Weird Al wants you to pay for his new pool

I've always had a soft spot for Weird Al. Maybe it was growing up on Dr. Demento or maybe just that the guy was pretty funny in a silly way and skewed pop culture so well. Too well sometimes, as Coolio and Eminem could tell you.

After his recent beef about CD royalties (which was no joke), I was wondering if he was also serious about the supposed scourge of the music industry, free downloading. In addition to a delicious parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" (titled "You're Pitiful"), he's also got a new song on his MySpace site called "Don't Download this Song." You have to wonder then, is he serious?

This is Weird Al we're talking about. He does up the song as a grand 80's power ballad (think "We Are the World") with an uplifting bridge. As for the words, he name-checks Morpheus, Groskter, Limewire and Kazaa, compares stealing songs to robbing liquor stores or selling crack, warns that you'll get busted by the RIAA even if you're a grade school kid or grandma ("like the evil, hard-bitten criminal scum you are"), complains that free downloading is coasting him a new gold Humvee, claims solidarity with Lars Ulrich and warns that you might be Tommy Chong's cell-mate if you don't mend your wicked ways.

Brilliant. I'd love to send the RIAA a copy but they're so thick-headed that they might think it's a good way to promote their slimy agenda.

But leave it to Weird Al to hide one more ultimate laughable irony here. You see, when you go to his MySpace page, not only can you listen to "Don't Download This Song" as streaming audio but he also lets you... um, download it for free. Such a kidder, that guy!