Dr. Demento is the stage name of Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941),^[1] a radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music parodies. He created the persona in 1970 while working at Los Angeles station KPPC-FM ^[1]. After Hansen played "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus on the radio, DJ Steven Clean said that Hansen had to be "demented" to play that. Thereafter, the name stuck. His weekly show went into syndication in 1974 ^[1] and from 1978–92 was syndicated by the Westwood One Radio Networks. It is still on the air as of 2007. Image File history File linksMetadata Dr_Demento. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Minneapolis redirects here. ... A stage name, also called a screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, musicians, djs, clowns, and professional wrestlers. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... A novelty song is a usually intentionally humorous song, usually in published or recorded form. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Parody. ... Year 1970 ([[Rf 1970 == January 1 - The Unix epoch begins at 00:00:00 UTC January 2 - The last studio performance of The Beatles oman numerals|MCMLXX]]) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... KPPC-FM was a Pasadena, California FM radio station best known during the period 1967–1971, when it was one of the leading underground radio stations in the United States, presenting a freeform mixture of experimental and historical music with countercultural ideas. ... Nervous Norvus was the performing name of Jimmy Drake (1918-1968). ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Westwood One, Inc. ... 2007 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Background

Hansen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of an amateur pianist. He claims to have started his vast record collection as early as age 12, when he found "that a local thrift store had thousands of old 78 RPM records for sale at 5 cents each" ^[1]. He attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where he wrote his senior thesis on Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck and Claude Debussy's opera Pelleas et Melisande. He graduated in 1963, and later studied at UCLA, from which he earned a master's degree in folklore and ethnomusicology. Minneapolis redirects here. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... A charity shop (UK), thrift store (US) or op shop (Australia/NZ, from opportunity shop) is a retail establishment operated by a charitable organization for the purpose of fundraising. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... Reed College is a private, independent liberal arts college located in Portland, Oregon. ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State Counties Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Bust of Alban Berg at Schiefling, Carinthia, Austria Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Wozzeck is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935). ... Claude Debussy, photo by Félix Nadar, 1908. ... Pelléas et Mélisande is a famous Symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck about the forbidden, doomed love of the title characters. ... The University of California, Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Ethnomusicology (from the Greek ethnos = nation and mousike = music), formerly comparative musicology, is the study of music in its cultural context, cultural musicology. ...

Between his junior and senior years at Reed, Barry bought a Vespa scooter and toured the U.S., particularly the American South, where he witnessed firsthand some of the prejudice that was being perpetrated upon American Blacks at the time, and acquired records for his growing collection. This article is about the Italian motor scooter. ...

After earning his master's degree, he lived for two years 'in a big house on a hill' in Topanga Canyon with members of the rock band Spirit ("Fresh Garbage" was a hit for them). He also served briefly as a roadie for Spirit, and for Canned Heat, before being hired as an A&R man for Specialty Records. It was while working for Specialty that the Doctor began his weekly radio show. He later worked for Warner Bros. Records. This article is about a town in Los Angeles County. ... Spirit was an American jazz/hard rock/psychedelic band founded in 1967, based in Los Angeles, California. ... Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie band that formed in Los Angeles in 1965. ... In the music industry, Artists and Repertoire (A&R) is the division of a record label company that is responsible for scouting and artist development. ... Specialty Records was an American record label. ... Warner Bros. ...

Hansen married his wife Sue on November 26, 1983, in Los Angeles, California. is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ...

The rise of Dr. Demento

To some people, Dr. Demento is best known as the man who brought rock parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic to national attention (and appeared in a number of Weird Al's music videos). Hansen also played a role in the success of Elmo and Patsy's 1979 Christmas song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and the continuing success of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash". In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... This article is about the musician himself. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... Elmo Shropshire, better known as Dr. Elmo, is a singer of comedy songs, most notably Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is a comedy Christmas song and the eponymous animated movie. ... Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 - April 25, 2007), was a native of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, who found fame as a one-hit wonder musician under the name Bobby Boris Pickett. ... Monster Mash is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby Boris Pickett. ...

Hansen created the persona in 1970 while working at Los Angeles station KPPC-FM ^[1]. From 1972–82, he performed a four hour live show on KMET in Los Angeles, plus a separate pre-taped top 50 in 1979 for KSAN in San Francisco. The four hour "local" show was divided up into two general segments. The first segment lasted three hours and the "Doctor" played whatever he chose, often thematically. The last hour was devoted to the so called "Funny Five" which was determined by petitions and requests. Year 1970 ([[Rf 1970 == January 1 - The Unix epoch begins at 00:00:00 UTC January 2 - The last studio performance of The Beatles oman numerals|MCMLXX]]) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... KPPC-FM was a Pasadena, California FM radio station best known during the period 1967–1971, when it was one of the leading underground radio stations in the United States, presenting a freeform mixture of experimental and historical music with countercultural ideas. ... KMET was a Los Angeles radio station originally owned by Metromedia that first took to the air in June 1968 at 94. ... The American radio station KSAN, better known as 107. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

His weekly show went into syndication in 1974 ^[1] and from 1978–92 was syndicated by the Westwood One Radio Networks. It is still on the air as of 2007, syndicated by Hansen's own company, Talonian Productions, whose sole purpose is to produce and distribute this program. The show airs for two hours weekly, usually on a Sunday night, although stations are free to air the show at other times. Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Westwood One, Inc. ...

