In the annals of pop culture fan campaigns, this one will go down as the most improbable:
Fans of Weird Al Yankovich are lobbying for the platinum-selling parody artist to be the halftime entertainment for the 2013 Super Bowl.
Fans launched an online petition (you can sign it at www.change.org) days after the 2012 Super Bowl last February. As of last week, it had 22,144 signatures. That's nowhere near denting the 1 million signatures petition backers say they will need to get Yankovich on Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.
Would Yankovich even want to do it?
You betcha.
"That's one of those kind of things I couldn't turn down. But in reality, I have to keep telling myself that's never going to happen," he said during a phone interview in early July to talk about his Tucson show on Tuesday. "But yeah, of course I would. I think I would have a non-stop diarrhea attack from now to then if that were to become a reality. That's certainly one of those things you don't say no to."
The fans petitioning for the 52-year-old Yankovich cite his wide-ranging family-friendly appeal.
"To quote The Simpsons: 'He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life'," the poll states.
"It would be the best halftime show ever," Maryland fan Jeff Reuben posted.
Yankovich is genuinely humbled by the notion.
"But I have to be a realist, and I realize that that is one of those things that sound good on paper, but will never be a live reality," he says.
Sort of like a 30-year career in music making parodies of pop songs?
"That's true. My whole career has been one brilliant accident. This was not supposed to happen," he says. "There's not supposed be such as thing as a novelty dinosaur because the thing that I do is normally considered the domain of one-hit wonders and flashes in the pan. The fact that I've outlasted most of the people I've parodied over the years I guess is unusual, as well."
The beauty of Yankovich's career? "I will never run out of source material. There will always be something ridiculous to make fun of," he says.
So let's say we were dreaming out loud about the Super Bowl. The songlist is a given: "Eat It," "Amish Paradise." "Perform This Way," "Another One Rides the Bus," "Smells Like Nirvana," a few polka medleys.
But what would the show be like?
"It would be like one of my normal shows times 10, with unlimited production value, probably special guests. I hate to admit that a few thoughts had crossed my mind as to what I would actually do."
He laughs at the suggestion that he's mapped it out.
"No, but I mean in my mind it would be pretty awesome," he says. "But I try not to go there."
The special guests?
"Anybody that's still alive that wants to do it."
If you go
• What: Weird Al Yankovic "The Alpocalypse Tour."
• When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
• Where: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St.
• Tickets: $44 and $56 at www.foxtucsontheatre.org
