Dare To Be Stupid

Dare To Be Stupid

"Weird Al" Yankovic

Rock & Roll Records, 1985

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/02/2001

Back in the days of radio - meaning, kids, when there wasn'ttelevision - there used to be a program called "Can You Top This?".Somehow, I think that if the show had made it to the days oftelevision, in 1985 "Weird Al" Yankovic would have been a guest.Someone would have held up a copy of his In 3-D album and asked him, "Can you top this?"

To expect him to top his most popular album (and the one thatshot him to stardom thanks to "Eat It") would be asking a lot fromYankovic. If anything, that expectation almost forced Yankovic totake the popular songs from 1984 and 1985 and spoof them, simplybecause a follow-up disc was expected. Dare To Be Stupid, Yankovic's third album, sounds a bithollow in some of the parodies, but it is the strength of many ofthe original songs that keeps this album afloat.

I remember when I was 14 years old, I rode my bike to the localrecord store and discovered "Like A Surgeon," the first single fromthis album. (Not being as involved in the music industry as I amnow, I had no idea that Yankovic even had a new album coming out.)But when I got it home and put it on my little cheese-box stereo, Iremember being somewhat disappointed in it. Sixteen years later, Istill don't consider "Like A Surgeon" in the top echelon ofYankovic's parodies, but since I've developed a healthy distrust ofthe medical community, I appreciate the somewhat biting sarcasmthat Yankovic works in from time to time.

Other parodies just fail right out of the box. Yankovic soundslike he's absolutely disgusted with the song "Girls Just Want ToHave Lunch," delivering it almost entirely in a groan. By the endof the song, you'll be groaning too. Likewise, "I Want A New Duck"- give me a break, Al! Oh, sure, the kiddies will probably laughtheir butts off at some of the jokes on this one, but they probablywon't understand the references to pate and duct tape... not thatadults will find them knee-slapping funny. Listening to these twosongs make me wonder if Yankovic didn't rush this album out underthe pressure of the label.