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For the latest news, see Dr. Demento's blog.
August 7, 2011
DR. DEMENTO RETURNS TO CON-LAND
Dr. Demento will be appearing at a major science fiction fan convention in
Reno, Nevada, on Wednesday, August 17. It will be his first fan convention
program in several years. The convention is called Renovation, and has been
designated as the 69th World Science Fiction Fan convention ("Worldcon").
Dr. D will be making a major presentation currently scheduled for 5 PM
Wednesday. Details at www.renovationsf.org.
February 5, 2011
DR. DEMENTO ON THE RADIO SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Dr. Demento will be a guest on Anything Anything with Rich Russo, Sunday
night Feb. 6 at 9 PM Eastern on WRXP, 101.9 FM, and streaming online.
January 16, 2011
CHAT WITH THE DOC!
This coming Saturday, January 22, the Doc will be online to answer questions
from D.O.C. members. Just login to the members page and click the chat room
link. This will be at 10am Pacific and 1pm Eastern. Ask about the show, old
records, his upcoming Reed appearances, or anything that's on your mind!
January 9, 2011
DR. DEMENTO APPEARANCES IN PORTLAND, OREGON
Once again Dr. Demento will be appearing this month at his alma mater,
Reed College in Portland.
All shows are in the Vollum College Center lecture hall on the Reed
campus. All shows begin at 8 PM. The public is welcome. There is an
admission charge of $5 for each event.
ROOTS OF COUNTRY MUSIC - Wednesday, January 26
Today's country music may be utterly corporate...but the genre has a
rich history during which it underwent many rapid and radical changes,
some of whose traces may still be heard. We'll hear how it sprung from
traditional mountain music (and other things) in the 1920s, and how it
evolved from there into what Nashville is churning out today. Gid Tanner
and the Skillet Lickers, the Carter Family, Bob Wills, Hank Williams
(all three of 'em), many more.
FIFTY YEARS OF PUNK ROCK - Thursday, January 27
More than that, actually! We'll celebrate the punk supernova of the
1970s, what led up to that, and how the music stayed angry, fast and
radical into the 1980s (and ever since). Ramones, MC5, Stooges,
Pistols, Clash, Bikini Kill, Pansy Division, lots more.
ILLEGAL SMILES - Friday, January 28
Songs about illegal drugs (especially marijuana and cocaine) have always
been huge on the Dr. Demento Show.
We'll check out some of the all-time favorites (and some delightful
obscurities). The Doctor will sneak in a few alcohol songs too. Cab
Calloway, Tom Lehrer, Memphis Jug Band, David Peel & The Lower East
Side, Cypress Hill, many others.
DR. DEMENTO'S GREATEST HITS - Saturday, January 29
"Fish Heads," "Dead Puppies," "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!"
and the stories behind those and many more, in audio and video. Hear how
Dr. Demento discovered Weird Al and launched his career, and how it all
began for Dr. Demento himself...right here at Reed.
The Vollum College Center is near the college's main entrance, 3203 SE
Woodstock Blvd. in southeast Portland.
Take the entrance road north from Woodstock. The Vollum Center is the
modern building that will be straight ahead of you, a block north of
Woodstock. You will soon see a road splitting off to the right; that
leads to the main (east) parking lot, which is also directly accessible
from Woodstock, a short distance east.
December 31, 2010
GAYLA PEEVEY INTERVIEW!
Last week Eggman and the Doc interviewed Gayla Peevey, of "I Want a
Hippopotamus for Christmas" fame. In case you missed it, you can stream the
interview here. Happy
New Year!
November 8, 2010
STAN FREBERG SPEAKS
On Nov. 19, 2010, Hunter & Stan Freberg will be onstage in
conversation with Penn Jillette in Beverly Hills. Tickets are $20.
Details:
http://writersblocpresents.com/wordpress/wordpress/?p=396
July 28, 2010
DEMENTO SOCIETY SHIPMENTS DELAYED.
Due to circumstances beyond our control (illness in our crew) Demento
Society shipments of membership kits and CD's have been indefinitely
delayed.
The problem arose in early June and affects all orders placed since that
time. We are doing our best to get back into action, but unfortunately we
can't assure delivery dates right now.
No checks will be deposited, and no credit cards will be charged, until we
are able to clear our backlog and resume shipments.
We are very sorry for this inconvenience and disappointment, and hope to be
able to get back up to speed in the very near future. We do thank you for
your loyal support and patience.
Production of the radio show, and online delivery of current and older Dr
Demento shows, continues without interruption.
