"Weird Al" Yankovic's mid-'80s antics are the subject of a new black-and-white photo collection
“Weird Al” Yankovic, whose beloved pop parodies have delighted audiences across the world, will soon see his story told through photos thanks to Black & White & Weird All Over: The Lost Photographs of “Weird Al” Yankovic ‘83 – ‘86, a new book of black-and-white snapshots put together by his longtime drummer, Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz. The book, which unfolds across more than 200 pages and features a foreword by Yankovic, arrives on October 27, just in time for you to tuck it under your arm on the “Nature Trail To Hell.”
Schwartz’s photos, the majority of which have never been published, find Yankovic and his collaborators on tour and in the studio working on albums like Dare to Be Stupid and Polka Party!. Other pics capture the behind-the-scenes madness of videos like “Eat It,” “I Love Rocky Road,” and “Ricky.” Per Yankovic, it should appeal “to both Weird Al completists and those who enjoy black-and-white photographs taken by drummers.”
“It’s a fine snapshot—actually, several hundred snapshots—of what life was like for us in the ‘80s,” he adds.
To celebrate the announcement, Yankovic is also sharing some teaser clips featuring rare audio. The below video, which The A.V. Club is happy to premiere, features a demo version of “That Boy Could Dance” from “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D. “Previously unreleased!” Schwartz tells us of the audio. “This is an original from Al’s In 3-D LP with just bass, drums, guitar, and a rough vocal pass. The final version fades out, but this is how we ended it in the studio!”
Watch the teaser below.
Black & White & Weird All Over is getting released as both a hardcover and a limited edition box set, the latter of which is signed by Schwartz and comes with an alternate cover and 12 9-inch by 12-inch framable prints. You can pre-order the box set, which is limited to 250 copies, beginning on Wednesday, August 12 at 1 p.m. EST at the book’s official website.
Got “One More Minute”? Check out a few more of Schwartz’s photos below.