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1. Did you have to get permission to parody the songs? No. In 1994, the rap group "2 Live Crew" was sued by Roy Orbison for a raunchy parody of Orbison's "Pretty Woman." The case was taken to the Supreme Court, where it sided with the defendants. Since then, all parodies are declared "Fair Use", provided that the parodies are humor-based. Many people who come up to me with this question know full well that "Weird Al" Yankovic asks for the artist's permission. I cannot speak for Al, but I suspect that it's because earlier in his career, no such ruling was made, and now he does so out of courtesy. 2. I have a great idea for a parody. Have you tried [idea] with [song]? If you have a good idea for a parody song, great! I would like to encourage you to go out and make a recording of your idea. However, I am unable to take suggestions. For one thing, there's just so many ideas out there, and it gets very tricky as to the ownership of a parody once it has been recorded. For another, I've discovered that humor is a very tricky medium: it is based solely on the performance of the individual. In other words, what may be funny from your lips may not necessarily be funny if I tackle the same song. It is best for you to give it a try. 3. Do you plan to do a parody album containing songs from the last year? Yes. You wouldn't know it, but I had ideas from current songs for my last album, but ultimately, those songs just didn't make the cut. Sure, it is a thrill to hear a favorite recent song put in a parody song, but I would rather shelve a song than put out a song which doesn't meet my standards. I expect that many more recent songs will make my next recording. Which leads us to our next question... 4. When do you plan to release your next album? It's HERE!! Eternal Life, the Party Album has arrived. Now buy it!! 5. I find what you're doing is offensive. There are three
potential reasons as to why: I will tackle all three:
6. Why did you convert to Catholicism? I had a "born-again" experience as a 14 year old Episcopalian, which is pretty close. Many of my Christian friends were anti-Catholic, so I became anti-Catholic too. When I went to college, I began to immerse myself at an ecumenical Christian group that was a by-product of the Charismatic Renewal. Many of the participants were Catholic, although from their mannerisms I couldn't tell. To be honest, I percieved no pressure from my peers to join the Catholic Church. I received a book of Marian apparitions from a dear family member. Now, one thing you gotta know is that I'm a debater. I like to read what I perceive to be cultic-literature to find it's inherent flaws. And I felt compelled to read this book to find flaws which were clearly there. Well, imagine my surprise when I found compelling Christ-centerred fruits. (What I perceived to be worship of Mary was inaccurate: there was a clear difference between Mary-worship, and honoring Mary--the former of which is wrong, and the latter of which was done by Christ Himself). To the shock of many around me, especially my Catholic friends, I began praying the rosary. Word spread, and some of my Protestant friends borrowed the same book. Then THEY got hooked. I still remember a vacation we all took together, where we had four Protestants leading prayer walks along the North Carolina beach... Over the next three years I began to work out other issues: The Eucharist, Confession, the Papacy, and Women in the Priesthood. After the last issue fell, all my initial trepidation and fear on this new step was replaced with an unspeakable joy. Let me repeat: I had no desire to join the Catholic faith. I had attended Interdenominational churches, Evangelical churches, Pentecostal churches, and Episcopal churches. I can give you a hundred reasons why I would have felt at ease at any one of those wonderful places. But the bottom line is, I believe the Catholic church is totally true. To quote Thomas Howard, you don't pat the Hound of Heaven. 7. Do you have a life?? (I mean, do you do anything else?) I am a worship leader, a speaker, an apologist, a songwriter, and a church musician. I have spoken and performed at prayer groups, youth rallies, apologetics conferences, and worship seminars. If you have any further questions, please contact me. |
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