His band

We talked to Slash about a week before Halloween Horror Nights opened from Orlando, Fla., where he was holed up recording an album with his band the Conspirators.

His band has been around so long that the zeitgeist it emerged in has circled back around again.

To show off his band, Yankovic drops the funny stuff at one point in each show, covering a classic song and playing it straight.

For that to work, the craftsmanship in his writing and arranging must be matched by the musicianship in his band; he hopes his audience appreciates both sides of that coin.

Mr Brosnan's life took another turn when, through a love of indigenous music, he met disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris and later became his band's promoter.