Rolling Stone
The pop culture universe became significantly less demented on Friday when Barret Hansen, aka Dr. Demento, announced his retirement after 55 years of playing novelty songs on the airwaves. “It’s been a blast,” he wrote in a message to fans, “but I have come to the decision that I need to hang up my top hat soon.”
Throughout the course of his long career, Demento introduced several fantastically silly songs into the public consciousness, including “Fish Heads” by the comedy duo Barnes and Barns, and “Shaving Cream” by Benny Bell. More
I guess the novelty finally wore off. – Dr. Tar
Pencil Neck Geek by Freddie Blassie was my favorite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McLw5Tg5GOc
Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads, eat them up yum.
Wow, such great memories from my high school years! I am amazed that he was still doing it – but of course most of the 60s-70s bands are still touring.
One of Barnes and Barnes was Billy Mumy, of Space: 1999 and Twilight Zone ‘wish him into the cornfield’ fame.
Wow, if I had known he was still on I’d still be listening. Memories of me and my pals drinking beers in my garage with this guy on the radio.
Such awesome stuff. He will surely be missed. Yes, when you enjoy what you are doing, doing it till you are 84 isn’t all that bad.
Met him a couple of times. Cool guy.
I don’t know if Dr. Demento ever played this one, but It’s my favorite novelty song: Please Mr. Custer (1960).
“Please Mr. Custer” by Larry Vern? Yeah he played it. My Favorite was “No News or What killed the Dog” by Nat M. Wills from 1908. https://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/video/1908/Nat-Wills-No-News-Or-What-Killed-the-Dog
I met the Doctor personally briefly at an I-Con Convention on Long Island in April 2000. I got to know quite a few novelty artists because of him and his compilation albums I never would have heard and enjoyed otherwise! But of course I will always love his greatest discovery, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic!
Happy Retirement, Doctor!
“When i was in france with the army’…benny bell & shaving cream
I listened every week and recorded every show on cassettes with a song listing. We would listen to them going up skiing in friend Gary’s Bud Wagon (a Suburban). Remembering Bomb in the Mail by Bob Tombasco.
in my country – lemon sisters
Who put the benzadrine in Mrs. Murphy’s ovaltine ?
dead puppies and kinko the clown by Ogden Edsel, as well as all the other weird and wonderful the good Dr brought us. he is going to be missed. wish him well in his retirement.
I had no idea he was still doing his show. I used to listen on Sunday night when I was in college and I graduated in 1978!