Impact A number of Yankovic’s albums reached
gold or platinum status in the United States and
Canada in the 1980’s and later decades. Yankovic
continued to produce successful albums, including
1992’sOff the Deep End, which parodied Nirvana’s
Nevermind(1991) album cover and the rock band’s
hit “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and 2003’sPoodle Hat,
which went gold and earned the Grammy Award for
Best Comedy Album. Yankovic’s satire is accurate
but good-humored; he does not anticipate trends
but identifies current, major aspects of culture.
Further Reading
http://www.weirdal.com.
Insana, Tino, and Weird Al Yankovic,The Authorized
Al. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1985.
Bernadette Lynn Bosky
See also Comedians; Dance, popular; Devo; Jack-
son, Michael; Madonna; Music; Music videos; Pop
music;This Is Spin ̈ al Tap.
Yellowstone National Park fires
The Event A devastating series of fires driven by
drought and high winds burns thousands of
acres
Date June 22-September 11, 1988
Place Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming,
Montana, and IdahoCausing $120 million in damages, the Yellowstone fires
were the most costly in U.S. histor y. Media attention from
the fires and a policy allowing natural fires to burn sparked
intense public debate.In 1972, the U.S. National Park Service adopted
the “natural-burn” policy allowing lightning-ignited
fires to burn when there was no threat to human life
or property. Between 1972 and the 1987, 235 natu-
rally caused fires burned 33,759 acres within Yellow-
stone National Park. These fires were credited with
reducing surplus fuel that accumulated followingThe Eighties in America Yellowstone National Park fires 1071
A bomber drops liquid fire retardant in Yellowstone National Park to combat the 1988 forest fires.(NPS photo by Jeff Henry)