If you get a chance go to a concert. They are great. I went during the Bad Hair Tour, and actually got to meet the man. He signed my Hat.

    I think I miss the best part of AL, since I have cable that doesn't carry VH1 or MTV so I never see the videos or AL-TV.

    --
    Cheez

  • 1) We had to do streaming because we don't have rights to let people download the original song (puffy's)

    What has that got to do with anything whatsoever? You wouldn't be distributing the original song aither way -- just making it possible for people to see a version of this one that doesn't suck. You're already distributing this song. What possible difference could it make whether you stream it or just serve up the file?

    I'm sure media-streaming is the coolest thing to be invented since, well, ever, since that's what everyone seems to think and who am I to argue, but it should always be an option, not the only one.

    Obviously, when you stream something, you have to use the bitrate dictated by the user's connection speed, but how dare you assume that the user wants to stream it in the first place? It's just evil to refuse to give an option where the user can say, "Streaming's cool and all, but my connection is slow, and I want to see it at high quality. I'm willing to wait; just give me the whole file."

    I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that the issue is not that you're trying to prevent people from saving the file to disk, though it's hard to see any other possible reason. Given that you're going to make it available at all, you have absolutely no right to even try to control how I use it. Once you send me the bits, they're in my computer's memory, to do with as I please. Of course, applicable copyright restrictions forbid me to redistribute or sell it, but why shouldn't I be able to keep it and view it again later?

    I can't even imagine why you would want to do that. When you're trying to get some content out to the largest possible audience, you'd actually rather have the extra bandwidth load on your server when the same person wants to watch it again, or show it to a friend, and not just give him the file once and be done with it? You'd also rather have people see what I got -- one small (~200 pixel) frame that could have been Weird Al on a stage, quickly replaced by a garbled mess of partially-loaded frames, changing about every two seconds -- instead of a near-broadcast-quality version that would actually show me how cool the video is?

    Please try to see past all the over-hyped technologies du jour, think about the actual results, and make the site good.

    David Gould
  • ...does the song mention slashdot?! :)
  • Inspired by what I don't know :)

    But seriously, it definately takes mad lyrical skillz to combine several different parodies of pop crap into one cohesive whole. Funny, his polka parodies are often better than the songs which comprise it. The whole really is more than the sum of its parts.
  • I'm getting a 404 on the RealAudio version (at pnm://www.peeps.com/peeps/weirdal2/pentium .rm [peeps.com]), is it actually not there? Or is this this server's response to being /.ed?
  • I have an Al CD with all his albums MP3'd and a 56 meg MPG of Saga.

    However, the MP3's were ripped from MY original Al CD's, and the MPG came from my own videotape of TRL, and I'm not making copies. What I've done is legal; if I gave away copies, it wouldn't be. Of course it doesn't make sense. There are lawyers involved.

    Now I just gotta get the Al DVD!

    (yeah, I'm a fan)
  • right here [benisdead.com]. The root of that site may be interesting also (lot of Retro Hell stuff).

    Chuck
  • I missed it, doh. Anyone know where I could download it in some video format?

    -A
  • I met weird al the other day backstage at the Myrtle Beach show (after getting hooked up by Steve Jay, the bassist).. and I complemented him on the accuracy of "It's All About the Pentiums" :)


  • Except that in the lyrics included with the CD, he spells it "loser".

    -LjM
  • In my ever-so-unsolicited opinion, the only difference between high-brow humor and low-brow humor is the amount of fun you have to give up to appreciate it. If you truly don't LIKE Weird Al, that's fine. But if you're just acting like you don't like him so you can appear to have some class, kill the sham. Masking your inner self ultimately nets nothing, and you might as well give it up now.
  • He's actually quite the internet nerd. His website has something explaining his nerd-dom. From what I understand, he even does some programming.
  • By the way, if you have MTV and happened to miss the video earlier today, TRL is on again at 8pm. I'd tune in at about 9:15 (they played it before the number one song) if you want to catch it.
  • Oh yeah, there's a *clip* of the video at
    [mtv.com]
    It's a 45kbps network stream, so 28.8 or higher connection (28.8 took about 40 sec to buffer) you should be fine. You'll need real player.
  • Aargh, Should have used preview. But that's what happens when you forget the "/a" tag
  • If you would like to see this video on MTV but don't want to wade through MTV's bloated content, I've greatly simplified their vote page. This is for TRL for Thursday (tommorow). The url is:
    http://www.madwolf.net/zug/trl.html [madwolf.net]
    Let's kick some BSB ass! =P
  • Weird Al is pretty damned nerdy himself. First the man's mega-smart (graduated highschool 1st in his class two years early). Second...look at him, the man has to be a die-hard geek, even if he doesn't know it yet.
  • Maybe you have never really listened to Weird Al. The man is brilliant (not just wrt music). Sure he doesn't seem to be able to write music, but he is one hell of a lyricist. If he really had no tallent I doubt he'd be so popular. He's not the only person on the planet who does paradies.
  • I don't think it's fair to blame Keith on this one, folks. I'll bet you anything the lawyers are responsible for this. You can probably trace it back to the recording industry if you try hard enough. Of course the download would make it easier on the server than a stream, but they don't have to have it up on the web site at all. For those of us who'd rather hammer a nail into our forehead than turn on the rampant cluelessness that is MTV, the stream is a decent alternative.

