Back when I was a teenager- and into my 20’s on Sunday nights I would tune into the Dr. Demento Show- on the Westwood One Radio Network. He was on that network from 1978-92. At the time I thought he was an older fella- turns out he just sounded older. Today he has an online show and Demento- aka Barry Hansen is now seventy-nine years old. The Dr. Demento Show featured novelty and parody songs for the most part the songs he played were pretty entertaining. I first heard Weird Al Yankovic on Dr. Demento- and Demento is given credit for breaking Weird Al to a national audience. This month- for something different- I am going to feature a Dr. Demento song a day.
Starting the feature off with one of my favorites from his show- “Fish Heads” by Barnes and Barnes. Barnes and Barnes were a rock-comedy duo from Los Angeles- and they are still around having released an album in 2018. “Fish Heads” came out in 1978 and has the distinction of being the most requested song ever on The Dr. Demento Show. The Barnes brothers are fictional brothers- in fact you may recognize one of the ‘brothers”- former child actor Billy Mumy- he played Will Robinson in Lost In Space in the 1960’s.
Well… that one is different
Great idea for a series! I remember Demento!
Thank you!
I remember seeing that video before by chance. No idea “Will” had anything to do with it. I also remember Dr. Demento being on WLAV-FM when I listened but no details spring to mind. Demented is a good adjective for this one!
He sounded old to me even when he was young- Demento.
My cousin would tape these radio shows on reel to reel…I believe he still has some and played them to me. He eventually got me listening. .
I also listened to Art Bell once in a while…whole different thing though.
Before I worked at the radio station, I’d record the show every week on cassette!
The set lists for his shows can be found online. brings back great memories- you were ahead of me in recording them on cassette–some of those songs though were so memorable even years later they play in my mind.
I need to look at those playlists!
http://dmdb.org/playlists/
AWESOME!!!
We have yet another thing in common! I listened to Dr. D. on the radio as well. The radio station i worked at used to play his show on vinyl. Prior to my divorce, I had many of his shows. Sadly they are gone. I was introduced to so many artists through Dr. D – Stan Freberg, Weird Al, Tom Lehrer, and more.
I will be looking forward to each day’s post!
That was always a fun show- and something I looked forward to- Sunday night could tend to be a downer- with Monday on its way- but the Doctor gave me something to look forward to.
I agree! I had never heard Monty Python’s recordings before I heard them on the Doc’s show! Sunday nights we laughed and laughed.
You know how high school seniors paint their cars? I made sure “Dr. Demento” was painted in bright letters on mine!
that’s awesome- did you take any pictures of your Dr. Demento car?
I probably have one somewhere. I’ll have to look for it!
I wrote a post about this song years ago asking if it was the worst song ever. Well, the song writer actually commented and said he thinks the song is F#’in Great!!
Oh my lord…I’ve never heard this.
I caught a few Demento shows via clips from other stations.We didn’t have a station in my hometown that carried it or any of the surrounding ones. But, clips were used. LONG before there was a “John Boy & Billy” show, John Van Pelt was a DJ in Durham:
https://www.newsobserver.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/past-times/article96228037.html
He got a clip of Demento playing “Another One Rides The Bus” by Weird Al. I nearly peed on myself. LOL!
Listened to the Doc religiously on KPPC, underground station out of a church basement in Pasadena, CA, this was in the mid-’70s and I believe that he debuted on KPPC. Good times!
Yes it was a show to look forward to every week.