If you love parody songs, polkas, and the pure excellence of “Weird Al” Yankovic, you’re going to love the upcoming book Light, Camera, Accordion! by Yankovic’s drummer and photographer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz.
Credit: Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz/1984 Publishing
Releasing November 15, 2022, from 1984 Publishing, the book features over 300 color photographs of Yankovic. Each photo is hand-selected from Schwartz’s personal collection of 35mm photographs. Since they first met in 1980, he’s taken over 20,000 images of the musician. The result is an expansive visual retrospective spanning 25 years.
The photo spreads in Lights, Camera, Accordion! reveal everything from studio sessions to concerts to more personal shots. And of course, the book is chock-full of behind-the-scenes looks at video shoots for iconic songs such as “Like A Surgeon,” “Amish Paradise,” and many, many more.
Credit: Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz/1984 Publishing
Schwartz grouped the photos by album, tour, and year, each section enhanced by anecdotes. Lights, Camera, Accordion! also has a foreword written by comedian Drew Carey, who Weird Al fans might remember starred in the music video for “It’s All About the Pentiums.” The afterword is penned by Yankovic himself.
“Wow wow! I’ve seen most of these pictures before, but it’s so nice to have them all in such good quality and in the same place,” says Yankovic about the book. “Just a wonderful package.”
The 256-page stand-alone hardbound copy of Lights, Camera, Accordion! retails for $40, but there will also be a limited edition box set that sells for $99. This box set includes alternative artwork and blue gilding, Schwartz’s signature, twelve 9”x12” prints, six postcards, a 35mm bookmark containing stills from the “Bob” music video, and other exclusive pieces of ephemera.
Pre-orders for the box set begin at 1 p.m. EST on Monday, August 1, 2022, at 1984 Publishing’s website. The stand-alone edition is out November 15.