    Sure, I'd rather have a downloadable version, but that's not my call. Talk to the lawyers.

    -Augie
  • I just got the DVD last week. First chance I've ever had to see Jurassic Park. It's a great DVD.

    And it contains more silly lawyer crap: The video for SPY HARD is there without the credits, which make up a necessary part of the visuals. They weren't allowed to write Spy Hard on the screen. But Weird Al can sing that a hundred times in 3 minutes and it doesn't matter.

    Go figure.

    -Augie
  • has struck down the Al that is Weird. Darnit I wanted to watch the video. I guess this Jedi needs to learn patience.
  • I'm fond of "Dare to Be Stupid" for quite another reason--it was featured in the soundtrack of Transformers: The Movie, one of the best works of feature film animation made for primary consumption this side of the Pacific in the 1980s. As the theme for the Junkions, in fact. Those wild and crazy guys... :)

    (And if anyone has the Vince DiCola special-edition TFTM soundtrack sold at the BotCon Transformers conventions, you can hear the "Dare to Be Stupid" riff incorporated most ingeniously into one of Vince DiCola's instrumental pieces..."Unusual Allies," I think it is.)
  • I love the marbles in my mouth part...it had me rolling.

    --Hunter Pankey
  • this is just proving what i've been saying all along-- that Puff Daddy isn't anything more than Wierd Al yankovic without the lyrical skillz.

    Anyway, if you'll look at both www.sagabegins.com and www.thepentiums.com, you'll notice that in the part of the page that links to the other site, there is an obvious blank spot to fit in a third video/website when it comes out. So, any guesses as to what the third single will be?
  • Actually, I'm so damn out of touch "All about the Pentiums" was one of the only songs where I had heard the original. In fact it's the only song I've ever heard Puff Daddy do that I like, so needless to say I like the Al version.
  • Hmm, interesting. I thought "Running with Scissors" was his best album yet.
  • In the real old stuff, when it was just him and John "Bermuda" Schwartz (his drummer), Schwartz 'drummed' on Al's accordian case.
  • To make it easier, here are the direct URL's to get the Windows Media Player version of the video: 300KBPS [vstream.com]
    128KBPS [vstream.com]
    56KBPS [vstream.com]
    28KBPS [vstream.com]
    I'll try to get the other formats up soon if someone doesn't beat me to it...
  • T1 (campuscommonsapts.com), at any rate the audio on Real Player couldn't be much worse... (maybe beat by some 4khz java internet radio applet I've heard) and the video for quicktime is just as good (and you can resize the thing)...

    Windows media ran mysteriously well, but the fscking drivers for my video card messed up all media player videos (jail bars, Diamond Stealth 2k)...
  • appearing with his hair straight and a cheezy goatee he looks too much like me... (find my pic on one of my sites if you really care to know how much)
  • Metallica: Livin' on the Edge
    Wierd Al: Livin' in the Fridge

    turned this into an honors english poetry analysis... loads of interesting parodies on many levels
  • ah, you're right... what crack was I smoking last night?
  • Too bad those aren't direct links to actual downloadable files..

    I hate websites that use a link to a link to a damn streaming file.. Streaming sucks for people who actually want a copy of the damn thing.

  • Well, I can't seem to get the actual file yet, but the link in the webpage is:

    http://www.apple.com/quicktime/showcase/live/weird al/media/itsthepentiums.mov [apple.com]
  • Probably the Offspring parody...

  • > Do I not have the right to record it off TV?