July 19, 2010
STREAMING BACK
At the moment, all the streams seem to be working again. However, I have no
explanation from technical support about what the problem was earlier, so I
have no confidence they will continue working. We'll see what happens over
the next day or two. If you continue to have problems, please notify the
webmaster.
MM
July 19, 2010
STREAMING DOWN!
There have been problems with the high quality stream this weekend, and we
have been dilligently working on it. Unfortunately, many things out of our
control are going wrong, and currently NO streams are working AT ALL. We will
post an update when the problem is resolved.
June 22, 2010
THE DOC ON NPR
This morning, the Doc appeared on NPR's Morning Edition.
You can read
the story or stream the audio.
Also, a new feature has been added for listeners who are not members of the
Demento Online Club. You can now purchase a high quality stream of the
current show. If you want to hear high quality streams of archived shows,
you must join the club.
June 20, 2010
MORE DR. DEMENTO INTERVIEWS
The Doc was heard in a phone interview on KPCC on June 11. You can stream
that here or download as
a podcast here.
Also, tune in to NPR's Morning Edition this Tuesday, June 22, when the Doc
is scheduled to be heard 51 minutes into the second hour of the show.
June 13, 2010
DR. DEMENTO INTERVIEWS
Last week's announcement has created a flurry of interest in talking with the
Doc about his 40-year radio career. Thursday night, he appeared on Red Eye
Radio, and took calls from listeners including Weird Al Yankovic. You can
stream his interview here
or get the podcast version here.
Listen for the Doc to make appearances on various talk shows in the future.
June 6, 2010
A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT...
This weekend, the Dr. Demento Show will have its final broadcast on KIYU,
KLOO, WLVQ (QFM96), WRKH (The Rocket) and KOZT (The Coast).
This was a very painful decision for the Doctor...he really hates to let it
go after almost 40 years...but he has come to agree with his manager and his
family that it's necessary. The broadcast has been losing money for some
time.
THE GOOD NEWS -- Dr. Demento intends to continue producing new shows every
week for www.drdemento.com for the foreseeable future. A new one will be
available Saturday morning, June 12, and more new shows will be posted every
Saturday thereafter.
Also...if you live in or around Amarillo, TX, you're in luck...by special
agreement and due to contractual considerations, a version of the internet
show will be heard weekly on KACV-FM there, at least through the summer.
The Doctor wishes to express his grateful appreciation to everyone who's
been listening in Alaska, Oregon, Ohio, Alabama and California, and hopes
all of you will give the www.drdemento.com broadcast a try.
Stay deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemented!
May 7, 2010
THEY DON'T CALL IT SNAIL MAIL FOR NOTHIN'...
On May 7th we visited the Culver City post office, and they handed us a tub
with over 100 pieces of mail, including dozens of orders for Demento Society
memberships and merchandise, along with CD's and other items. All of it had
lain forgotten in a back room at the post office since about March 30th. We
will catch up as fast as we possibly can, but it does take time for orders
to be processed and packed, and for Dr. Demento to autograph all those
photos. We know we've been slow this year, but this event was way beyond our
control! Many thanks for your patience.
April 12, 2010
GOING, GOING, GONE...
As the CD format continues its slow decline, manufacturers have been
discontinuing many releases as they run out of stock. We're sorry to report
that the box set, "The Remains Of Tom Lehrer," and Stan Freberg's 2-CD set
"The United States Of America" are no longer available, having been
discontinued by Rhino.
April 4, 2010
DR DEMENTO INTERVIEWED ON "OVERNIGHT AMERICA"
Dr Demento's interview with host Jon Grayson aired on "Overnight
America" early Wednesday, March 31. The interview can now be downloaded
from their web site at
http://www.overnightamerica.com/.
March 21, 2010
DR. D INTERVIEWED ON THE INTERNET
Dr. Demento is scheduled for a two-hour interview on the Shokus Radio web
site. The interview will be live on March 31, 7 PM Eastern, 4 PM Pacific,
and will replay at the same time for the following six days.
You can find Shokus Radio at
http://www.shokusradio.com/index.html.
Trivia: Stu Shostak will be interviewing the Doctor. When he was a teenager
in the early 1970s, Stu produced a comedy tape which was aired several times
on the Dr. Demento Show-- "Meet the Demento Gang" by Shokus Hotline (aka
Phunfone).
March 3, 2010
GOING, GOING, GONE
As CD's continue their slow fade from the marketplace, Rhino Records
has notified us that the "Dr. Demento 25th Anniversary Collection"
set has been discontinued, effective immediately. We are permanently
out of stock and can no longer supply copies of this set.
