I know this is going to sound strange, but hear me out. Let's talk about Weird Al Yankovic and be serious about it. Recently, the Weird One himself has been defying all expectations concerning his career and going positively viral with the video for his new song parody, an unlikely combination of The Doors and Craigslist. Here's what's extra-weird about it- The song is actually pretty good.

Now, I know I have to qualify that statement before I can expect any reader to accept it. There are different kinds of "good" music and Weird Al carved out his own peculiar niche of "good" 30 years ago. Sure, he's made a small media empire on a foundation of parody and cartoon-level silliness, but if Weird Al was nothing but an uninspired jokester, we would have stopped hearing about him in 1984. Somehow he's stayed within the public consciousness to some extent for three decades. Let's talk about why it's ok to actually like Weird Al, at least on some level.

Al Yankovic is a competent musician. Mark Mothersbaugh is on record as saying that Weird Al's Devo parody, "Dare To Be Stupid" is actually as good as much of what the original band put together. That's nothing to sneeze at, folks. Mothersbaugh has had an impressive career of writing and producing music for just about every facet of pop culture, and if you listen to Devo beyond "Whip It" you'll find a borderline-genius early electronic act. Weird Al didn't lift any riffs from Devo to make his genre parody, he wrote that entire thing all on his lonesome.

"Dare To Be Stupid" wasn't a fluke, either. I wouldn't exactly call Weird Al's music high art, but it's certainly not a series of youtube videos featuring teenage girls on their acoustic guitars. The man has released a new album every few years since 1983, and while not all of them have been memorable, they're proof that Al Yankovic is the most long-lasting musical parodist in modern history.

Weird Al has been promoting his new single like crazy. I'll admit, when I heard that he was spreading around a Doors parody about Craigslist I rolled my eyes. The idea sounds like the very definition of missing the mark. And it would be, if it weren't so damn good. Remember, this is "Weird Al Good". The parody is disturbingly spot-on. Yankovic seamlessly combines classic Doors songs like "Light My Fire" and "Soul Kitchen", all while doing a better Jim Morrison impression than Val Kilmer did in the freaking bio-pic.

So, as much as every critical bone in my body wants to dismiss Weird Al's "Craigslist" as a dusty attempt to co-opt Internet culture into renewed fame, I can't help but respect the guy's talent. It's good, and not just "Weird Al Good". Don't get me wrong, I like new things, new sounds, new ideas. Still, Yankovic has reclaimed my respect as an honest appreciator of music. Yeah, I'd rather just listen to The Doors, but if Yankovic gets an entire generation to appreciate one of the best bands of the 60's, then bless him in all his endeavors.