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Preston & Steve® | 6am – 10:30am

Preston & Steve® | 6am – 10:30am

Preston & Steve® | 6am – 10:30am

“Weird” Al Yankovic Talks Biopic, Cameos With Preston & Steve

Author The Preston & Steve Show and Colin Newby

“Weird’ Al Yankovic joined The Preston & Steve Show to discuss the release of his biopic for the first time on physical media. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story previously premiered on Roku. Fans can now see the brand new Blu-ray and 4K UHD edition.

An Interesting Spin On A Biopic

Yankovic talked about the inspiration to make the comedy. He was only feeding the requests of his fans.

“People kept asking year after year after year. Finally, in 2019, I emailed Eric and said, ‘Listen, I think we should make this into a movie. I think the times is right.’ Because Bohemian Rhapsody had just come out and won all the Oscars and broke box office records. All these other biopics were in the pipeline.” -Yankovic

The most ironic biopic stars Daniel Radcliffe as the title character. Memorable cameos included Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol and Emo Philips as Salvador Dali. Most of them appeared in a scene meant to recreate Boogie Nights.

“I was sort of the junior casting director for that particular scene. I just went through my address book. I went through my Christmas card list… Thankfully, we shot in LA. If we shot in Atlanta, which I think was the original plan, I don’t think they would’ve gotten on a plane to do a little cameo.” -Yankovic

Weird Al himself even made a cameo appearance as a record executive who shut him down early in his career.

Preston also showed him some artwork recently sent by a listener.

The Beauty of Weird Al Yankovic 

He might not be the best you’ve ever heard, but “Weird” Al is definitely the one with the best sense of humor. Decades of song parodies have helped him build a reputation for comedy in its most original and clever form, even while his most popular songs aren’t even his melodies.

It’s tough for his fans hear “Gangster’s Paradise’ without thinking of “Amish Paradise” and “One Week” without thinking of “Jerry Springer” after they hear the hilariously altered lyrics.

His unmistakable humor in music translated well to the big screen. Steve even pointed out the most ironic line of the movie, told to Weird Al by his mother.

“Your dad and I agreed it would be best if you just stopped being who you are and doing the things you love.” -Al’s Mother

Weird Al talked about the possibility of touring in 2025, hopefully with a stop in Philadelphia. Check out Weird: The Al Yankovic Story on Blu-ray today, and watch the full interview with Preston & Steve below.

 

Watch The Preston & Steve Show on YouTube weekday mornings at 6am.

10 Musicians with Biopics/Series in the Works

  • Scott Weiland

    Per The Hollywood Reporter back in June 2021, a new film based on the Weiland memoir Not Dead & Not for Sale by David Ritz is currently in the works at Dark Pictures, a new female-led production company that will focus on “true stories.”

  • Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne

    In October 2021, the long-in-the-works Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne biopic was picked up by Sony Pictures. The film will cover the many ups and down of Ozzy and Sharon’s relationship.

  • U2

    Per The Hollywood Reporter, a scripted series about U2 is currently in the works for Netflix. Helming the project is J.J. Abrams and tasked with writing the series is Anthony McCarten who co-wrote 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody. U2 “is expected to be involved and sanction the project,” but there are currently no details regarding a timeline for release or casting.

  • KISS

    The KISS biopic will be called Shout It Out Loud, and both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are working closely on the film. Joachim Rønning (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) has been tapped as a director with the script being written by Ole Sanders. So far, casting decisions have yet to be announced. The film is on the fast-track at Netflix.

  • Heart/Ann and Nancy Wilson

    News of a Heart biopic first surfaced in November 2020 via Deadline. Singer Ann Wilson said Carrie Brownstein of the punk band Sleater-Kinney (and the costar of IFC’s Portlandia) will write and direct. Wilson said, “I saw the first draft of the script. She’s working with the movie company — Amazon — and with the producer, Linda Obst, who did ‘Sleepless in Seattle‘.”

  • Joey Ramone

    Netflix announced in April 2021 they’re making a Joey Ramone biopic based on the 2009 book I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Punk Rock Family Memoir by Mickey Leigh, Ramone’s brother. Pete Davidson has been cast as the Ramones singer.

  • Bob Dylan

    News of a Dylan biopic surfaced in January 2020. The film is titled Going Electric and will cover Dylan’s transition from folk to rock. Academy Award-nominated actor Timothee Chalamet was cast as Dylan, and the singer-songwriter icon’s longtime manager Jeff Rosen would act as a producer on the film. The project, however, was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No further release details have been confirmed

  • John Lennon and Yoko Ono

    In October 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported a movie about the relationship of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was in the works with Universal Pictures and there were talks with Michael De Luca Productions and Immersive Pictures for the rights of the untitled film.

  • Lemmy Kilmister

    Per Deadline, the film will simply be titled Lemmy and will be directed by Greg Olliver who also directed the acclaimed 2010 documentary of the same title. The film will cover Kilmister’s life growing up in Stoke on Trent and his life in music before founding Motorhead.

  • Boy George

    In April 2021, Deadline reported the Boy George biopic, appropriately titled Karma Chameleon, was hoping to begin production this summer in London and Bulgaria. Casting for the role of George and other main characters was currently in progress at the time of the initial report.

     

The Preston & Steve Show has been a cornerstone of the Philly morning radio scene since 1998. Hosts Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison are joined by Casey Boy Foster, Kathy Romano, Nick McIlwain & Marisa Magnatta. Read on for all things rock, Philly, and everything in between.

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Author The Preston & Steve Show and Colin Newby
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