"Dr. Demento's 30th Anniversary Collection," "Dr. Demento's Country
Corn," and our two Christmas CD's remain available, along with "Very
Best of Dr. Demento" and the "20th Anniversary Collection" -- but for
how long we don't know. If you've had your eye on these, best to
order them right away!
February 6, 2010
A NOTE FROM DR. DEMENTO...
We have had multiple problems filling orders for the new Demento
Society membership kit.
To make a long story short: the entire package is ready to ship, and
we have received many orders for it (for which we thank you from the
bottom of our Demented hearts!)
When we announced that the package was ready, in early December, and
began receiving orders, we did not realize that circumstances beyond
our control would prevent us from shipping packages over the
Christmas holidays, and until very recently.
We also did not realize that our partner Yahoo Small Business would
be automatically cancelling all the orders that could not be filled
during this time. No credit cards will be billed for any of these
orders, and no merchandise will be shipped.
If your order number is 3861 or later, your order is being processed.
If your order number is 3860 or earlier, you should have received an
e-mail about placing a new order.
We sincerely apologize for this mess, and hope that you will place a
new order. We're very proud of the new package and are confident
you'll enjoy it immensely.
As of now, new orders are being processed and should be shipped
within a few weeks' time.
NOTE: The package now being shipped is the (late) 2009 package. We
plan to offer another package later this year.
Thank you for your understanding!
December 8, 2009
A WORD FROM DR. DEMENTO...
At long last, the new Demento Society Membership Kit is ready! We are
taking orders and putting the packages in the mail.
Yes, I know it's late. It's very, very late. I won't bore you with the
reasons why, but it's here and I'm proud of it.
We have an aeronautical theme this year. The color photo (which I will
personally autograph for you, as always) shows me as a very spiffy looking
airline pilot...and of course there's a CD with some great demented songs on
it by demented stars like Christine Lavin, Sean Morey, Lemon Demon, Paul &
Storm, The Arrogant Worms, the Great Luke Ski...and there's a song by Al
Yankovic's band, telling the whole story of their great career. There's our
usual high quality swag like a membership card, a bumper sticker, a big
photo button, a newsletter, a discount coupon and your very own ticket on
Demento Airlines. The price? Same as last year and the year before. You can
see all the details on our Membership page.
Thanks for your patience...thanks for your impatience, for that matter...and
enjoy!
Happy Holidays - Dr. Demento
November 5, 2009
DR. DEMENTO JOINS THE RADIO HALL OF FAME
The induction ceremonies will take place in Chicago on Saturday, November 7.
There will be an hour-long live broadcast beginning at 10 PM Eastern (7 PM
Pacific) which will be carried on various stations across the country --
check local listings. The ceremony will also be streamed live via the
Internet at www.radiohof.org. A video
of the event will be added to that
site on Sunday, November 8 and will remain on the site for several weeks.
October 30, 2009
On Friday morning, October 30, Dr. Demento was the guest host on the
"Montel Across America" show on the Air America radio network. The
show can be heard in their online archives.
August 7, 2009
DR. DEMENTO ON INTERNET TV . . . The Real UHF !
You can now watch as well as hear Dr. Demento online.
Recently Dr. Demento videotaped a series of short
programs featuring a variety of exciting musical and
visual entertainers including Henry Phillips, Sean Morey,
Neil Hamburger, Throwing Toasters and The Fuxedos. The
shows contain performances and brief interviews. The
first show was uploaded on August 3, and more will be
added on a weekly basis.
Most of the first group of shows were produced at
Hollywood's famous Radio Recorders studio, in the room
where such classics as Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock,"
Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" and Bing Crosby's original
"White Christmas" were recorded. Other artists who
recorded there include The Beach Boys, Nat "King" Cole
and Spike Jones.
To watch the shows, free of charge, simply visit
www.therealuhf.com and click on the drawing of Dr.
Demento.
August 6, 2009
FLASH: Dr. Demento has just been elected to the National Radio Hall of Fame!
Many thanks to everyone who voted.
http://www.radiohof.org/
August 2, 2009
"The Big Squeeze" on Sunday, October 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at
the Orange County Market Place, the weekend swap meet at the O. C.
Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa. Showcasing a variety of traditional
and contemporary accordion music including Cajun, Zydeco, Russian
folk, Polka, Tejano and other styles. Main stage acts feature
prominent accordionists and include Raving Polka (aka Limpopo)
performing Russian folk with a twist of jazz, blues, dance and comedy
from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Grammy nominee for Best Zydeco/Cajun Music,
Lisa Haley and the Zydekats take the stage from 12:45 p.m. to 2
p.m. Los Fabulocos with Kid Ramos will spice things up with a Tex-Mex
blend of traditional stylings, as well as rhythm and blues and
rockabilly music from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Other stages of
accordion music from local and regional groups and soloists, demos,
dance lessons, and educational presentations will be offered. More
acts to be announced soon. Admission is $2 or FREE with a canned food
item for the Orange County Food Bank. More info at
www.ocmarketplace.com
July 25, 2009
ATTENTION CHICAGOLAND DEMENTITES --
Effective August 2, WLUP in Chicago will be broadcasting the Dr. Demento
Show starting at 10 PM, one hour earlier than before. Tell your friends, so
they won't miss the first hour!
This is largely due to your support, for which I thank you, and thank you
again and again!
-Dr Demento
June 20, 2009 (updated June 22, 2009)
ATTENTION SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DEMENTITES...DR. D LIVE ON FM, JULY 10!
On Friday, July 10, Los Angeles station KSWD (100.3 The Sound) will
be presenting an all-day tribute to KMET, which was Dr. Demento's
flagship station from 1972 to 1987.
Dr. Demento will be featured live on the air between 7 and 8 PM Pacific time.
Dementites can also stream the broadcast online at this time at www.thesoundla.com.
June 24, 2009
Come join Dr. Demento at AL FEST, a "Weird Al" Yankovic
fan convention and celebration of comedy music, to be
held 10 am to 10 pm Saturday, August 1, 2009 at the
Holiday Inn in Costa Mesa, Calif. Admission is $50 per
person age 11 and up, $30 for children 5 to 10. Tickets
are available on the event website at www.alfest2009.com.
Dr. Demento will open the event and share never before
seen clips from his new show on the online television
station called "The Real UHF." Other AL FEST highlights
include a presentation by Jon Bermuda Schwartz,
Yankovic's drummer since 1981, a slack key guitar
performance by Jim West, Yankovic's guitar player since
1982, a performance by Ruben Valtierra, Weird Al's
keyboard player, and a "UHF" 20th anniversary celebrity
panel featuring Dr. Demento, Victoria Jackson, Gedde
Watanabe and the film's director/co-writer Jay Levey.
The convention concludes with a screening of Yankovic's
1989 debut feature film and cult classic, "UHF", complete
with costumed participants acting out the action on
screen in the style of the midnight shadow casting made
popular by the fans of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
Other events at AL FEST include live performances by
comedy musicians, an auction of Weird Al memorabilia, a
trivia contest and a Weird Al fan variety show.
March 28, 2009
QUALITY UPGRADES ON ARCHIVE SHOWS
Many of our older shows have only been available in 40 Kbps stereo, or
40 Kbps stereo for non-members and 96 Kbps stereo for members. Newer
shows are in 32 Kbps mono for non-members (equivalent sound quality to
64 Kbps stereo) and 128 Kbps stereo for members.
We are now in the process of upgrading the entire archive to the higher
quality bitrates. So far, most of 2006 and 2007 have been upgraded
(while 2008 and 2009 were already in higher quality), and we continue to
move backwards chronologically from 2005 to 1971. All shows should be
upgraded in the coming weeks.
Following this upgrade, we will resume our archive posting schedule of
approximately three shows every two weeks. Be sure to let us know what
you want to hear!
Mysterious Mose
webmaster
November 30, 2008
CHRISTMAS AND COUNTDOWN SHOWS NOW AVAILABLE IN BULK PACKAGES
People enjoyed the packages of Halloween shows we offered recently, so we're
adding some more for the holidays. With these bulk packages, you get five
shows, but the cost is only $9.00, instead of the $10.00 you would pay to
get them separately.
Here is the posting schedule for our new packages:
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Funny 25 2007: AVAILABLE NOW
available December 7:
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Funny 25 2006
Funny 25's 1992-1996
available December 14:
Christmas, Hanukkah, and Funny 25 (uncensored) 2005
Funny 25's 1997-2001
available December 21:
Christmas Through The Years (selected shows from 1974 to 2002)
Funny 25's 2002-2006 (including 2005 uncensored)
available December 28:
Top 50 from 1972 (4 hours), top 20 from 1974 (2 hours), top 50 from 1977 (4 hours)
Check here to purchase any of the packages.
October 27, 2008
HALLOWEEN SHOWS NOW AVAILABLE IN BULK PACKAGES - SAVE MONEY!
Hi gang, webmaster Mysterious Mose here...just thought I'd let you
know that we have now reactivated all the old Halloween shows. Plus,
we've added a new feature that lets you buy multiple shows at once.
