Word play takes many forms. From bon mots to nursery rhymes to crossword puzzles to acronyms and new lingo to ballades and poems.
Recently I was trying to locate the source for an expression Tim and his work colleagues used to describe the temporary rosy glow surrounding a whiz-kid new hire: the ‘Pink Poodle.”( They would say, “Oh, well, he’s the Pink Poodle now. Later, he’ll be the Grey Poodle. Someday, he’ll be the Dead Poodle.” ) I could not find any reference for this expression, so it must have been a sui generis moment. I did, however, stumble into a meeting with an artist who, until last week, was only a name to me: Weird Al.
Weird Al Yankovic was a nerdy kid whose parents were convinced that by taking accordian lessons he would change the course of rock ‘n roll. Well, they were right! After he graduated from high school at age 16 (named valedictorian of his class and founder of the Volcano Worshippers Club–who had no other raison d’être than to be in the yearbook) he launched his first quirky parody on the niche Dr. Demento’s Radio Show in 1976. Since then, he has followed his own harmonic trail to create and record 150+ parodies and original songs, sold more than 12 million albums, and performed more than 2,000 live shows. Here is the image to his 2003 release, his 11th studio album, Poodle Hat. Lowbrow? High hat? Or some kind of chapeau sandwich? You decide!
My favorite track is “Ode to a Superhero.” Now, I am not a fan of comic books or animated films, either, but I am completely taken with this catchy rehash of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” that exalts Spiderman. I liked the original, back in the day. I love the pastiche! And I find myself humming the first iteration of the refrain,
“Sling us a web, you’re the fighter man, Sling us a web tonight.
‘Cause we’re all in the mood for a hero now, and there’s evil-doers to fight.”
A close second favorite is “eBay”–oh, heck! I love them all.
Weird Al is reconnecting me with my childhood loves of the parodies of Tom Lehrer, Mad Magazine, George Carlin. In the waning days of Stephen Colbert‘s The Late Show, I need a reliable new source of laughter. Thankfully, I stumbled, at last, over the oeurve and have fallen down the rabbit hole into the Madder-than-Hatters Wonderland of Weird Al.
Context for Poem “Farewells ” :
Just this, saying goodbye and good luck to us all!
Last year, after posting the final April poem, I received this delightful surprise from my friend and writing buddy Mark Kronholm. I share it here this year with his permission.
In Praise of Thirty Days of Inspiration
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
But it’s April we remember
For the elegant creative ember
In Leslie, the poetic assembler.
Congratulations on a month well spent!
Mark
Thank you, everyone who let me know you wanted to receive an April poem each day this year. Knowing that you were there cheered me on through this poetic marathon! (For those of you who have been with me this past decade, since my first NaPoWriMo Challenge in April 2016–you know who you are!–I am in your debt.)
Wishing you all a happy spring ahead!
LESLIE
