As a parody artist, “Weird Al” Yankovic doesn’t have to get permission from anybody to make his comical spins on popular music, but he makes sure to anyway. It’s something he’s talked about on multiple occasions over the years and a FAQ on his website explains, “Al does get permission from the original writers of the songs that he parodies. While the law supports his ability to parody without permission, he feels it’s important to maintain the relationships that he’s built with artists and writers over the years.”
So what this means is that during his career, there have been songs Yankovic wanted to make/release but didn’t because the original artist said no and he respected their desires. That includes Beck, who now says he wishes he had given Yankovic the go-ahead.
In a new installment of Audible Original’s Words + Music (as Billboard notes), Beck talks about “Loser” and says, “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic tried to do a version of it. It was going to be called ‘Schmoozer.’ I regret denying him permission to do it. I think it would have been an amazing video. I’m actually really sad it didn’t happen.”
As for Yankovic, he’s currently in the midst of his gigantic The Unfortunate Return Of The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, which has a whopping 133 dates.