You can now buy two different packages of Halloween shows at $9.00
apiece for five shows, which saves you $1.00 over buying them separately.
Let us know how you like the new feature. Hopefully we will add more
packages in the near future.
MM
September 11, 2008
Fairy tales...
A previously unreleased recording by Dr. Demento is now available for
download at cdbaby.com and at
iTunes. This is a set of three fairy
tales - "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Rapunzel" --
read by Dr. D with music by Artie Barnes (of Barnes & Barnes). These
are not spoofs -- Dr. Demento tells these timeless tales the way they
were written.
To locate these, just go to cdbaby.com or
iTunes.com and enter "Dr.
Demento" in the search function.
(Note: cdbaby.com does not make these available on physical CD's, as
was reported in the most recent Demento Society News).
June 13, 2008
NEW 2008 MEMBERSHIP KIT NOW AVAILABLE!
The 2008 Demento Society membership kit is ready for shipment, and we
are now accepting orders.
We do apologize for the delay. Unlike what happened in past years, we
were unable to accept payment (or deposit checks) before the product
was ready to ship.
In any case, it's here!. The Basement Tapes CD (number 16!) is one of
our best ever, in our opinion. Once again we're very happy to include
the #1 song from the most recent Funny 25 countdown -- "Cellular
Degeneration" by Sudden Death. Along with such Basement Tapes
veterans as Robert Lund, The Four Postmen, Power Salad, Paul and
Storm, Steve Goodie, Tim Cavanagh and The Great Luke Ski, we're proud
to spotlight such newcomers as Project Sisyphus (a clever,
brilliantly produced song parody), Holly Tannen (a charming, witty
tune about life in Mendocino, California), Jellyside Downe (a
slightly naughty bit about life in Ireland) and Antsy McClain and the
Trailer Park Troubadours (with the best bumper sticker song we've
heard in years). And for those who get depressed with today's
headlines (hard to avoid sometimes) the Austin Lounge Lizards are
here to remind us "We've Been Through Some Crappy Times Before." On a
related subject, we're happy to be able to include a song heard on
the show every election year: "The One That Doesn't Suck So Bad" by
New York's multi-talented Barry Mitchell. Finally (next to last on
the disc, actually) is "The Arkansas Traveler" by Len Spencer.
Recorded in 1902, it was a huge hit in its day, the best selling
comedy record ever at that time. While we've often included old 78's
from the Demento Archives on our Basement Tapes, this is our first
wax cylinder recording. The sound is amazingly lifelike and clear,
considering that it was recorded well over a century ago.
As always, the membership kit includes an 8x10 photo which Dr.
Demento will personally sign for every member. This time it's
something a little bit different. It was taken before Dr. Demento
became Dr. Demento. A long time before, as a matter of fact. The
Doctor-to-be was four years old. His dad, like so many fathers, loved
to take snapshots of his kids. What makes this one unusual, and
prophetic, is that in this picture the future Doctor was holding a
record!
The 2008 membership kit also includes a membership card, a photo
button (with that "Kid Demento" snapshot), a discount coupon, a
newsletter subscription, and a bonus item. This year the bonus is a
"Certificate of Recognition" printed on deluxe diploma paper.
Best news of all...with everything from gasoline to cornflakes going
through the roof, we're holding the line on the price; it's the same
as last year.
Are you ready for some Dementia?!! Simply click
[here] for the
membership application.
June 27, 2008
GEORGE CARLIN, R. I. P.
We were all immensely saddened to learn of the death of George Carlin
on June 22.
Of all comedians he had the greatest command of the English language,
the greatest sensitivity to the ever-shifting meanings and
implications of the words he loved so well.
By that I mean all words, not just the "seven dirty words" that
redoubled his fame after they were involved in that Supreme Court
decision in 1978 (in which the court held that the FCC was justified
in punishing a non-commercial station that played Carlin's "Filthy
Words," an expanded followup to his famous "Seven Words You Can Never
Say On Television.")
After launching his career in the 1960s as a relatively orthodox
supper club comic, George soon allied himself with the emerging
counterculture. He grew his hair long and became thoroughly
subversive...and purged his act of anything he didn't truly believe
in. As the decades passed he became darker, more cynical, a bit of a
curmudgeon perhaps...but never lost his amazing powers of
observation, or his talent for eloquently cataloguing everything
that's illogical, irrational or just plain annoying about everything
from refrigerators to religion. He was not only the most eloquent of
comedians, but the most true to himself.
