Veteran pop culture writer and former head writer of The A.V Club Nathan Rabin wrote the book on, and with, "Weird Al" Yankovic in the 2012 coffee table book Weird Al: The Book. He followed it up with 2020's The Weird Accordion to Al, an even more essential guide to an American original's life and work.
Now he's back for more with the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Edition.The original The Weird Accordion to Al explored every track on all 16 of Al's albums (14 studio albums, the Medium Rarities compilation and his collaboration with Wendy Carlos) with an obsessiveness that's downright peculiar. Add an introduction from Al himself, who also fact-checked and copy-edited, and 52 hilarious and beautiful illustrations from Felipe Sobreiro, and you have the definitive portrait of Al's musical career.
The wildly excessive extended version goes beyond the music to offer an even deeper dive into Al's multi-media oeuvre. The updated The Weird Accordion to Al combines dozens of new illustrations from Sobreiro with lengthy appreciations of 1985's The Compleat Al and 1989's UHF as well as write-ups of every episode of The Weird Al Show and Al's season as the band leader on Comedy Bang! Bang!
But that's not all! This epic pop culture tome also features a new afterword by the author and a chapter on the 2018 Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity tour. The perfect gift for the "Weird Al" Yankovic fan in your life, the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Edition of the Weird Accordion to Al is a heartfelt literary valentine to a musical legend the extent of whose achievements are only now being understood and appreciated.
Praise for The Weird Accordion to Al
“A brilliant, heartfelt cry of obsession and love for an already beloved and obsessed-over artist. Share Nathan’s madness and be freed!”—Patton Oswalt
"This book is pop culture history, music dissertation, and comedic theory. Nathan has exemplified the qualities that make Weird Al an artist who is equal parts Frank Zappa, Mel Brooks, and Mark Twain.”—Jonah Ray
“You don’t have to be a fan of Weird Al to enjoy Rabin’s raucous deep-dive into the complete discography. But if you’re not a Weird Al fan there’s clearly something wrong with you”—Alex Winter
“Wonderfully captures the quirks and fun details that have made the Yank-oeuvre ooze with oddness for almost four decades. Nathan really shows you what makes Al's mind tick. Spoiler: It's the neurons. A must read for anyone unemployed, childless, or with ninety spare hours to kill.”—Scott Aukerman
“The Weird Accordion to Al is the definitive companion to the “Weird Al” catalogue. It’s chock full of fascinating insights that left my head spinning like a Frankie Yankovic record (no relation). Nobody covers the Al canon in better depth than Nathan Rabin. It’s a must-read for the weirdos in your life. I learned so much from this VERY SPECIFIC book.”—Thomas Lennon
"Nathan Rabin is obsessive in the best sense of the word. He literally ALREADY wrote the book on Weird Al that Weird Al asked him to write. That wasn't enough for Nathan and that's why we are lucky to have this book. Al's contributions to pop culture deserve the kind of obsession that only Nathan Rabin can bring to the page and he brings it big time in this book. He dares to be very smart about "Dare To Be Stupid.’”—Jake Fogelnest
"There is no keener observer of pop culture than Nathan Rabin. His wit, unassuming charm and amazing talent for empathy make him one of the most pleasurable authors to read in a field that far too often devolves into navel-gazing self reference. I will never die, but if I do, I hope Nathan Rabin writes the book about me.”—Justin McElroy
