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Given Yankovics status as a living accordion god, faking it wouldnt be right.
Soon, he was strolling around Manhattan with the box-shaped instrument attached to his chest.
It was actually through his girlfriend, Erin Darke, who I used to work with.
So from 2012 onward, we would all hang out.
My accordion followed me to some of our hangouts sometimes.
So he became aware that I played accordion.
He came to me with that.
What was that first lesson like?He asked me to do it back in October of 2021.
They shot this movie in 18 days in February, like four or five months later.
So the first meetup we finally had was somewhere in mid-November.
Preparing for that, I was like, Whats your music experience like?
Do you know any piano?
He had taken piano lessons as a kid but said that knowledge had pretty much disappeared.
He knows where middle C is and thats it.
He played bass for a little while, which I think helps with rhythm.
Other than that, completely cold to the accordion.
I have seven accordions.
But I learned accordion around 2011, and I only learned John Williams film scores, soJurassic ParkandStar Wars.
Tons of video-game music:Legend of Zelda,Super Mario.
Thats why it felt weird to teach him.
Also, a lot of accordion players do their best work in the bathroom.
Because you need a mirror the first time you play accordion to see that button side.
Our first few lessons were like, Put on your accordion and lets go to the bathroom.
So wed spend 45 minutes or an hour in the bathroom.
Got a sense for how heavy it is.
Basically, I hooked up Dan with my smallest accordion, and he had that for three months.
He took it with him to London for the holidays and to Texas for whenThe Lost Citywas premiering.
He brought the accordion on the road and he was practicing a lot.
So was he really committed to this?Yeah, he can do anything.
He was like, Okay, yeah!
He was really into it and has the best attitude ever.
In our first lesson, we got to a point where Id shown him quite a bit of stuff.
I think we started on the button side.
So I took my knowledge as an animator and jumped back in and animated it.
Id play the audio half-speed, and youd actually see the keys animate.
It would highlight a key and say index, so you would press that key with an index finger.
On the button side, youd see what note it was, like F sharp.
Id say, Play it with your swear finger.
We figured that out by lesson two.
He was able to do so much more in the homework phase by looking at the videos.
I got my accordion back from him and Al gave him an accordion after the shoot.
So were working onJurassic Parkand well see where that goes.
I dont think I ever got in good shape, so I think its probably the other way.
Being in shape may help you.
I dont think playing accordion ever got me in good shape, to be honest.
Accordions can be pretty heavy.
Id alternate between standing and sitting on a little drummers bench.
Its a physical thing because theyre heavy.
The small accordion I lent Dan is I think 17 pounds.
This full-size accordion that I have here, I think its 28 or 29 pounds.
Is there a significant accordion community in New York?Yeah, there is actually.
Ive been on the outside of it most of the time.
Our first interactions werent great.
I remember she came up to me and was like, How long have you been playing here?
I was like, Oh, a couple weeks ago.
I live around the corner.
She was like, Ive been playing here for years.
So it was like, Okay, its yours.
So Id attempt to do it when she wasnt there or I would go to a different spot.
But the guy gave me free straps, which was incredible.
Where does Weird Al stand among accordion players?
Are real accordion players snobby about him or do they mostly embrace him?I think they embrace him.
One, hes the American accordion player thats evangelized accordions to the country.
People are still aware of it because of him.
And I think most accordion players recognize that.
But Im in such a weird place with all of this.
Al is so technical, and everything he writes is so technical.
Hes not up there playing easy stuff.
Teaching Dan the stuff we worked on was difficult.
From my side of it, I look at Al as an idol.
Hes arguably the most famous American accordion player.
Who is the second-most-famous accordion player?Probably Daniel Radcliffe now.
This is an important question: Have you seenthe movieTaryet?No, I havent.
Do you know what it is?No, I dont.
Its a movie with Cate Blanchett where she playsa famous conductor and composer.
Is the accordion finally having a big moment?It would seem that way, wouldnt it?
I need to seeTar.And the annoying-your-neighbors thing is definitely true.
Thats a thing that happens.
Also, annoying whoever lives with you, too.
Theres nothing like hearing Another One Rides the Bus on accordion over and over to get over a fever.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
