Rolling Stone Doesn’t Know Difference Between U.S. and Russian Uniforms

Rolling Stone Doesn’t Know Difference Between U.S. and Russian Uniforms

Weird Al Yankovic’s newest top-selling album “Mandatory Fun,” seems to have confused Rolling Stone a bit. Along with being shocked that Al could make the top of the charts, the music mag also thought he was wearing a Russian uniform on the cover of his new album. But in reality it is a U.S. Marine uniform from sometime around WWI.

In a piece announcing the launch of the blockbuster comedy album, Rolling Stone noted that Weird Al was “dressed in what appears to be a Russian military uniform.”

Was he? Sure, the cover means to invoke the propaganda posters in the old Soviet Union’s graphic style, but what was that uniform, anyway?

Well, it turns out that the uniform is a U.S. Marine uniform from around WWI. Even the ribbons and medals on the thing are American, not Soviet, decorations. So, far from being a Soviet uniform, this one is all American.

Of course, it’s all hilarious to Weird Al, regardless. With his being the first number one comedy album on the charts since the 1960s–namely since 1963’s My Son The Nut, by Alan Sherman–Alfred Matthew Yankovic has made a hit with clever word play and clean humor, not smut and shock. And in this day and age, that might be a shock in and of itself.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com

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