Editor's note: Originally published in This Land, Vol. 4 Issue 20. Oct. 15, 2013, Mitch Gilliam goes deep into the world of "Weird" Al Yankovic's 1988 film UHF. Shot in Tulsa and comprised of a vast majority of Okie talent, the film, like Al himself, has created a devoted cult following since its release. The burning question remains however – Why the hell did he choose to make this in Tulsa?
“You don’t know what life before Al was like,” said my longtime co-worker Kevin “Okie” Okey. He’s delivered pizza from the downtown Tulsa Mazzio’s since it was a Pizzettis, “since Alapalooza and before Bad Hair Day,” he said. That’s 20 years, for the uninitiated.
Okey is right; I can’t imagine life before Weird Al. For me—and many others—Al is, has, and always will be around. He’s the guy with the goofy versions of pop songs. He’s the guy with the hair and the accordion. Weird Al Yankovic is as American as Cheez Whiz on a hot dog in a Twinkie. I don’t know how life before Al felt, but Okey remembers accepting him into his. “I saw the video for ‘Eat It’ first,” he recalls. “Nickelodeon was airing Turkey TV at the time, and I remember seeing more of his videos on there. When ‘Dare To Be Stupid’ came out, I thought, wow, I need to get into this guy.” There may be crazier fans, but Okey was my hierophant to the world of Al.
Before I met Okey I didn’t know there are people who listen to comedy rock 90 percent of the time. He may be among the less fervent, but his overall existence is Yankovician in itself. He has heterochromatic eyes, practices Fushigi, and married a woman with the same first and middle name as his sister. He’s a homunculus of the Weird Alchemist, a thoughtform made flesh through pure wacky willpower. “There will be two Elizabeth Anne Okeys at Weird Al’s anniversary show,” he proudly told me.