Dr. Demento Ends His 40 Year Old Radio Show

[The Straight Story]

Dr. Demento Ends His 40 Year Old Radio Show

The novelty tunes, wacky sounds, comedy bits and parody songs, all hosted by one crazy "doctor," has come to an end. This weekend is the final airing for the syndicated "Dr. Demento Show." The show's syndicator, Talonian Productions -- which is owned by Dr. Demento -- has told the affiliates that this is the end.

In a simple email to its few remaining stations, the email stated "Dr. Demento and his management have decided to no longer offer The Dr. Demento Show on terrestrial radio stations and to concentrate on offering the show via internet streaming only."

The Dr. Demento Show was one of the most unique syndicated radio shows in history, specializing in finding, playing and promoting novelty songs, comedic songs, and the strangest songs ever recorded, from new recordings to classic recordings from decades ago. Dr. Demento, who real name is Barret ("Barry") Eugene Hansen, got his start playing oldies on a radio station in Pasadena, California. As he and his listeners had fun focusing on the old novelty songs like "Alley Oop" and "Purple People Eater," the show then focused only on that. By 1970, the "Dr. Demento" personality was born. The weekly, goofy, all-novelty song Pasadena show from 1970 grew in popularity and became syndicated nationally by 1974.

The popular weekly show is credited with bringing "Weird Al" Yankovic to world wide fame. The show is also credited (or blamed, depending upon your perspective) for bringing the song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo and Patsy to national attention in the late 70's and early 80's. Because of Dr. Demento, that song is now heard seemingly non-stop through the month of December.

http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/640-dr-demento-ends-his-40-year-old-radio-show

[XOKCowboy]

1. That sux!

We got a lot of cheap marijuana induced laughs from the Doc back in the day. Gonna miss him.

[Seneca]

2. Damn

As a kid growing up in the 70's, I LOVED catching his show every week. His program and Mad magazine made me what I am today. :crazy:

It's too bad he hastened his demise with his demands, however. Radio is hurting as much as newspapers these days, and it wasn't realistic of him to alienate old affiliates that way. But perhaps he saw the writing on the wall, and wanted to just pull the plug already and finalize the transition to an internet-only broadcast. Or perhaps it's the way of dinosaurs to not know when their extinction is imminent.

Staying up late on a Saturday night listening to his show will always be a favorite memory.

I wish him well.

[flvegan]

3. Damn, but that sucks.

Weird Al to Fish Heads to everything else. Dr. Demento will be welcome via internet streaming here.

[SeattleGirl]

4. Well damn! He was one of my all-time faves!

I loved listening to him.

[Iggo]

5. Wow.

Listened to that show religiously back in the 70's.

Sing it with me, folks: It's time for Number One. Yes it is. Here it comes. Number One!!!

[Wilms]

6. Pencil Neck Geek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNM4atakanI

[Unrepentant Fenian]

7. He was great ! Hope he enjoys a long happy retirement !

[Festivito]

8. Shaving cream. I wanna kiss her butT-she won't let me.

I wanna whisper sweet nothings in heR..EAR.

Maybe it's some new 40 and out trend.

Good go'n Doc!

[slampoet]

9. The last ten years I have tried to find his show but stations that stream it are rare.

In the end he has had a lot fewer stations than he did 20 years ago and that fact is really sad.

[ixion]

10. I listened to Dr. Demento on Sunday nights the the 70's and 80's

His was one of the most unique broadcasts ever. Thanks for the memories, Doc. :yourock:

Incidentally, Dr. Demento has released CDs with all your favs. :)

[KharmaTrain]

11. Another Sad "Milestone"...or is that Millstone...

A relic of the days when Progressive FM was fun and unpredictable. Free form radio that allowed someone like a Barry Hansen to run amok and have fun and we all got to go along for the ride. He survived the "format" era and into the "cookie cutter" one of today that has driven many of his listeners away.

I'm glad to hear he's working on an Internet project...a place where the music he uncovered and discovered still have a home and he does as well.

A tip of the headphones to the good doctor...may you always "Stay Demented"...

[Frank Cannon]

12. I didn't even know he was still doing it

That show was a Sunday night ritual as a kid. I used to record it and play it for my friends. Lotsa laffs.

[Ratty]

13. I will always remember "Hamster Love"

Maybe my favorite song EVAR

http://iheartmedia.vox.com/library/post/big-daddy-hamster-love.html

[endless october]

14. fish heads, fish heads

eat them up, yum.

[jmondine]

18. In the morning, laughing happy fish heads

[wcast]

15. Great memory from my youth

I was probably about 13 when I got an AM transistor radio, along with the one ear headphone. I would stay up nights, after I was supposed to be asleep, trying to see from how far away I could pick up radio stations.(I still do that in the car when I'm driving at night) One day I stumbled upon Dr. Demento and Pencil Neck Geek from Classy Freddy Blassie. Then came fish heads, existential blues, their coming to take me away. Really takes me back.

[AnArmyVeteran]

16. My little brother loved listening to his show every night.

I loved going to visit him and doing things together. He would turn on the Dr. Demento show at night and go to sleep listening to that show. Too bad Dr. Demento is going off the air.

http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/640-dr-demento-end...

[Arger68]

17. Wet dream - still the best Dr. Demento piece ever!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l1GvDWtccI

[Blacksheep214]

19. Shaving cream

and a farting contest with Paul Boomer!

Don't plotch!

[Bluenorthwest]

20. He ruled my world for years, the good Doctor

[Krellan]

21. Big disappointment, used to be free online

Yes, it's a big disappointment. The show used to be free to listen to, online. However, a few years ago, Dr. Demento started to require that radio stations turn off their Internet streaming during his show. Not sure why he'd want that, since the commercials are what made money. I heard there was great difficulty in selling commercials near the end, though.

I used to keep track of radio stations that played the show, at my old page http://krellan.com/demento/ (it's just a stub now, there's really nothing more there). You might remember it from a while ago. At the peak (the dot-com bubble in 1999 or so), there were over 20 stations on the page! It was painful to watch the number dwindle down to zero, over time. Eventually, I just gave up.

Interesting that he will keep the show going as a paid podcast. Not sure how much of an audience he will get, especially considering that no new listeners will be able to discover his show (most new listeners come from people randomly discovering the show while tuning their radio). And, bad timing, too. It was just a few weeks short of reaching the 40th anniversary!

Josh