aka Dr. Demento, who is now 82. The man has put joy and laughter in my heart and/or ears for a few decades now. I started listening to him in early 1977 when I was sent to March AFB, so I got to hear the start of Weird Al’s career, a nice bonus, indeed. Thank you Doctor D-I will always
STAY DEMENTED!!
Love him. Met him at conventions. Wonderful man.
He comes back to Reed College almost every spring to put on lectures and shows, so I usually catch him there.
A little video about Doctor Demento at Reed College. During the lecture seen I and my friends are in the front row.
Dr. Demento at Reed College - YouTube
He did a three hour live show in Los Angeles that was different than the syndicated show. From 6-9 pm on Sundays. I called in a couple of times and talked to him.
Heh, I could swear I listened to him in high school, but his show didn’t start until the year after I graduated, which was 1969. His show began in 1970.
Yeah, I was/am in L.A., so we had the three hour show.
He definitely put Styx’ “Plexiglass Toilet Choir”, which people generally do not believe exists until they hear it (and sometimes not even then) on the map.
I only knew of that song from Dr D. I found out that it was by Styx very recently
I discovered the Dr. Demento show on the same day in 1972 that I read my first MAD Magazine. At 9 years old, I got my first whiff of youthful rebellion and thereafter specifically sought out pastimes that my parents wouldn’t approve of.
Are you referring to the KMET-FM show (mid 70s-mid 80s)? That was four hours, from 6-10 pm Sundays. The final hour from 9-10 was the weekly top 10 countdown - all live.
The live show was less censored than the syndicated show. I remember Frank Zappa’s “Titties & Beer” was heavily edited for syndication (KMET would run the syndicated show when Dr. D was on vacation) whereas the live show bleeped out one “fuck”, one “shit”, one of two “ass” (“blow it out your ass” was bleeped, but “bet your ass I will sign” was untouched), and one “farted”, but left every instance of “titties”, “whore”, “bitch” unaltered.
Artists I first heard on his show, besides the obvious Weird Al: Frank Zappa, Ramones (“Beat on the Brat”), George Carlin, Devo (bunch of guys in Ohio who sent in a tape of what would eventually become “Jocko Homo”), The B-52s (“Rock Lobster”). His show was the first place I heard the Beatles’ Christmas fan club records or “You Know My Name (Look up the Number)”.
Thanks for warping me into the person I am today, Dr. D!!
I am! Thanks for the memory refresher. And then from 10-12 was a call in show called (I think) Your Opinion that I also loved. People could talk about anything.
I baked you a cake for your birthday
On top was 82 candles I lit
A river of molten wax soaked it
Alas, now it tastes like…shaving cream…