Tag: Dr. Demento

Dr. Demento’s silliness brings people together…

Dr. Demento in 2004.

A whole lot of music geeks love Dr. Demento…

The other day, I was sort of halfway watching The Amazing Race and noticed that the episode featured contestants dealing with disgusting fish heads. As the episode ended, a revamped version of Barnes and Barnes’ 1979 novelty hit “Fish Heads” played. My lips curved into a grin as I remembered a song that was a hit on The Dr. Demento radio show, which was very popular in the 70s and 80s.

“Fish Heads”

I posted the above link on Facebook and suddenly got a bunch of likes from people my age who are music geeks… and love Dr. Demento’s brand of wackiness. Dr. Demento’s real name is Barret Eugene “Barry” Hansen and he created the Dr. Demento persona in 1970 while working at KPPC-FM, a Los Angeles radio station. Dr. Demento is well known for playing weird, funny, novel, or silly songs. “Fish Heads” is just one of many weird novelty and parody songs Dr. Demento helped popularize among the masses. Besides being a brilliant broadcaster, Dr. Demento is formally educated, holding a degree in ethnomusicology. I don’t know what ethnomusicology is, but I’m definitely intrigued. I’m sort of a twisted soul myself, so I really like Dr. Demento’s picks.

Allen Sherman’s classic hit “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” was a staple on Dr. Demento’s show.

Dr. Demento helped a lot of comic musicians make a living when he played obscure hits on his show. His programming put formerly little known musicians on the map, introducing Americans to silly songs like “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” and “Shaving Cream”, a witty 1946 classic from comedian Benny Bell.

Benny Bell’s “Shaving Cream”…

One of my favorite novelty songs made famous on Dr. Demento’s show is the hilarious hit, “They’re Coming To Take Me Away” by Napoleon XIV. I remember hearing that song as a little girl and thinking it was so weird and different… and funny! Granted, this number is not really a “song” per se, since no one actually sings and there’s percussion and sirens instead of a melody.

“They’re Coming To Take Me Away” Ha Ha!!!

Who hasn’t quoted this hit’s title at some point in their life when things get a little too intense for comfort? It’s one of those recordings that is unforgettable and indelible on the brain, yet very hard to duplicate. I don’t know that Napolean XIV ever had a follow up to this novelty piece. How can you top it?

In the 1980s, Dr. Demento introduced Julie Brown’s quirky song “The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun”.

I remember hearing that song on morning radio back in 1984 and laughing hysterically. I was probably in the 7th grade and actress, comedian, and singer Julie Brown was showing up on MTV, on TV shows, and in movies. She was famous for her quirky Valley Girl antics and songs like “Cause I’m a Blonde” and “I Like ’em Big and Stupid”. Of course, given the current violent climate in schools these days, I’m not so sure “The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun” would be as funny today as it was in the comparatively idyllic 1980s. This song was supposed to be a parody of 50s era tragic teen songs, but in the aftermath of the many school shootings that have plagued America since the late 1990s, even Brown admits that the song would probably be considered to be in poor taste these days.

I have fond memories of the fishy novelty song, “Wet Dream” by Kip Addotta…

If you aren’t careful, you might miss some of the puns and double entendres in this classic track.

Comedian Steve Martin had his time in the sun on Dr. Demento’s show, too.

Steve Martin performs “King Tut” live.

And then there’s the ever popular “Dead Puppies” by Ogden Edsl…

That song always gave me the willies. I’m a dog lover and don’t like thinking about dead puppies. This song is the epitome of black humor, though, and it resonated with lots of twisted souls who enjoy satire.

There is no denying that Dr. Demento and his brand of silliness helped a lot of people smile a little more, especially as they prepared for yet another day at the grindstone. It’s been a long time since I was a big radio fan, but these songs will always have a special place in my heart.

Dr. Demento and Weird Al Yankovic appear on Real People in 1982. This is a pretty classic clip!

October 22, 2013
Thinking of Tom Lehrer…

I’m thinking of Tom Lehrer today for the strangest of reasons…

This morning, the plumber came to my new home to fix the sink. For some reason, his visit made me think of the following clip from the PBS classic kids’ show, The Electric Company…

As a kid, I spent many hours watching The Electric Company. I’ve always been a reader and I love music, so that show was always very appealing to me. It turns out that Tom Lehrer, singer-songwriter, mathematician, pianist, and satirist extraordinaire, composed several songs for the old educational show that taught so many of my generation how to read. But besides teaching kids reading, Lehrer’s songs also taught math. He used music a lot to get his point across. Most of the time, his melodies were original compositions, though he did write a song called “The Elements” which used the melody for the “Major-General’s Song” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.

“The Elements” by Tom Lehrer. I could have used this song when I was studying and barely passing chemistry in the 11th grade.

Of course, the songs Tom Lehrer wrote that affected me most were songs like “Silent E”…

and “LY”…

Even thirty-five years after I first heard these songs, they stick in my mind like highly tenacious earworms. I still enjoy them immensely, too. I’m sitting here smiling as I listen to Tom Lehrer singing so expressively. What a gift he has for teaching. My mind boggles when I think of how many people learned new things because of this man’s genius.

Why, he even made up a clever song for math students… another subject where I could have used some serious help back in the day…

I grew up in the era of “New Math”, but I don’t remember learning it. I have that in common with Cliff Huxtable, Bill Cosby’s famous dad character on The Cosby Show.

And to think I started on this topic because the plumber came by to fix the sink. As it turns out, there was nothing wrong with the sink. I thought we got no hot water down there and so did the plumber, at first. But it turns out it just takes forever for hot water to reach the kitchen.

Tom Lehrer is also known for black humor and wasn’t averse to tackling controversial subjects like religion.

Here he is singing his song, “The Vatican Rag”.

And he has always been a realist, coming up with some very clever lyrics for the aging. I can’t believe I’m now old enough to appreciate this song.

“When You Are Old And Gray”

I realize Tom Lehrer is not quite a current pop star, but I am certain that his music has influenced and inspired many current pop stars. Indeed, Randy Newman, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Dr. Demento have all cited Lehrer as a guy who inspired them in their work. And heaven knows that all three of the aforementioned have done great things for pop music and comedy. Though as a child of the 70s and 80s, I was listening to quite a lot of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s music– how could I miss “Eat it” and “Like A Surgeon”?– as an adult, I have come to really appreciate Randy Newman’s genius. Newman’s music is custom made for commercials, but he also wrote a funny musical version of Faust as well as countless songs for soundtracks. His own songs are often poignant or witty and call on a tremendous gift for twisting words and meanings to say things you’d never expect. It’s pretty cool to think that Randy Newman was as inspired by Tom Lehrer as so many school kids learning how to read were when they watched The Electric Company back in the day.

Tom Lehrer, so far as I know, is alive and kicking, though he hasn’t performed live in many years and has given up teaching. At age 85, I figure he’s earned a rest… Hope he’s not spending his time “Poisoning Pigeons In the Park”.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

August 23, 2013