George Carlin has been heard more often on the Dr. Demento Show than
any other standup comedian. A few routines, such as "Ice Box Man,"
"Fussy Eater" and "Baseball/Football," accounted for the lion's share
of those plays...but then Carlin was nearly unique among standup
comedians in how well his routines stood up when heard over and over
again, long after one knew all the punch lines.
On July 5-6 our show will feature an extended tribute, including
excerpts from our interviews with George (he was a lively, warm and
gracious guest on the show three different times) plus three favorite
Carlin recordings (including a radio edit of "Seven Words," made by
our former colleague Damaskas with assistance from Musical Mike...an
edit which George himself admired). The online version of the show,
available for streaming starting Monday, July 7, will feature an
additional 20+ minutes of Carlin, including more interviews plus "Ice
Box Man" and the complete and uncensored "Filthy Words." (Parental
discretion advised!)
(note: Word of Carlin's death reached us after our June 28-29 show
was already on its way to stations, and after the current issue of
the Demento Society News had gone to press).
May 3, 2008
NEW DR. DEMENTO SHOW FEATURE - FOR ONLINE LISTENERS ONLY
Starting with the first weekend of May each new Dr. Demento Show will have
an extra segment for online listeners only. Each Bonus Segment will have 10
minutes or more of songs that do not appear on that week's radio show.
Online listeners will generally hear the Bonus Segment after the Demented
News during the first hour of the program. The bonus segments will be heard
on both the 32Kbps and the 128Kbps streams.
January 24, 2008
ABOUT OUR "REQUEST A SONG" PAGE...
For over a decade, dating back before we had a proper website of our own,
Very Keri has very graciously hosted our request page. Before that, Keri
was a loyal member of the phone crew on the L.A. local edition of the Dr.
Demento Show.
As part of a general upgrade of www.drdemento.com, the "Request A Song" page
is now part of our own site.
You can still enter Keri's world by visiting www.clamhead.com.
A thousand thanks to Keri for being way ahead of the curve, and making it
possible for listeners to request songs online over the years.
Yours in dementia - Dr Demento
January 21, 2008
REGARDING CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS...
When you order online, you will get an email reply from Yahoo Small
Business. This form may imply that your credit card has already been
charged at that point. In fact, your credit card account will not be
charged until your order (including membership kits) is actually
shipped.
January 5, 2008
A COUPLE OF CHANGES...
I've decided to make a couple of changes in the Dr. Demento show, effective
with show 08-01 airing Jan. 5-6 (and available for streaming Jan. 7).
First of all, we've reduced the number of commercial breaks. This will allow
for more flexibility and longer uninterrupted sets. (The overall timing of
the show remains about the same).
Secondly...I'm changing the countdown from a weekly Funny Five to a monthly
Top Ten. This will allow us to bring more variety and surprises to the
show, and reduce the amount of repetition from one week to the next.
The Top Ten shows will air on the last weekend of each month; on these
shows, the Top Ten will take the place of a special topic. On the remaining
shows, we will be able to cover the special topics more extensively than in
the past.
We'll still have the same unpredictable mix of mad music and crazy comedy,
old and new.
I'd welcome your comments, and do keep those requests coming!
- Dr. Demento
P.S. The on-air announcement of these changes in this weekend's show contains a
little erroneous info: The monthly countdown will be a Top Ten, not a Funny
Five as the announcement says. Also, it will be Jan. 26-27, which is three
weeks from this weekend, not four.
November 23, 2007
CHANGE IS ON THE WAY
drdemento.com and drdemento.net now have a new webmaster, "Mysterious
Mose."
He has been a loyal listener for many years and has very impressive
technical credentials.
We will be taking many steps in the coming months to improve our sites. A
major priority will be to upgrade the audio streaming service, to make it
easier and more enjoyable to hear the show online.
Mose welcomes your comments and suggestions. He can be reached at
webmaster@drdemento.com.
-Dr. Demento
October 6, 2007
A note from Dr. Demento...
Recently a few people have written scathing online denunciations of Talonian Productions, the company that produces and distributes the Dr. Demento Show.
Talonian is not what some uninformed denouncers have claimed. Talonian Productions is wholly owned by myself. Talonian currently employs a manager, Arthyr Chadbourne, and a webmaster.
For many years the show was supported by national advertisers. The fees they paid supported the entire budget of the show and enabled me to make a living. That's the way radio is supposed to work.