    No, as a matter of fact, you don't. Sorry!
    --
    - Sean
  • It's all about the Pentiums, baby Uhh, uh-huh, yeah Uhh, uh-huh, yeah It's all about the Pentiums, baby It's all about the Pentiums, baby It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! (Yeah!!) What y'all wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? 9 to 5, chillin' at Hewlett Packard? Workin' at a desk with a dumb little placard? Yeah, payin' the bills with my mad programming skills Defraggin' my hard drive for thrills I got me a hundred gigabytes of RAM I never feed trolls and I don't read spam Installed a T1 line in my house Always at my PC, double-clickin' on my mizouse Upgrade my system at least twice a day I'm strictly plug-and-play, I ain't afraid of Y2K I'm down with Bill Gates, I call him Money for short I phone him up at home and I make him do my tech support It's all about the Pentiums, what? You gotta be the dumbest newbie I've ever seen You've got white-out all over your screen You think your Commodore 64 is really neato What kinda chip you got in there, a Dorito? You're using a 286? Don't make me laugh Your Windows boots up in what, a day and a half? You could back up your whole hard drive on a floppy diskette You're the biggest joke on the internet Your database is a disaster You're waxin' your modem tryin' to make it go faster Hey fella, I bet you're still livin' in your parents' cellar Downloadin' pictures of Sarah Michelle Gellar And postin "Me too!" like some brain-dead AOL-er I should do the world a favor and cap you like Old Yeller You're just about as useless as jpegs to Helen Keller It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! Now, what y'all wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? 9 to 5, chillin at Hewlett Packard? Uh, uh, loggin' in now Wanna run wit my crew, hah? Rule cyberspace and crunch numbers like I do? They call me the king of the spreadsheets Got em all printed out on my bedsheets My new computer's got the clocks, it rocks But it was obsolete before I opened the box You say you've had your desktop for over a week? Throw that junk away, man, it's an antique! Your laptop is a month old? Well, that's great If you could use a nice, heavy paperweight My digital media is write-protected Every file inspected, no viruses detected I beta tested every operating system Gave props to some, and others? I dissed 'em While your computer's crashin', mine's multitaskin' It does all my work without me even askin' Got a flat-screen monitor, 40" wide I believe that yours says "Etch-A-Sketch" on the side In a 32-bit world, you're a 2-bit user You've got your own newsgroup, alt.total-loser Your mother board melts when you try to send a fax Where'd you get your CPU, in a box of Cracker Jacks? Play me online? Well, you know that I'll beat you If I ever meet you I'll control-alt-delete you What? It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! It's all about the Pentiums! What y'all wanna do? Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers? 9 to 5, chillin' at Hewlett Packard? What?? I already had them copied, so I figured I'd post 'em

    kmj
    The only reason I keep my ms-dos partition is so I can mount it like the b*tch it is.

  • It wouldn't have made a difference how he had spelled "loser" since this is a song...
  • Heh, remember the story here on /. that Weird Al == Larry Wall? hmm...

    I met Larry once, at Internet World or some similar thing, at the O'reilly booth. And I've seen Weird Al on TV. When I saw the story here, my first thought was 'Wouldn't suprise me'
  • "I beta tested every operating system
    Gave props to some, and others? I dissed 'em"

    Sounds like Linux people dissing Windows to me.
  • I disagree. While I think he has had other, better albums, what about "The Saga Begins" and "Polka Power!" . . . I'm a fan of both, and I think the whole album is not bad. . .
  • 5) Sorry about the slow server, we'll try to fix.

    Do you think that anyone actually blames you for the slow server?!?!? The /. effect is pretty much unstoppable, after all. . . :-)
  • > PS. There's a data track too...

    WHoa...didn't notice that!

    183 Meg movie? And it even runs under Xanim...COOL!
  • Almost perfect, just a Linux reference and it would have been there.

    I have a question though, are the mainstream really aware of all these terms? I never open my mouth about a "nerd" issue with non nerds, so I have sort of assumed not. This had to be written by "one of us"...
  • What I find most interesting is that these are really all first half of the Ninetees Usenet terms. After all, while there are quite a few trolls here, I haven't seen any complaining about Me Too!'s or AOLers for that matter. After all, we could have AOLers among us here and never even know (ok, we probably would know).

    It's funny that one is still hearing the newsgroups pitched as an Internet feature Joe Unconnected, when in fact it is dead for all but very few uses...
  • www.apple.com/quicktime has a quicktime 4 mirror.
  • Apple [apple.com] has a quicktime 4 mirror.

  • It's all about the Pentiums, baby
    Uhh, uh-huh, yeah Uhh, uh-huh, yeah
    It's all about the Pentiums, baby
    It's all about the Pentiums, baby
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    (Yeah!!)

