Squeeze Box : the complete works of “Weird Al” Yankovic

Marian K. Heilbrun Music and Media Library

Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of “Weird Al” Yankovic
Volcano Entertainment, 2017
Compact discs

Grammy-winning artist “Weird Al” Yankovic (b.1959) is best known for his humorous parodies of popular songs, but also is an accomplished original song writer, actor, and music video director. A (parody) biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, is being released in November 2022. 

 This limited-edition box set, modeled after Weird Al’s accordion, features his 14 studio albums from 1983–2014, a bonus album of previously unreleased material, and a 119-page book of photos. Squeeze Box won the 2019 Grammy award for Best Boxed or Special Limited-Edition Package. Only two libraries are listed on WorldCat as owning copies. The purchase of this box set was made possible with the Walter R. Davis III Endowed Fund for humor. 

 While today, most Americans rely on streaming subscriptions to listen to music, physical formats such as vinyl and compact disc hold advantages such as 1) access to liner notes, including production credits, 2) better sound quality, and 3) not being subject to unexpected removal. Not everything is available on streaming! The Music and Media Library has around 33,000 sound recordings in physical format and is still actively collecting. 

What purpose do parodies (musical and other types) serve in art reception? Has the role of parodies changed in the era of the internet? 

For more information on the Weird Al Yankovic object click here 


King of the Children
Hai zi wang

Marian K. Heilbrun Music and Media Library

King of the Children / Hai zi wang
Chen Kaige, director
People’s Republic of China, 1987
2019 World Cinema Library limited edition
Numbered 573/700
Blu-ray disc

The Emory Libraries hold the only copy listed in WorldCat of this special Chinese Blu-ray edition of Chen Kaige’s restored classic. One of the leading early films of “Fifth Generation” filmmakers in China, it depicts a young teacher sent to an impoverished village in the Yunnan Province.  

Have you seen any films from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong or Taiwan, three main Chinese language film industries? “If so, what are some common film genres produced by those industries?” 

The Music and Media Library’s extensive video holdings, many of them rare or unique, support a range of teaching and research needs across disciplines and offer a window into global film history.