In the past few years advertiser support for the show has evaporated. I've heard various explanations of this, but the most sensible one seems to be that our listenership is spread too thinly among various demographic groups. Advertisers prefer programming that appeals to particular segments (such as women aged 18-34 or men 30-45) so that they can reach listeners prepared to buy their products in a more efficient manner. I was always proud that the show appealed to entire families, but that is starting to look like more of a curse than a blessing.
Therefore, though we still have some fine stations carrying the show, we are not making enough from radio to support it.
For that reason, we decided to launch a fee-based Internet service. We felt this offered a chance for the show to become self-supporting once again, and in addition made it possible for people in areas not served by one of our radio affiliates (which is most of the country, alas) to hear the show.
Many listeners have been happy with this service. Others have complained, mostly to such forums as rec.music.dementia. Most often, they are unhappy that our Internet streams are not free of charge. It may be true, as the old song said, that "the best things in life are free"...but we do have to pay royalties to the creators of the songs we play, and we also have to pay for the website's own operation...and I do have to make a living somehow. Therefore, we charge *a very modest fee for the streaming -- a rate we feel is fair to ourselves and our audience.
Several of the show's radio affiliates stream their own programming, free of charge (the expense is defrayed by advertising). Since we don't share in the stations' ad revenue, we have asked them to discontinue their streams while our show is on. Most stations have been very understanding about this.
I have loved doing this show for 37 years, and have felt incredibly lucky to have made a living from something I love. However, unless the show's financial situation changes soon I will be unable to continue the show much longer.
Thank you for your understanding and support!
-Dr. Demento
GET YOUR 2007 MEMBERSHIP KIT NOW!
The Demento Society Blue Ribbon Membership kit for 2007 is still available for a limited time only.
The package includes a genuine Dr Demento blue ribbon, just like the blue ribbons they give out at the fair (but demented!!) It also includes a membership card, button, bumper sticker, and discount coupon...and, as always, an extra-special CD, available only to Demento Society Members. Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes #15 features many of the most requested songs of the past year, including the top two songs and many others featured on the Funny 25 countdown! Along with all this you get an 8x10 color photo personally autographed to you by Dr. Demento himself.
Membership dues are the same as last year -- just $34.90 including shipping for kits delivered in the USA. International memberships are $41.95 including shipping.
Don't delay, order yours today! Simply go to our Online Store page.
Wwwwwwwwwwind Up Your Computer!
THE DEMENTO ONLINE CLUB
The insider's best direct path to gleefully insane musical pleasures!
As you know, a new Dr. Demento Show can be heard online each week, along with many older shows, in streaming audio for $2 per show. By joining the DEMENTO ONLINE CLUB, you can save money, hear more shows in better sound, and get lots of exciting extras!
Find your favorite shows from the past and present, most available in high quality 96Kbps stereo, or 128Kbps stereo for more recent additions!
(High speed connection required for high quality streams.)
Demento Online Club Features:
- A NEW show each week.
- Upon subscription you will automatically receive the three most recent shows FREE!
- Live online chats with Dr. Demento. Find people that share your questions and answers while talking online with Dr. D.
- Discussion forum to communicate with other DOC members. You can discuss favorite shows, share your interests and get acquainted with each other in the Forum.
- Bonus MP3 streaming audio (most in high quality 96Kbps or 128Kbps). Both new and old shows available to members only . . . at no extra charge!
- Three free online shows per week your choice from our large library.
- Post your ads in the Classifieds section.
- Get the latest Demento Society newsletter before it’s mailed!
- Updated F.A.Q.’s
All this for only $14.95 per month! ($32 value)
Subscribe for a full year, and as an extra bonus, you’ll receive the Doctor Demento Society membership kit free! A $214.30 value for just $179.40! If you’re already a Society member, you can get a year’s Online Club membership for just $144.50. Either way, you win! A great deal for great fun.
>>> Click Here to Sign Up! <<<
Click here to see our list of streaming shows.
TO OUR LISTENERS...
Conditions in the radio industry continue to change rapidly.
Unfortunately many of these conditions have led to the Dr. Demento Show being available on fewer stations than before. If the show is no longer being heard on the station where you used to hear it, please let the station management know that you want Dr. Demento back.
Dr. Demento is continuing to produce new shows each week (except for very infrequent re-runs), as he has for 37 years. We will continue to make each new Dr. Demento Show available for streaming at our website every Monday.
Dr. Demento and everyone here greatly appreciates your support and hope you will continue to enjoy the show for a long time to come.
ATTENTION WEIRD AL FANS --
"Weird Al" Yankovic has a great new parody song, "You're Pitiful." Due to various bugaboos dreamed up by men in suits, it will not be included on Al's next album.
