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Weird Al Said Meeting This Cultural Icon Was Like ‘Meeting an Alien’

Michael Jackson embraced Weird Al’s parodies of his songs, making him an overnight sensation.

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Weird Al’s parody song “Eat It” from 1984 was definitely an early breakout for his career. It appeared on his second studio album, Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D. This dropped the year after Michael Jackson released “Beat It” as a single. The success of that song would allow Weird Al to parody Jackson again in 1988. But it also carried weight when he wanted to parody other big hits later.

Speaking with Conan O’Brien in 2016, Weird Al revealed what it was like to have a Michael Jackson parody as his breakout hit. Additionally, he described meeting Jackson for the first time, a moment that was achieved because Jackson actually enjoyed Al’s parodies.

“There’s a document somewhere with Michael Jackson’s signature next to mine saying we are the........

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