“You couldn’t grow up in the U.S. in the 80s and 90s and not know Weird Al‘s music, so we were both excited about meeting this talented man in person,” say Brinson+Banks, who photographed the Grammy-winning musical parodist at his home in the Hollywood Hills. “He was just as animated as could be for the camera, but calm and composed when he wasn’t in performance mode.
“After we shot some multiple-exposure portraits to play up the many personas he takes on in his songs, he pulled out a beautiful accordion he’d bought on Craigslist of all places (imagine being the seller and Weird Al himself showing up to buy your accordion!). Then we requested he get on his diving board as we shot him from a balcony on the second floor. He didn’t bat an eyelash at the request—he ran right down, tossed off his shoes, and played us a Lady Gaga cover, splashing his feet in the pool as we photographed.”
Weird Al Yankovic. Photo by Brinson+Banks for the Washington Post.
Photo by Brinson+Banks for the Washington Post.
Photo by Brinson+Banks for the Washington Post.
