🎄 It’s 1997, and we couldn’t decide which holiday to end the season with, so we’re celebrating them all. Pack up your accordion and join us on a journey 20 miles below the surface of the Earth to the very Pee-wee’s Playhouse-like split-level cave of “Weird Al” Yankovic as he learns to listen to his friends and family.  

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🎙 Guests:  

Joey O. (Y-Not Radio, Words With Nerds, @imgonnadj24).  

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💬 Topics & Tangents:  

1. Weirdle, the “Weird Al”-themed offshoot of Heardle, the music-themed offshoot of Wordle.  

2. The Weird Accordion to Al, by Nathan Rabin.  

3. Joey interviews Ben Kweller about his appearance with Radish on The Weird Al Show.  

4. Al’s got a thing for the number 27, which makes its way into this episode.  

5. Stan Freberg’s Christmas Dragnet, which I know from a compilation CD from Philadelphia radio station WOGL.  

6. Ed Marques (Varna) as the Surf Guru on ZDTV’s Internet Tonight.  

7. I had no idea I Lost on Jeopardy! was a full parody of an actual song.  

8. “Weird Al,” Paul Reubens, and Danny Elfman singing Kidnap the Sandy Claws.  

9. National Hamster Day exists. It’s May 10.  

10. Funny or Die’s original fake trailer for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.  

11. “Weird Al” Yankovic: There’s No Going Home, part of The Disney Channel’s Going Home concert/documentary series.

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📼 Retro Commercial Break:  

1990 Encyclopedia Britannica commercial starring Donavan Freberg (Baby Boolie).  

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“The Weird Al Show” and “The Obligatory Holiday Episode” © 1997.  

Say hi on Twitter and Instagram.  
Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  
Full show notes with links at adventcalendar.house.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.