“Weird Al” Yankovic on His New Single “Polkamania!”

For the past 40-plus years, the Downey, California-born “Weird Al” Yankovic has been bringing laughter to music listeners through his signature parody songs and polka medleys. From Michael Jackson riffs like “Eat It” and “Fat” to Madonna parodies such as “Like a Surgeon,” and the famous Coolio parody, “Amish Paradise,” “Weird Al” knows how to strike a nerve and perk an ear. In so doing, he’s earned a handful of Grammy Awards and sold more than 12 million albums.

Today (July 19), Yankovic has released his latest musical number, “Polkamania!,” a medley of the biggest pop songs of the 2020s, including “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, “Hello” by Adele, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo, and “Bad Guy” from Billie Eilish, among others. We caught up with the songwriter and performer to ask him about his longevity, sounds of the decades, his approach to making music, and what he loves about humor, itself.