Denver Comic Con 2017 Guest Spotlight: 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There was a time, not that long ago in fact, where being a geek or a nerd was completely and utterly frowned upon. Sure the stuff we currently love and enjoy was still around, but being able to discuss your love of Doctor Who, Star Wars or Star Trek was nowhere near as easy or acceptable as it is in this day and age.

But thankfully, those dark days where people raised an eyebrow at other folks who happened to be wearing a Starfleet uniform have gone the wayside and while I don't know exactly when or where our attitudes toward pop culture and geekiness as a whole shifted...I do know that throughout the Dark Ages of Nerddom, there was one man working hard to make being a geek a mainstream thing; 'Weird Al' Yankovic. 

Of course, he's a household name now, but back in the 1980's, he was an up and comer, a silly fellow that played the accordion and wore thick glasses and made fun of popular music. But his look, and his act, and quite frankly...his song writing skills caught all of our attention. We had to see what incredible lyrics he cooked up next, what kind of costumes he would put together for his parody videos and decades later, 'Weird Al' is truly a pop culture icon, the writer of a cult classic film in UHF and an artist that is considered to be essential listening for any fan of music.

But while that description more or less examines one incredibly successful career, one that has outlasted most of the acts he has parodied, 'Weird Al' did something spectacular for several generations of nerds...he taught us to be ourselves. Al always made a point to let his nerd flag fly, and not give a darn as to who thought he was being too goofy or too silly and it inspired all of us to do the same, to embrace who we are, to be proud of the things we love and share that with everyone, and in many ways...I attribute some of the current popularity of pop culture and nerdiness as a whole to 'Weird Al' Yankovic because he flat out made it cool and well ladies and gentlemen, it makes me extremely proud to know that he will be coming to Denver Comic Con 2017. 

Yes, you read that right, the man, the myth, the legend himself will join an already stellar lineup of guests in the Mile High City, and let me tell you, this is a man whose line I will be more than happy to brave to shake his hand and thank him for all the incredible things he's done and for those wondering what his schedule will look like that weekend, good news; he will be in attendance for the entire weekend and he will be participating in some panel programming as well and we'll have the details on that for you as we get closer in the con. Either way, Denver Comic Con continues to up their game every single year when it comes to their guest lineup, and this announcement is no exception to that rule and if you'd like to meet 'Weird Al' Yankovic, get your tickets at the DCC Website today and I'll see you in Al's line come the end of June...

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