How do rock stars know they’re rock stars? When they get calls from Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic and he politely asks to make fun of their music. Yankovic’s sharp wit and varied talents have made his hilarious send-ups of hit songs a touchstone of popular culture. He’s known for twisting Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” into a song about overeating (“Eat It”) and morphing Coolio’s mediation on urban angst, “Gangsta’s Paradise,” into a ditty about the bland life on an Amish man (“Amish Paradise”). The court jester of pop music comes to The National at 7 p.m. on July 8. $30-$32.50. 612-1900.