Trigger Happy Everyday (Literally)
“Weird Al” is never overtly political in his music. In some ways, it’s one of the reasons why his comedy feels so timeless. His original song “Trigger Happy” off 1992’s “Off the Deep End” is the closest he comes to making any type of political statement, but even that is in the eye of the beholder. Nathan Rabin, in his book The Weird Accordion to Al, describes the song as “a darkly comic exploration of American gun lust” (p. 178). Recent shootings in both Atlanta, Georgia and Boulder, Colorado bring this song back into my consciousness as I think about the rhetoric surrounding these tragic events. It’s the same old song and dance from every pundit, politician, and Facebook/Twitter adversary. The same questions emerge: “What is the gun problem?” “Is there anything that can be done to prevent these events?” “What is with some peoples’ obsession with guns?”
That last question obviously gnaws at “Weird Al” Yankovic. No matter your political stance, your opinion on guns is based on the culture in which you were raised. Unless you grew up in a home where guns were common, they likely seem like a foreign concept. Personally, I fired a gun for the first time a few years ago and haven’t since. Not because it wasn’t “fun” or I found it particularly disturbing, but the thought “hey, lets go shoot a gun” just doesn’t enter my mind…ever.
I want to emphasize that this blog post is not meant to be a pro or anti-gun argument. If you’re a gun owner: more power to you and I hope you’re a “responsible gun owner” who follows safety protocols so accidents are less likely in your home. I’m not going to change anybody’s mind on the issue, so I’m focusing more on the culture around guns through this entry rather than try to make any sort of policy or moral argument.
And this is what “Weird Al” does through “Trigger Happy.”
Who would win in a fire fight? This guy or the USMC?
I honestly can’t think of a rational reason why citizens in a democratic society need access to high-powered firearms like the ones used in Atlanta and Boulder. I’ve heard lots of reasons, but they don’t make any sense from a logical deductive or an inductive empirical standpoint: “The second Amendment protects the first.” “It’s to prevent the tyrannical government from seizing too much power.” “An armed citizenry keeps the government in check.” None of this makes any sense because if push came to shove, the United States Military would turn you and your arsenal into a crater with a drone. In light of the shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, this attempt at a rational argument is where, as Lily Hirsch writes, “the laugh in “Trigger Happy” collides with reality - the joke shatters in a moment of reflection” (p. 108). It’s almost like that Onion meme about mass shootings could be replaced by ““Trigger Happy” by “Weird Al” suddenly not funny for a while.”
I use the term “rational” above on purpose because nothing about “Trigger Happy” is technically rational. The narrator is joyously paranoid about “commies” and “drug-crazed nazis,” so he sleeps with his AK-47 and Uzi within reach. That paranoia makes him think his life is constantly in danger. What makes a person think they require a military-grade weapon to protect themselves in their home when a person is 43 times more likely to accidentally shoot a family member than a home intruder? Or what makes a person think owning five-plus guns is even necessary? (Almost 30% of gun owners say they own five or more). Like I said, this whole topic isn’t rational, it’s cultural. Gun violence is as American as “Surfin’ USA” and “Weird Al” tries to imitate a gun-lover’s cultural mindset throughout this song.
Yankovic is genuinely confused by gun culture and “Trigger Happy” is his attempt to understand it through humor. We can see this processing by looking at some of the lyrics:
Got an AK-47, well you know it makes me feel alright
Guns definitely make some people feel safe, but statistics in this case tell a much different story. While there are, indeed, some instances of a good guy with a gun playing hero with their guns, those stories are few and very far in-between. Just look at the dates in the linked article. They are trying hard to push the idea that armed citizens stop bad guys, but even they only found 11 over the course of about a decade. Compare that with the fact that, of the approximately 33,000 gun deaths in the US each year, 2/3rds are suicides (most of whom are men over the age of 45), and suddenly the “safety” doesn’t really carry any rational weight. But that doesn’t matter to the protagonist, the Uzi by his bed helps him sleep a little better at night.
Oh, I accidentally shot daddy last night in the den
I mistook him in the dark for a drug-crazed Nazi again
This was true when the song was released in 1992. It’s true now.
Come on and grab your ammo
What have you got to lose?
We'll get all liquored up
And shoot at anything that moves
The bridge of the song is a bit of an exaggeration. Anecdotally, I have some friends who are gun-enthusiasts and they are adamant about gun safety (they have kids in their homes) and they get really mad at their fellow gun-enthusiasts if they see them mix alcohol and firearms. The anecdote doesn’t change the fact that about a third of all firearm accidents involve alcohol in some way and at least one fourth of firearm suicide victims consumed alcohol prior to ending their lives.
Got a brand new semi-automatic weapon with a laser sight
Oh, I'm prayin' somebody tries to break in here tonight
I always keep a Magnum in my trunk
You better ask yourself, do you feel lucky, punk?
No doubt, the TV, movies, and the media glorify gun usage. Hell, the 2018 “Death Wish” remake with Bruce Willis was pretty much an armed citizen wet dream. There’s this fantasy into which many gun-owners buy: that somehow they’ll be the hero who stops a home intruder and saves their family, that they’ll stop a robbery at a Circle K with their concealed handgun, that they’ll save a group of people from a mass shooter at the mall. I’m not saying there are direct causal relationships, after all, I exist in the same media environment and watch/enjoy the same shows/movies as gun-owners. But, I don’t daydream about pulling my piece to save an attractive young girl’s life from a randomly deranged bad guy.
I’m not citing statistics or spinning an argument to convince anybody of how dangerous guns are or to suggest a possible policy change that would “solve” the problem of gun violence in America. Rather, that “Weird Al’s” jokes about gun-nuts aren’t completely inaccurate and that “Trigger Happy” continues to be an extremely poignant song about gun culture and violence in America. What’s more impressive (and kind of depressing) is how this song remains salient 30 years after its release…
It is arguably “Weird Al’s” darkest song and I had a hard time listening to it as I thought about this blog post. That’s what good art does. It makes a reflective statement on indelible features of a society. Unfortunately, one of those uniquely American societal features is gun violence.