My friend who introduced me to Dr. Demento was going to college at UW-Green Bay, but was from the Chicago area, and had a bunch of homemade cassette tapes he’d recorded of the show. I don’t recall that the show was being carried by a Green Bay station at that point (I kind of doubt it).
As I mentioned before it was WRKR in Racine/Kenosha that carried it. When I first discovered the show in the late 70’s/early 80’s I lived almost 40 miles north of Milwaukee which is even further north of Racine and Kenosha. So some nights it was difficult to tune in.
I know I have multiple cassette tapes of the show somewhere in boxes in storage at my Ma’s house.
Like a few others, I didn’t know he was still going, unfortunately. But, to keep a radio show going until you’re 84 is quite a feat in and of itself. I’ve heard a show here and there over the years, but I’m not sure if his show played regularly in my area.
He did interview Captain Beefheart years ago, which is an interview that I still enjoy listening to. The Captain left us a while ago. I’m glad the Doctor kept going in any case. Wow.
And now, folks, my show, it is ended,
I do hope you liked it a bit,
But if any of you were offended
You can just stick your head in a pile of…
…shaving cream. Be nice and clean.
Shave every day and you’ll always be keen.
Ti Kwan Leap and Last Will & Temperament by The Frantics. I also recommend their The Human Race and Architecture Today (that last one is not safe for work).
scrape 'em off, Jim!
A couple Dr. Demento memories from my college days.
Among my college friends were Ed and Graham (from Guam). At some point, Ed mentioned that he’d called the show to request a song, and the call was played on the air. Graham had collected tapes of the show. He went through his tapes and found the one with Ed’s call.
Another friend of mine was a big fan of avant garde, 20th century classical music. One of his favorite composers was Harry Partch; he wrote music for a 43-note scale and had lived some portion of his life as a railroad hobo. One of Partch’s pieces was Barstow; a collection of eight bits of graffiti found at a hitchhiking spot in Barstow, California, set to music. Each is preceeded by a musical motif, and the number. My friend was listening to it, and that motif sounded very familiar. Finally I placed it; it was the intro to song number 3 in the Dr.'s “funny five” every week.
Here’s “Barstow” cued to the relevant part.
That Dr. Demento knew the work Harry Partch still strikes me as kinda wonderful.
W-, w-, w-, wind down your radios.
That’s the alarm on my phone! I wake up to that every day.
I recommend Roman Numerals. “I won’t understand this if I live to be C!”
It’s worse than that, it’s physics, Jim!