(Jive) "Weird Al" Yankovic's first album in nearly 5 years, Alpocalypse, has finally arrived and it features some surprise guests. Al and his long-time bandmates were aided and abetted in the recording studio by guest appearances from Taylor Hanson and The Doors' Ray Manzarek.
The 3-time Grammy Award-winner's Alpocalypse features the much-talked-about Lady Gaga parody "Perform This Way" as well as parodies of hits by Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, T.I. and B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars.
Monday saw the world-premiere of the wildly popular "Perform This Way" music video, in which Yankovic, sporting the body of a Gaga-like female dancer (thanks to CGI magic), cycles through a couple dozen bizarre and extravagant wardrobe options and battles a Madonna doppelganger.
Weird Al's mastery of pop-culture parody has been a constant in the music industry for over three decades. He is the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time, and his hit singles such as "Eat It," "Smells Like Nirvana," "Amish Paradise" and "White & Nerdy" have garnered him international acclaim. He recently added "NY Times Bestselling Author" to his list of accomplishments with the publication of his children's book When I Grow Up (HarperCollins) – the app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch has just been released. His 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood – his highest-charting to date – featured the Platinum-selling Billboard Top 10 single "White & Nerdy," the video of which spent two months at #1 on iTunes.