    What y'all wanna do?
    Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers
    Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers?
    9 to 5, chillin' at Hewlett Packard?
    Workin' at a desk with a dumb little placard?
    Yeah, payin' the bills with my mad programming skills
    Defraggin' my hard drive for thrills
    I got me a hundred gigabytes of RAM
    I never feed trolls and I don't read spam
    Installed a T1 line in my house
    Always at my PC, double-clickin' on my mizouse
    Upgrade my system at least twice a day
    I'm strictly plug-and-play, I ain't afraid of Y2K
    I'm down with Bill Gates, I call him Money for short
    I phone him up at home and I make him do my tech support
    It's all about the Pentiums, what?
    You gotta be the dumbest newbie I've ever seen
    You've got white-out all over your screen
    You think your Commodore 64 is really neato
    What kinda chip you got in there, a Dorito?
    You're using a 286? Don't make me laugh
    Your Windows boots up in what, a day and a half?
    You could back up your whole hard drive on a floppy diskette
    You're the biggest joke on the internet
    Your database is a disaster
    You're waxin' your modem tryin' to make it go faster
    Hey fella, I bet you're still livin' in your parents' cellar
    Downloadin' pictures of Sarah Michelle Gellar
    And postin "Me too!" like some brain-dead AOL-er
    I should do the world a favor and cap you like Old Yeller
    You're just about as useless as jpegs to Helen Keller

    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!

    Now, what y'all wanna do?
    Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers
    Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers?
    9 to 5, chillin at Hewlett Packard?

    Uh, uh, loggin' in now
    Wanna run wit my crew, hah?
    Rule cyberspace and crunch numbers like I do?
    They call me the king of the spreadsheets
    Got em all printed out on my bedsheets
    My new computer's got the clocks, it rocks
    But it was obsolete before I opened the box
    You say you've had your desktop for over a week?
    Throw that junk away, man, it's an antique!
    Your laptop is a month old? Well, that's great
    If you could use a nice, heavy paperweight
    My digital media is write-protected
    Every file inspected, no viruses detected
    I beta tested every operating system
    Gave props to some, and others? I dissed 'em
    While your computer's crashin', mine's multitaskin'
    It does all my work without me even askin'
    Got a flat-screen monitor, 40" wide
    I believe that yours says "Etch-A-Sketch" on the side
    In a 32-bit world, you're a 2-bit user
    You've got your own newsgroup, alt.total-loser
    Your mother board melts when you try to send a fax
    Where'd you get your CPU, in a box of Cracker Jacks?
    Play me online? Well, you know that I'll beat you
    If I ever meet you I'll control-alt-delete you
    What?

    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    It's all about the Pentiums!
    What y'all wanna do?
    Wanna be hackers? Code crackers? Slackers
    Wastin' time with all the chatroom yakkers?
    9 to 5, chillin' at Hewlett Packard
  • Hey kids, I forgot to mention some other fun stuff...

    MTV's site that allows you to vote for this video on Total Request Live(wouldn't it be nice to beat out Backstreet Boys for once?) doesn't protect against ballot stuffing. You can vote, hit back, vote again, hit back, vote again...down with Backstreet! heh...well...do it if you want, I know I am :)

    Dan "Replying to myself" Turk
  • oh, forgot this part... http://www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/trl99_new/playmy/p laymy.tin?sPollName=reqmain_wednesday
  • the only song i've ever been dedicated over the radio was Wierd Al's "you make me wanna"

    just in case you wanted to know
  • I saw Weird Al last week in RedBank, New Jersey. The show was taped by VH1, and they showed it monday night. I taped it and grabbed the scenes that I was in. If anyone's interested, check it out at

    http://bisti.schulte.org/VH1/VH1.shtml
  • (So much for my do-not-feed-the-trolls resolution, but dang, I'm bored.) Spoken like someone who's never written parody. Or listened to much Weird Al. Or bothered to check whether Al is *actually* related to accordionist Frank Yankovic (though I understand that Mr. *Nick* Yankovic is, indeed, a a very nice man). Or purchased a dictionary. Who the hell wrote this, Coolio?
  • The site is up and it looks like the videos are available for download. It's been slashdotted something fierce, however, so good luck downloading anything.
  • Probably got some tips from his drummer, Jon Schwartz, who also runs his website.
  • I think the purpose of calling Billy to do your tech support is to pester him. Of course.