The show has, in recent years fallen on financial hard times. According to Hansen, the show has steadily lost advertisers, and as such, he had to restructure the distribution of the show from the usual barter system to a system in which stations pay a rights fee for the program. In addition, he has stated that "unless the show's financial situation changes soon I will be unable to continue the show much longer."^[2] Barter is a type of trade in which goods or services are exchanged for other goods and/or services; no money is involved in the transaction. ...

The Dr. Demento Show can also be heard via audio streaming at his official website. Because of the aforementioned cash flow problems, a small per-show fee is levied for this service so as to make the show profitable. (As part of the contract between Dr. Demento and radio stations, radio stations are prohibited from streaming the program on any streams the stations provide. At least three stations, one in rural Mississippi, another (KRDE) near Mesa, Arizona and WPYX in upstate New York, have been forced to drop the program because of this policy.) KRDE is an FM radio station licensed to Globe, Arizona. ... Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Government  - Mayor Keno Hawker (R) Area  - City  125. ... WPYX (PYX 106) is an Albany, New York Classic rock radio station. ...

Hansen has developed a particular interest in the roots of rock 'n' roll in R&B and country music, and he has written about it in many magazine articles, liner notes to compilations and new recordings by a variety of artists, and two chapters on early R&B for The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. His shows and public appearances display an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of recorded music in general, from the earliest Edison cylinder recordings onward. Rock and roll - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... country music, see Country music (disambiguation) Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. ... The earliest method of recording and reproducing sound was on phonograph cylinders. ...

Dr. Demento was inducted into the Comedy Music Hall Of Fame in June 2005 ^[3].

In September of 2007, Dr. Demento portrayed the role of Hippocrates on The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd. For other uses, see Hippocrates (disambiguation). ... The Radio Adventures Of Dr. Floyd is a short audio series distributed in the pioneering field of podcasting. ...

Favorite songs

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (August 2007)

At the end of each year on his syndicated radio show, he counts down the top 25 comedy hits of the year, called the "Funny 25". (From 1972–82, he also did a year-end top 50 countdown for his four-hour live show in Los Angeles, plus a separate pre-taped top 50 in 1979 for San Francisco.) The chart is based on requests, so it is common for classic comedy songs to appear on the chart for many years in a row. Despite that, there have only been three instances of the same artist repeating at the #1 spot with different tunes two years in a row. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

• "Weird Al" Yankovic

1980 - "Another One Rides The Bus"

1981 - "Yoda" (Original Demo Version)

• The great Luke Ski

2002 - "Peter Parker"

2003 - "Stealing Like A Hobbit"

• Worm Quartet

2004 - "Great Idea For A Song"

2005 - "Inner Voice" (as guest vocals for Sudden Death)

Furthermore, Ogden Edsl hit #1 in 1982 and 1983 with the same song, "Dead Puppies". This article is about the musician himself. ... The great Luke Ski is the stage name of Luke Sienkowski, a parody, filk & rap musician who writes, records and performs comedy music. ... Worm Quartet is a one man (Reverend Timothy F. Crist, A.K.A. -=ShoEboX=-) Comedy Synth Punk band portrayed on album covers as a group of four worms. ... Sudden Death is a comedy rap trio from Hardyston, New Jersey consisting of vocalists Tom Devo Spice Rockwell, Steve Piles Fernino, and Professor Pastronamy. ... Ogden Edsl (shortened from The Ogden Edsl Wahalia Blues Ensemble Mondo Bizzario Band) was a band formed in 1970 in Omaha, Nebraska by Bill Frenzer, Bill Carey and Otis XII. Their music was often darkly comedic and satirical, and was frequently featured on the weekly Dr. Demento radio program, alongside...

• On hunting themed shows, Dr. Demento features the song "Second Week of Deer Camp" by Michigan comedy music group Da Yoopers.

