Enough colleges are offering classes on Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Here’s a curriculum for the rest of us:
Vermont State University is offering a course on Weird Al Yankovic. (!!!)
Professor Brian Warwick says, quote, “Al Yankovic’s work is not just about the parodies. It’s also about his tribute or pastiche songs, where it’s actually an original work by Al Yankovic, but he’s paying tribute to another artist.”
The course will analyze what makes a good parody, how to pay tribute to another artist, Al’s lyricism, and the context of the world when the songs were written.
Warwick says, quote, “It just gives us an avenue to start studying the 20th century and pop culture in the 20th century.”