Weird Al Yankovic was booked to perform in Christchurch in March 2011 but cancelled after the February earthquakes. He has announced a return to Christchurch in January.

Weird Al Yankovic will perform at Christchurch's Isaac Theatre Royal in January as part of an Australasian tour which also sees the American parody king play Auckland's Powerstation.

Yankovic, who was booked to perform at the Isaac Theatre Royal on March 8, 2011, is the only star booked to perform in Christchurch around the time of the February 2011 earthquakes who has not yet returned to the city.

In early February 2011, sat at my kitchen table in the eastern suburbs, I interviewed Yankovic over the phone, while EQC assessors poked around the house looking at the damage from the September 2010 quake.

It was a suitably bizarre scenario.

While Yankovic told me about writing his children's book, a female Australian EQC assessor measured cracks.

For his part, Yankovic was not at all weird. Instead he was remarkably straitlaced, pleasant and down-to-earth.

It was slightly incongruous that the musical satirist who once adopted a bushy beard and churned butter suggestively for the video for his parody Amish Paradise, and who belched so effectively at just the right moment in Smells Like Nirvana, should be so normal.

Yankovic has carved out a reputation as the world's most recognised parody artist in a career spanning almost four decades. He has outlasted some of the acts he has parodied.

The undisputed king of pop culture parody has sold more comedy recordings than any other artist in history.

In 2011, Clause 5 in Yankovic's contact - force majeure - stated his obligation to perform would be subject to the inability to do so due to "act of God, riots, strikes, terrorists, terrorist activity, epidemics".

Christchurch fans know how that worked out.

He told me that the funniest reaction he'd had to a song he'd parodied involved Don McLean.

Ironically, McLean was the last person on stage at the Christchurch Town Hall, performing on the evening of February 21, 2011.

"I did a parody of Don Mclean's song American Pie called The Saga Begins," Yankovic said. "Don is a sweet man, he's a great sport. His kids were such big fans of my parody song they would sing it around the house all the time which kind of messed with his brain. He said sometimes he'd be on stage singing American Pie and it would trip him up a little bit."

Yankovic also described the strangest thing that had happened to him during a show.

"I performed a song called You Don't Love Me Any More and at the end I would smash an acoustic guitar. One time I did it and I was too close and shards of wood went up my nose. I started bleeding profusely but I'm one of those 'the show must go on' kinda guys, even though I was bandaged up like a mummy."

Yankovic brings his Mandatory World Tour to New Zealand in January 2016 having just conquered over 100 cities in North America and Europe and achieved success with his 14th studio album, Mandatory Fun.

He is the biggest selling comedy-recording artist in history. He has won four Grammy Awards, with classic hits including Eat It, Fat, Like A Surgeon, Amish Paradise, White & Nerdy and more. Mandatory Fun sees him parody Pharrell Williams' Happy (Tacky), Lorde's Royals (Foil) and Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines (Word Crimes), among others.

WEIRD AL'S RIDER

Riders are usually kept as a closely guarded secret but I have managed to obtain the rider list of artist demands for Yankovic's 2011 Christchurch show.

It included:

Two dancers "must supply own black undergarments" to perform during Smells Like Teen Spirit.

One acoustic guitar. Guitar will never be played by Al, but will be smashed at the end of the song. A pawn shop or thrift store guitar is acceptable.

Two confetti canons and two bubble machines. (Yankovic also booked numerous Segways which had to be sourced from around New Zealand).

48 extra large high quality bath towels. 24 hand towels.

Al is a strict vegan. Dressing room supply: Fresh organic seedless watermelon, honeydew melon and assorted berries. Fresh salsa, guacamole, hummus, vegetables and pita chips. One of the following - Poco Dolce chocolate tiles, Vosges chocolate bar(s), dark chocolate-covered almonds, dark chocolate-covered graham crackers, dark chocolate-covered honeycomb, dark chocolate- covered ginger, dark chocolate-covered cherries, vegan cookies, one jar of organic peanut butter, one case of bottled water (no Dasani brand), one high- quality aromatic table candle. One bottle of Patron (on Friday's only).

Stormtroopers, who will be instructed to eat after the band and crew.

One boombox.

TOUR DETAILS:

Weird Al Yankovic plays at the Powerstation, Auckland, on January 5 (www.aaaticketing.co.nz) and the Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch, on January 6 (www.ticketek.co.nz).

Special pre-sales will be held at www.weirdal.com starting today, September 28, and will go on sale to the public at 10am on October 1.