“Weird Al” Yankovic polarizing his fans with a Childish Gambino parody called “This Is My Hair I Cut” is satirical news. There is no truth that the satirical singer-songwriter wrote, produced and performed a new parody that mocked “This Is America” by Childish Gambino, whose real name is Donald Glover.
Where did this satirical news originate? The Hard Times published the satirical news article reporting that “Weird Al” Yankovic left his fans split over his new song, “This Is My Hair I Cut,” which parodies Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” You can read the satirical news article below.
Photo Credit: The Hard Times
LOS ANGELES — “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “This is My Hair I Cut,” a parody of Childish Gambino’s extremely popular “This is America,” has exposed a deep divide in his fanbase, officials of the “Weird Al” fan club confirmed.
“The message boards have been going wild ever since he released the video. Some longtime fans condemned it as insensitive and inappropriate,” said “Weird Al” forum moderator Jesse Plitsky. “But, a lot of fans also praised it as his most relevant work since ‘Smells Like Nirvana.’ Al has always thrived on controversy, so I’m sure he’s loving the discussion.”
The video, which opens with a shirtless, dancing Yankovic approaching a man bound to a chair, pulling out an electric razor and shaving his hair clean off, has drawn criticism for undercutting a poignant message about gun control and race in the U.S.
“Mr. Yankovic should have just left this one alone,” said music critic Sean Androtelli in a recent blog post. “‘This is America’ was an artistic masterstroke of relevant social commentary. To reduce that to a song about cutting hair for some reason is tasteless and irresponsible… and, also, I don’t really get it.”
However, there is no truth to the above story. What is the problem with the story to make it false? There is no legitimate news coverage about “Weird Al” Yankovic writing, producing and performing ‘This Is My Hair I Cut” as a parody of Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” Additionally, there is nothing on the Twitter timeline for “Weird Al” Yankovic suggesting that he had released a parody for “This Is America.”
Recently, “Weird Al” Yankovic covered Foo Fighters and their 1995 single “This Is A Call.” “We’ve never played this one before, so cut us a little slack,” he said before the cover, according to Billboard. Way back in 1992, Al parodied Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on his track “Smells Like Nirvana.”
Finally, and most importantly, The Hard Times carries the following disclaimer:
The Hard Times is a very real punk news site that you should not question. Just absorb the information as truth and move on. The historic satire site was founded in December 1982 at 171A studios while the founding members were eating broken glass with The Bad Brains. It’s made by a group of punk and hardcore kids from all the different sub-genres of the DIY hardcore scene. Any resemblance to actual persons or band names is coincidental.
Here are some examples of people sharing the satirical news on social media.
You know the world is SJW’ing itself to PC hell when Weird Al is criticized for parodying Childish Gambino. Calling Mel Brooks, it’s time to re-release your filmography… https://t.co/KQK753rXK4
— Geekbot74 (@Geekbot74) June 4, 2018
Wow, it seems when modern people come face to face with parody, they are unsure what to do. Just remember, a parody does not erase the original work or it’s message..it in fact can draw more attention to it.https://t.co/56X79P2EBQ
— Joe Williams (@Necron00b) June 3, 2018
Personally, I would’ve gone with “This is a Meerkat.”
I mean, meerkats are just funny. https://t.co/baRMhFH4sS
— Beau Harris (@BeingBeauHarris) June 4, 2018
@Satsu2Cents #MSSNEWS https://t.co/fFGXHL8bPL
— Snub (@EveryonesGrudge) June 4, 2018
Glover released a new song and music video “This Is America” under his musical moniker Childish Gambino on Saturday Night Live. The four-minute, single-take music video is filled with metaphors about race and gun violence in America. The “This Is America” video reveals provocative imagery of the rapper as he guns down a choir at one point and then dances while violence breaks out all around him.
What did you think of the satirical news article that “Weird Al” Yankovic left his fans split with a Childish Gambino parody called “This Is My Hair I Cut”? Did you believe the satirical news or see people sharing it falsely on social media? Let us know in the comments section.