The Compleat Al
Encyclopedia
The Compleat Al is a mockumentary
about the life of "Weird Al" Yankovic
, from his birth to 1985. It was partially written by Yankovic and directed by Jay Levey. It premiered August 7, 1985, on the Showtime network. The title of the film is a parody of the 1982 documentary The Compleat Beatles
.
Although it is a mockumentary, it is roughly based on Yankovic's real life. For example, Yankovic was raised in Lynwood
, California
, and has a degree in architecture
from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His real-life parents appear in the mockumentary, as does a picture of his real-life childhood house. Because of the mixture of Yankovic's real life and fiction, many of the film's fabricated information was accepted by fans as real, such as Yankovic being born in a Saint Vitus hospital (Saint Vitus
is the Catholic
patron saint
of comedy
), or the film's pun
which claimed his birth in an elevator signified his "rise to the top".
The mockumentary also contains clips from his first Three "AL-TV"s, and all of Yankovic's music videos up to 1985: "Ricky
", "I Love Rocky Road
", "Eat It
", "I Lost On Jeopardy
", "This Is The Life", "Like a Surgeon" ,"One More Minute
", and "Dare to Be Stupid
".
The parody also extends to the technical aspects of the film, such as the copyright warning message which starts routinely but escalates to warnings that copying the video may result in damage to your VCR, smoke may come out of your TV set, escalating to possible destruction of the planet due to the greed of the viewer.
The film was released in the VHS
(rare), Betamax
(extremely rare), and laserdisc
(very rare) formats. A 10 minute version of the mockumentary appeared on one of Weird Al's "AL-TV" specials, #6, which aired on MTV
in 1992.
The Compleat Al was released at roughly the same time as the book The Authorized Al (ISBN 0-8092-5133-7), which is essentially a book version of the video.
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
about the life of "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, from his birth to 1985. It was partially written by Yankovic and directed by Jay Levey. It premiered August 7, 1985, on the Showtime network. The title of the film is a parody of the 1982 documentary The Compleat Beatles
The Compleat Beatles
The Compleat Beatles, released in 1982, is a two-hour documentary, chronicling the career of the "Fab Four". Though it has since been supplanted by the longer and more in-depth documentary Beatles Anthology, The Compleat Beatles was for many years largely regarded as the definitive film about the...
.
Although it is a mockumentary, it is roughly based on Yankovic's real life. For example, Yankovic was raised in Lynwood
Lynwood, California
Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the southern portion of the Los Angeles Basin. Incorporated in...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and has a degree in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His real-life parents appear in the mockumentary, as does a picture of his real-life childhood house. Because of the mixture of Yankovic's real life and fiction, many of the film's fabricated information was accepted by fans as real, such as Yankovic being born in a Saint Vitus hospital (Saint Vitus
Vitus
Saint Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Roman Catholic Church....
is the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
), or the film's pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
which claimed his birth in an elevator signified his "rise to the top".
The mockumentary also contains clips from his first Three "AL-TV"s, and all of Yankovic's music videos up to 1985: "Ricky
Ricky (song)
"Ricky" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Mickey" by Toni Basil. The song focuses on the show I Love Lucy, and ends with a segment of the theme from the show...
", "I Love Rocky Road
I Love Rocky Road
"I Love Rocky Road" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic about a man's obsession with rocky road ice cream. It is a parody of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by the band Arrows, which had recently been covered by Joan Jett.-Track listing:...
", "Eat It
Eat It
"Eat It" is a hit single by parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the song "Beat It" by pop star Michael Jackson. The single reached #1 in Australia, and it was his highest-charting U.S. single on the Billboard Hot 100 at #12 until "White & Nerdy" peaked at #9 in October 2006...
", "I Lost On Jeopardy
I Lost on Jeopardy
"I Lost On Jeopardy" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from his second album, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D. The song is a parody of "Jeopardy" by The Greg Kihn Band, and its refrain "Our love's in jeopardy"...
", "This Is The Life", "Like a Surgeon" ,"One More Minute
One More Minute
"One More Minute" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is done in the style of doo-wop and Elvis Presley.-Track listing:The following tracks are on the single:# "One More Minute" – 4:02# "Midnight Star" – 4:33...
", and "Dare to Be Stupid
Dare To Be Stupid (song)
"Dare to Be Stupid" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a musical pastiche of the band Devo.Shortly after the song was released, Yankovic received a letter from Mark Mothersbaugh congratulating him on writing "the perfect Devo song". In an interview on VH1's Behind The Music,...
".
The parody also extends to the technical aspects of the film, such as the copyright warning message which starts routinely but escalates to warnings that copying the video may result in damage to your VCR, smoke may come out of your TV set, escalating to possible destruction of the planet due to the greed of the viewer.
The film was released in the VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
(rare), Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
(extremely rare), and laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
(very rare) formats. A 10 minute version of the mockumentary appeared on one of Weird Al's "AL-TV" specials, #6, which aired on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in 1992.
The Compleat Al was released at roughly the same time as the book The Authorized Al (ISBN 0-8092-5133-7), which is essentially a book version of the video.