Synopsis

Weird Al Yankovic recreates Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video as a deliberately chaotic high school performance. Wearing a wig and playing a broad parody of Kurt Cobain, Yankovic leads his band through deliberately nonsensical lyrics about mumbling, unintelligible singing, and having marbles in his mouth. The staged concert gradually descends into the same kind of unruly crowd behavior as the original, while visual gags, exaggerated expressions, and absurd interruptions turn the grunge classic into a loving send-up.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video closely follows the structure, camera angles, props, and visual style of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

• It was filmed on the same Culver City, California soundstage used for Nirvana's original video.

• Several cheerleaders and audience members from the Nirvana video returned for Yankovic's parody.

• Tony De La Rosa reprises his role as the janitor, creating one of the video's most recognizable links to the original.

• Yankovic's band members portray Nirvana's lineup: Steve Jay plays Krist Novoselic, while Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz plays Dave Grohl.

• Kurt Cobain reportedly approved the parody. Yankovic later recalled that Cobain understood the video as a sign that Nirvana had become a major cultural force.

• The song and video helped revive Yankovic's commercial momentum after the disappointing theatrical performance of his 1989 film "UHF."

• The video received a nomination for Best Male Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.

• The visual joke about needing marbles in his mouth was developed directly from the song's central gag about how difficult it was to understand the lyrics of "Smells Like Teen Spirit."