Dr. Demento, the veteran radio broadcaster and alleged mortal enemy of Bart Simpson, is calling it quits after 55 years on the air.
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“Now I have a special announcement,” Barry “Dr. Demento” Hansen said at the conclusion of a recent episode of his show, per Radio Insight. “I’m now 84 years old and I have been doing this show for nearly 55 years — about two-thirds of my life. It’s been a blast, but I have come to the decision that I need to hang up my top hat soon.
“The show you just heard is the last of my regular shows.”
The comedy and novelty music expert started his career in October 1970 on KPPC in Los Angeles, which later became KROQ, according to the New York Times. His radio show went into syndication in 1974, and he stayed on the radio until 2010, when he moved to digital platforms.
Dr. Demento is perhaps best known for introducing “Weird Al” Yankovic, who launched his career through Demento’s show. Yankovic made his first appearance (then called Frankie Yankovic) in 1976 and became a regular, sharing parody songs like “Another One Rides the Bus” and “My Bologna,” which spoofed Queen and The Knack, respectively.
Yankovic considered Demento so essential to his career that the veteran radio broadcaster joined him for his Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony in 2018.
The Dr. Demento Show Began as a Regular Radio Rock Program Before Shifting to Novelty Songs
The Dr. Demento Show started as a freeform rock program, but it soon evolved when Hansen, a collector of novelty records, began sharing these quirky songs with his audience.
Over the years, Dr. Demento also showcased songs like “The Monster Mash,” “Shaving Cream” and “Fish Heads.” He also helped bring artists like Bobby “Boris” Pickett, Benny Bell, Barnes & Barnes, Jimmy Durante, Nervous Norvus, Allan Sherman, Stan Freberg and many others to a wider audience.
Meanwhile, Dr. Demento announced that his final broadcasts will feature archive material, concluding in October with a top 40 countdown of novelty songs on the 55th anniversary of his first show. Until then, he will alternate bi-weekly between historical recaps and flashback episodes.
Hansen, who holds a BA and MA in classical and folk music, was added to the Radio Hall of Fame in 2009.