    Running With Scissors, I think, is the best of Al's albums. "Germs" is the only song I really don't like, though the chorus ain't half bad. "It's All About The Pentiums" and "Your Horoscope for Today" are the best on that album, I say.

    Now, to get a better connection to my house so the RealPlayer link doesn't look like crap...
    ---
  • It was a long wait to get it, but I got it, and it was worth it :)

    Say what you will about Al, but he really is a fairly talented boob. If you listen to the spoofs he does, all of them (A-L-L) are almost note for note and beat for beat /right/on/ the songs he is goofing.
    I do prefer some of the older covers he has done, like "Another one Rides the Bus", where he slips in armpit farts as an instrument. Now, that's class ;)
    But he doesn't take himself seriously, he's just goofing, you know? He is doing what he enjoys, he's having fun, and he's getting paid for it.




  • Wierd Al, like any artist, would no doubt do a 'lil research before he released something to the whole world. Whether or not he was already familar with the net community or not is unknown to me, but he's always be right on with the proper teminology and tone of his songs. I'd be willing to bet that these lyrics are indeed by him.

    Long time fan, long time geek. Conincidence? ;)
    SirSlud.
  • What is the difference between downloading the video and taping it off MTV? I don't understand the "don't have rights to let people download the original song." Do I not have the right to record it off TV? Because that's exactly what I did. Just wondering.
  • Well, given fair use, what's the difference between downloading the movie file and recording the TV broadcast? The only thing I can think of is that in the Supreme Court decision, it specifically mentioned being able to view it at a later time, but with streams it's available on demand (unless it gets /.ed). That's kind of reaching, though. Any thoughts?
  • I dunno, i saw a recording of Kraftwerk show on MTV months ago and some of the videos on AMP are pretty nerdy. It would still take a lot more than that from MTV to make up for all of the crap they show though...
  • I still think Weird Al is great. My favorite will always be "The Good Old Days" though.

    Weird Al's official web page has several pictures of him with very different looking haircuts. I think he really likes to change it to look like the people that he is making fun of...
    official site [weirdal.com]
  • Then I tied her to a chair and I shaved off all her hair and I left her in the desert all alone
  • ... that Carson Daly today will introduce this video and try to interject a few "tech phrases" in there? Damn preppie crap....

    Damn, I miss the old MTV days... wait! There's MTV2! Yeah!

    =)

    Plankeye
  • I do prefer some of the older covers he has done, like "Another one Rides the Bus", where he slips in armpit farts as an instrument. Now, that's class ;)

    Didn't he have to do that because Queen wouldn't let him use their music? I thought I remembered reading about that in the documentation with the box set. (The best kind of present to get for a SO - something you can share! :-)

    But I agree, weird al is a genius. I remember watching MTV or VH1 once when the "Smells like nirvana" video was on and I nearly fell off my chair I was laughing so hard.

  • There are tons of parodies (including some very good ones at the Computer Songs and Poems [oaktree.co.uk] page. Check it out!
  • Hey, I'm Keith (one of the designers of the sites). I figured I should answer some questions.

    1) We had to do streaming because we don't have rights to let people download the original song (puffy's)

    2) I don't think Al uses Linux, but we do (but who cares?)

    3) I don't think Al reads Slashdot, but we do. (but who cares?)

    4) The site is obviously a parody of intel.com

    5) Sorry about the slow server, we'll try to fix.

    6) If you like it, _please_ buy the CD or at least vote for the video at Total Request Live.

    I can try to answer any questions or whatever.

    - keith
  • Weird Al is surprisingly clued in. A couple of choice phrases from "It's all about the Pentiums":

    "I never feed trolls and I don't read spam"
    "You've gotta be the dumbest newbie I've ever seen"
    "And posting "Me too!" like some brain-dead AOL-er"
    "You've got your own newsgroup, alt.total-loser"     (it would have been better had he spelled it "luser" but I digress)

    I was really surprised to hear it. I love the song - in fact the whole album is really good, particularly the track right before "It's all about the Pentiums, "Your Horoscope for Today" - it made me laugh out loud - and it's definitely a worthwhile album to buy.

    (PS: I have written to him on his website to ask if he reads Slashdot - still waiting on a response ;)

  • Hell yeah you have the right to tape it off of TV. So sayeth the Supreme Court (Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.).

    The thing is, you can't use it for any purpose which would damage the commercial interest of the copyright holder. Generally this means that if you tape something you aren't allowed to sell or rent it. But free, home viewing is okay.
  • I love Al. I think Al is the best thing since Twinkie Wiener sandwiches. But Al is not quite so funny as he used to be. "Running With Scissors" is probably the first album of his that I wish I hadn't bought. About the only good songs on there are "Jerry Springer," "Germs," and "Your Horoscope for Today."

