Resurfaced Rick Derringer Interview Claims a Comedy Icon ‘Single-Handedly Ruined’ His Career
via CELEBRITY CBN / YouTube
From Rock Classics to Unlikely Collaborations
Rick Derringer, known for iconic hits such as “Hang On Sloopy” and “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo,” took an unconventional turn in the 1980s. At a time when his rock career was well-established, Derringer collaborated with Weird Al Yankovic, the king of parody hits. However, decades later, he reflected on this partnership with mixed emotions.
In a 2024 interview, republished posthumously in Classic Rock’s August 2025 issue after his passing, Derringer candidly discussed his time with Yankovic and its unintended impact on his career.
“I left him after six albums, two Grammys, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s done very well. But here’s the bottom line: I thought that it would help my production career,” Derringer explained to Guitar Player, a sister publication of Classic Rock. “Suddenly I became known as a novelty producer. As much as I love Weird Al – he’s a good guy, very talented and a hard worker – he single-handedly ruined my production career.”
View this post on Instagram
Nostalgia and Early Decisions
Despite the toll it took on his production career, Derringer remembered working with Weird Al as an opportunity that wasn’t entirely unusual to him. Even though peers in the music industry raised their eyebrows at his choice, he remained unfazed.
“A lot of people were like: ‘What’s Rick doing?’ You know, I had a pretty good production career going for myself, so it didn’t strike me as unusual to work with Weird Al,” he noted.
Derringer attributed his openness to his upbringing, explaining, “I grew up in a family that liked novelty music. They had 78s of Spike Jones and stuff like that.”
When approached about producing a single with Yankovic, he saw an untapped niche.
“When I was approached to do a single with Al, I said: ‘Do you have more songs like this?’ He said yeah, so I said we should do a whole album. I thought if we can make a success of his songs, it would have no competition. Because there wasn’t anything like his stuff out at the time.”
View this post on Instagram
Hits, Struggles, and Unintended Consequences
Derringer went on to produce Yankovic’s debut album, Weird Al Yankovic, in 1983. However, he recalled it being an uphill battle to gain traction in the competitive music scene. “There was no record company support at all,” Derringer said.
He shared that they eventually partnered with Scotti Brothers Records to release the album, a decision he advised Yankovic carefully on.
“We made a great record and sold it to this label, Scotti Brothers. The Scotti brothers were in record promotion, and they had just started a record company. There were other record companies that wanted the album, but I told Al: ‘If the Scotti brothers take it, you’ll probably be cheated, but you’ll probably be guaranteed of having a hit because these guys are good at what they do.’”
The partnership paid off quickly, as Derringer recalled: “We released it on the Scotti Brothers, and it was an instant hit.” Despite this initial success, the long-term label of being a “novelty producer” cast a shadow over his broader career ambitions.
