Someone apparently used a VHS to record an episode of VH1 Behind The Music, including commercial breaks, as it aired on cable TV in 1999. The episode focuses on Weird Al Yankovic and treats us to interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Dr Demento, Doug Feiger (The Knack) and The Weird One, himself.
Many years later someone attempted to transfer the video cassette recording to digital. It seems to have been captured at slower and glitchy frame rates. The contrast is low so everything is grayed out. The sound quality is basic to bad. You can probably find the DVD in a public library if you really want. The YouTube title says “High Quality”. This is a lie.
Still, this beast is watchable and entertaining. It helps if you are a fan of His Weirdness. Furthermore, it’s fascinating because of the commercials. It’s like a time capsule.
Do you think a Tampon or a maxi-pad could feel like a diaper? Do you remember what it feels like to wear a diaper? Well apparently this was a huge problem in 1999 and it needed to be addressed on VH1. Watch for the commercial in the video.
But why would a feminine hygiene product manufacturer want you to know about Weird Al? They didn’t. At the time there was a pretense that the companies running advertisements during live broadcasts were sponsoring the content that it interrupted. This was a carry-over from old time radio and early television.
We cover Yankovic a lot around here and his music is always in rotation on the live stream. We’ve even created a T-Shirt design in his honor. Order one today!
-Wacky Alex