    I dunno... maybe so much music is crap nowadays that any parody Al does will be dragged down. But I'll still wish we had the Al of "Dog Eat Dog" or "Yoda" back.

    (And what's up with the new look? I didn't even recognize him at first!)

  • *sigh* Yet another person who regrets his childhood rather than revelling in it. Bad memories, eh? I bet coworkers don't bother passing around the joke sheets to you, fearing you'll grumble something about "having work to do, don't have time for such nonesense." Remember that when you have a major coronary due to cumulative stress at the age of 45.

    I'm quite happy to proudly proclaim my allegiance to Weird Al. While songs such as Albuquerque are little more than a (fun) stage for really bizarre jokes, songs such as Germs have more subtle messages interleaved in the obvious humor. Even his polkas and their arrangements make a message, at least about the songs being paranoid. (For instance, how about Intergalactic and Ray of Light in Polka Power?)

    I have to admit, I personally treat Dare To Be Stupid as a personal anthem of sorts, for two reasons: For one, it savagely pokes fun at the commercialism and common sensibility of our day (eg. "Buy some sensible shoes and a Chevrolet", or perhaps "It's like they say you gotta buy one if you wanna get one free."). For another thing, the title says it all -- you don't always have to be smart, at least not in the conventional sense. You should dare to be stupid, which I interpret to mean (according to the subtle sarcasm of the song) challenge the norms. Dare To Be Stupid presents a very deep, right-brain-centric message that also permeates his work. Anyone who deeply appreciates Dave Barry's or Michael Abrash's works should be able to see this nearly immediately.

    And on a separate note...

    • I have way to much class to let this thread linger.
      Come over here and pull on my finger...

    --Joe

    (With apologies to Weird Al on the paraphrased lyrics.)



    --

  • I said:

    at least about the songs being paranoid

    s/paranoid/parodied/g

    Duh.

    --Joe

    --

  • While the "Eddie Vedder" song isn't exactly as masterful as, say, Dare To Be Stupid, you've gotta admit that Albuquerque is one of Al's greatest accomplishments on Running With Scissors .

    --Joe

    PS. There's a data track too...



    --

  • I suggest you take the cotton out of your ears and listen a little closer... After all, what's so formulaic about dental hygentists with spatulas tatooed on their arms, alongside a BIG BOWL OF SOUR KRAUT?

    --Joe

    --
  • Actually, he is able to write music. Usually, he will parody a particular song. Sometimes, he will parody a particular artist or style. On this album, it's "Germs"; his best artist-parody is "Dare to be Stupid". Mark Mothersbaugh reportedly wishes that Devo could sound like that (see Al's VH1 story), and there is a good part of the population that thinks that it is a Devo song.

    Al also does some of his own composition without a net, besides the polka tunes. Things like "You Don't Love Me Anymore" or the last track on this album (I don't have the title on me--the sauerkraut one). They just don't turn into signals.

  • I wonder how many slashdotters have heard the original, though? If you go out looking for the mp3 of it(for evaluation purposes only!) make sure you get the "Puff Daddy featuring Mase, Notorious BIG, and The Family - All About The Benjamins(Rock Remix)" make sure it's the rock remix, or you'll be confused!


    Dan "white boy that likes rap" Turk

  • Re:Quick question (Score:3)

    by John Fulmer ( 5840 ) on Wednesday August 04, 1999 @12:07PM (#1766046)
    As a matter of fact, you do. It's called fair-use.


    Supreme Court case "Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.", 464 U.S. 417 (1984):


    "The Court held that even unauthorized copying of television broadcasts may not be infringing, and embarked on a fair use analysis. Concerning the first factor, the purpose and character of the use, the Court stated: "If [home video recorders]
    were used to make copies for a commercial or profitmaking purpose, such use would presumptively be unfair." Id. at 449. The Court found the "contrary presumption" appropriate, however, since the evidence demonstrated thattimeshifting for home use was a noncommercial, nonprofit activity. Also significant was the nature of the work; timeshifting "merely enables a viewer to see ... a work which he had been invited to witness in its entirety free of charge ... " Id. Accordingly, the fact that the work was reproduced in its entirety "does not have its ordinary effect of militating against a fair use finding." Id. at 450."

    As long as you don't sell it or use it in some commerical activity, it's okay.

    jf


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