Al Yankovic Quotes

Satire is moral outrage transformed into comic art.

There's always been this tradition of satirizing these rich groups of people.

By the very nature of satire or parody, you have to love and respect your target and respect it enough to understand every aspect of it, so you can more effectively make fun of it.

If you're going to get into social criticism with absurdity and satire, you can't be politically correct when you do that.

But in terms of satire and comedy, our biggest and earliest influence was Mad magazine.

We make fun of our leaders.

It's an old Elizabethan idea. The fool is the only one who is allowed to make fun of the king because he is a fool. I can say whatever I want about anybody else because I'm just an idiot talking - I'm not insisting that I'm any smarter than anyone else. It's satire.

I think a playful critique is good for all of us, and that's basically how I see satire functioning. But I'm not interested in a kind of contemptuous satirical vision; I try always, even when I'm knowingly being satirical, to also be humane, but I mean, let's face it: there's plenty in American life to make fun of, and we all participate in it.

I've never been much drawn towards satire of any kind.

A lot of French comedy is satire.

satire is a wrapping of exaggeration around a core of reality.

Not very good, I am afraid. But now really, do not you think Udolpho the nicest book in the world?" "The nicest—by which I suppose you mean the neatest. That must depend upon the binding.

Satire does not look pretty upon a tombstone.

Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet To run amuck, and tilt at all I meet.

In general satire, every man perceives A slight attack, yet neither fears nor grieves.

Satire recoils whenever charged too high; round your own fame the fatal splinters fly.

Satire has a great big glaring target. If successful, it blasts a great big hole in the center. Directness there must be and singleness of aim: it is all aim, all trajectory.

Some people even think I wear a wig. Do they think I went into a salon one day and said, Can you please screw this up really bad?

Satire is tragedy plus time.

Satire is dependent on strong beliefs, and on strong beliefs wounded.

I found myself often asking the question, "Who deserves to be made fun of?" Depending on your mood, the answer can be no one or everyone. It took me a while to understand the math of how those field pieces came together. I don't think that ridicule is ever funny, but there are times when that gets the biggest response.

That's sort of what I wanted to make fun of a little bit with Don Jon. And I think oftentimes, if you're going to talk about a sort of substantial topic like this, the best way to do it is with a sense of humor.

Many of the American cartoonists that want to have a job and go so much for the total right without thinking, sometimes they get a slap on the face when their politician lets them down. So it goes on and on. The thing is staying in the middle and not getting committed, trying to get the best of both and do that with a sense of humor.

Satire is an abuse of wit. It corrects few evils.

By rights, satire is a lonely and introspective occupation, for nobody can describe a fool to the life without much patient self-inspection.