"Weird" Al Yankovic
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Oh man, this is it - the Grand-daddy of what I do. The one that started it all. A 'thank you' for a friend who gave me lifts everywhere when my car broke down, and wouldn't take anything for it. I was working for a repro-house/print company in Dorset at the time, fresh from my apprenticeship and working as a film-planner/platemaker for the printing presses (a 'bodger', as we're affectionately known).
This was 1998 - the internet wasn't really a 'thing', and Apple Mac computers were starting to become the print industry standard design tool. My job was in danger of becoming obsolete as soon as I had learnt it, so I bought a second-hand Apple Mac IICX from a friend. Now all I had to do was learn how to use it and the software so I could keep up with the developments at work. I needed a project.
I also needed a thank you for my friend who was driving me everywhere, and it was his birthday soon.
One night, he'd been round, and we played a Star Wars-themed 'property trading game'. "This makes it more fun - imagine if it was themed around something you really, really loved. You could have anything", he said.
Imagine.
We're both big fans of Weird Al, so I took to scanning every picture and album I could get my hands on (remember, kids - no internet), and with a crude learning of Quark Xpress 3.32 page layout software, and Adobe Photoshop..3? 4??....I got to work. Working in print, I had the guys to print the board. I hand-drew the box lid, and all the counters were made from polymer clay. My friend still has a photo of us with it, somewhere. He'll find it sometime and I'll post it.
"Eat a lot of broccoli and drink a lot of beer..."