The 1947 song "Pico and Sepulveda" by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra (actually Freddy Martin & His Orchestra) was frequently featured on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show.^[4] During the early years of his show, this song became so requested, and hence played, that the "Doctor" decided to give the song a special status. From about 1973 onward, the song was played once a month, on the first Sunday of every month. The Doctor's unidirectional covenant he made with his listeners was that in exchange for playing this same song ad infinitum once a month via this special arrangement, it was thereafter voided from ever being voted upon, requested, and/or played in any monthly Top 10 or annual Top 50 format. For the last twenty years or so, he has played "Pico and Sepulveda" beneath his weekly sign-off. Da Yoopers are a travelling comedy show and musical group from Ishpeming, a town located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ... Pico and Sepulveda is a song by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

Discography

A number of compilations have been released by Dr. Demento, including: ^[5]

• Dr. Demento's Delights (1975)
• Dr. Demento's Dementia Royale (1980)
• Dr. Demento's Mementos (1982)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time Volume I: The 1940s (and Before) (1985)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time, Volume II: The 1950s (1985)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time, Volume III: The 1960s (1985)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time, Volume IV: The 1970s (1985)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time, Volume V: The 1980s (1985)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty Records of All Time, Volume VI: Christmas (1985)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Novelty CD of All Time (1988)
• Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time (1989)
• Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection (1991)
• Dr. Demento 25th Anniversary Collection (1996)
• Dr. Demento 2000! 30th Anniversary Collection (2001)

References in pop culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• In The Simpsons episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts", Bart's two mortal enemies are revealed to be Sideshow Bob and, without any earlier or later explanation of this claim, Dr. Demento.

• In the King of the Hill episode "Texas City Twister", Peggy tells Luanne that they had "better get on the road before that Dr. Demento starts stinking up the airwaves". Later, Spike Jones' "Cocktails for Two" is heard on the car radio.^[6]

• On the TV show Bobby's World, Bobby imagines that the doctor he will be seeing the next day is none other than Dr. Demento.

• In the Mr. Show episode "Eat Rotten Fruit From A Shitty Tree", the character of "Dr. Retarded" is a novelty record collector and "Chief Head of Surgery, Mass General."

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Sideshow Bob Roberts is the fifth episode of The Simpsons sixth season. ... For the comic book series of the same name, see Bart Simpson comics. ... Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known by his stage name Sideshow Bob, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Kelsey Grammer, and first appeared briefly in the episode The Telltale Head, although his first major appearance was in Krusty Gets Busted. Sideshow... This article is about the television program. ... This is a list of episodes of the FOX animated television series King of the Hill. ... Margaret Peggy Hill (née Platter) is the wife of Hank Hill and the mother of Bobby Hill in the animated series King of the Hill, voiced by Kathy Najimy. ... Spike Jones For the music video and film director, see Spike Jonze. ... Cocktails for Two is a song from the Big Band era, written by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow. ... Bobbys World is a childrens animated television series, which ran from 1990 to 1998, on FOX. It was about the daily life of Bobby Generic (pronounced Jen-A-Rick) and his very overactive imagination on how he sees the world. ... Mr. ... Massachusetts General Hospital (often abbreviated to Mass General or just MGH) is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and biomedical research facility in Boston, Massachusetts. ...

Affiliates list

• WLUP 97.9 FM: Chicago, Illinois, Sunday 11 PM - 1 AM.
• WLVQ 96.3 FM: Columbus, Ohio, Sunday 8 - 10 AM.
• KCMD 970 AM: Portland, Oregon, Sunday 1 - 3 PM.
• KLOO 106.3 FM: Corvallis, Oregon, Sunday 7 - 9 PM.
• KURE 88.5 FM: Ames, Iowa, Saturday 10 PM - Midnight.
• KOZT 95.3 FM, Fort Bragg, California, Sunday 9 - 11 PM.
• XM Satellite Radio - the now defunct channel "Special X" which featured nothing but novelty records; aired at various times throughout the week.

WLUP (97. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... WLVQ is an FM radio station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, broadcasting on 96. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: , Country State Counties Franklin, Delaware, and Fairfield Government  - Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area  - City  212. ... KCMD is located in the Portland, Oregon area and broadcasts at 970 AM. External links [1] Category: ... Nickname: Location of Portland in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: , Country State Counties Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Government  - Mayor Tom Potter[1]  - Commissioners Sam Adams Randy Leonard Dan Saltzman Erik Sten  - Auditor Gary Blackmer Area  - City 376. ... KLOO-FM is a commercial classic rock music radio station in Corvallis, Oregon, broadcasting to the Eugene-Springfield, Oregon area on 106. ... Corvallis (IPA: ) is a city located in central western Oregon, USA. It is the county seat of Benton CountyGR6 and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. ... Kure can refer to: Kure Software Koubou, Japanese video game development company. ... Main Street in downtown Ames in 2006 Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa, about 30 miles north of Des Moines in Story County. ... KOZT - The Coast, broadcasting at 95. ... Pudding Creek Trestle Aerial view of the southern section of Fort Bragg and the mouth of the Noyo River. ... “XM” redirects here. ... Special X was a channel on XM Satellite Radio Channel 30 that played random music. ...

External links

• Official website
• The Official World Wide Dr. Demento Streaming Site (many past shows available)
• Demented Music Database - official playlist archive and more
• Dr. Demento Discography
• Barry Hansen (Dr. Demento) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Mad Music Archive - a fan-run, user-supported site with song and artist information
• TOP 100 (or so) DEMENTED HITS (from Funny 25’s) - updated annually

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

References