Alfred Matthew Yankovic, aka. 'Weird Al' Yankovic is my hero.

 

Ever since junior high school when I first heard his songs I loved him. His music has a lot of passion and intelligence, his parodies are not mockeries but like sincere flattery. You can just listen to his parodies and tell that he has the utmost respect for the artists he imitates.

 

He is and has always been an excellent role model for anybody. He is a certified genius, his SAT scores were incredably high. He was very popular in high school, of which he graduated valedictorian at 16 years old. He went on to University to study archetecture and graduated with honors. He could have done what his parents, his teachers, his friends, and everybody else wanted and become an archetect... but instead he took a chance and followed his heart. He didn't care what everybody else thought, he didn't let anybody push him down, he didn't let anything get in the way of his dream to be a musician, and a weird one at that! He didn't listen to people who criticized the way he looked with this moustache and curly hair or the music he played with his accordian. He made a success of himself doing what he loves to do, and he did it with no compromises. His "Behind the scenes" special on VH1 shows a lot of the harships that he had to endure to make his dream a reality. In spite of all the factors against him he is a multi-platinum recording artist with several grammies & nominations. He stayed brave, strong, and true to himself. His drive, his determination, his fearlessness, and his weirdness make him my hero. Seriously, more people should look to him as a role model instead of Paris or 50 cent. Paris is so judgemental that if your hair was styled the wrong way one day she would dump you as a friend. 50 cent thinks that sex and violence are traits that should be emulated by the youth. Are either of these people trying to make the world a better place or make kids feel better about themselves? Is paris going around telling less fortunate kids that it's ok they can't afford the newest fashions or overweight kids it's ok to be fat? Is 50 cent trying to stop the violence or tell kids that guns aren't cool? The answer is a big fat NO. Weird Al is showing kids by example that you should never give up on your dreams, try hard in school, try hard at life, and always follow your heart. He shows kids that it's ok to be different, it's ok to be weird, don't take life so seriously, relax sometimes and have fun. He teaches kids to always have a sense of humor and never to let go of their inner child.

 

You may not like his music, you might hate accordians, that's fine. You don't have to be a fan of his music, that's not the point I'm trying to make. All I ask is that you acknowledge the great accomplishments he has done in his life and realize that he sets a great example, albeit unconventional, for any kid. He is my role model and he will always be my hero.