'Weird Al': Accordion Is a 'Chick Magnet'

'Weird Al' Yankovic took accordion lessons from ages 7 to 10, his only musical training before launching a successful career (thanks in large part to the Dr. Demento Show, which helped him spread his madness to the masses).

Why the squeeze?, asks The Canberra Times. "The accordion is a chick magnet," Al says. "My parents wanted me to be extremely popular in high school."

That's just a snippet of the terrain in the Australian paper's wide-ranging interview with the parody master. Al even gives up the secret to his two decades of musical success: "A modicum of talent and a whole lot of luck, and a great group of musicians who've been with me from the very beginning. Also, I'm very stubborn -- I just don't go away."

Good luck with the Aussie tour, Al!