However, through special arrangement with Weird Al we have made it available as a FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD right here!
 You're Pitiful 40kbps
You're Pitiful 96kbps
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RIAA Targets Internet Radio
Excerpts from article by Joe Lewis on Mon, 03/05/2007 - 12:11.
In a decision that could drive the nail in the coffin to Internet
radio providers, the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board has endorsed a proposal
by SoundExchange to enact royalty rates for webcasts and streaming music
sites that will stay in effect from 2006 until 2010.
SoundExchange, the royalty
collecting division of the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), will seek to retroactively charge webcasters for streaming
content delivered throughout 2006 to users, a decision that could send
the sites packing for good.
...
Eliot Van Buskirk and Sean Michaels of
Wired lament the financial implications of the U.S. Copyright Royalty
Board’s decision:
...and would owe this retroactively, in addition to licensing fees going forward. RAIN's
math indicates that the rate would render Internet radio unsustainable,
or at the very least, more ad-laden than terrestrial radio -- and that's
before the songwriters' licenses are taken into account.
And this
Techdirt
piece continues the thought:
- The new rates pretty much decimate a large portion of the industry.
And, it's only going to get worse, as the royalty rates increase at
incredible rates ("2007's rate is a 37.5% increase over 2006; 2008
and 2009's annual increases are about 28% per year; and 2010 adds another
5.5% increase.") Of course, this is utterly backwards and damaging
to the industry itself.
- A webcaster (especially the smaller, independent ones) is a great
means of promotion for artists. It tends to attract more loyal and
well-targeted audiences, who are more likely to want to later go out and
buy a CD, a t-shirt or attend a concert. It lets the industry better
promote material from a wider range of artists. However, in the
industry's desperate need to charge for every single use, they're
effectively killing off yet another wonderful promotional
vehicle.
...
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Join the Demento Online Club’s crusade for better, mind numbing ear-candy while enjoying MAD MUSIC and CRAZY COMEDY right to your home via the Internet. Dr. Demento presents a NEW show each week, commercial free from the fabulous studio close to the famous "Smogberry trees." Find your favorite shows from the past and present, most available in high quality 96Kbps stereo, or 128Kbps stereo for more recent additions!
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Explore the frontiers of musical humor with the latest funny songs...you will soon be able to relive the secret pleasures of the 1970s, 80s and 90s...all wrapped up in that fearless free-for-all that is the one and only Dr. Demento Show.
Yes, Dr. Demento...the man who discovered "Weird Al" Yankovic...the man who taught a whole generation "Fish Heads," "Dead Puppies" and "Existential Blues"...the scholar/entertainer who draws from one of the largest music collections in the solar system, and almost every known kind of music, to put together a new extravaganza of Mad Music and Crazy Comedy for your pleasure every single weekend!
You can stream entire shows, in stereo, for only $2 per show. Typically each show runs approximately one hour and 35 minutes and includes (on average) 30 songs.
(* You may hear occasional brief promos for the Demento Society. Earlier shows may include a few selected original commercials, to recollect the joys of past listening experiences. )
The initial package includes some of our most recent shows plus shows from our archives. We will be adding many more shows and other features as time goes on.
Don't let another day go by without getting DEEE-MENTED!
WHY SHOULDN'T PEOPLE BE ABLE TO HEAR
THE DR. DEMENTO SHOW ON THE INTERNET FOR FREE? See below...
A letter from Dr. Demento...
Dear Listeners,
During the past few years many people have told me how much they have
enjoyed hearing the Dr. Demento Show on the Internet.
People have found the show online in several ways -- by accessing the
streamed signals of a few of our FM and AM affiliates, by using our "Listen
To This" feature at DrDemento.com, and by accessing various websites that
offer pirated copies of our shows without authorization.
For many listeners, these Internet sources seem like a godsend, especially
in areas where the show can no longer be heard on FM or AM radio.
Recently, extensive Internet sources of pirated Dr. Demento Shows have been
shut down for legal reasons. Since then, many more people have asked us why
we cannot offer the current show each week on DrDemento.com for free, just
like our affiliate radio stations do on the airwaves.
Here are a few reasons why:
1) Those radio broadcasts are not really free. They are paid for by
advertisers, who are willing to spend thousands of dollars per minute in
order to reach the large number of people who listen to the show on FM and
AM. Those advertisers are the sole means of support for the radio show (as
they are for most of the TV shows on the air today)...and they have not,
thus far, been willing to support Internet radio in the same way.
2) Even if I wanted to give the show away, I'd still have to pay royalties
for the music I play. Pirates don't do that, of course, but organizations
like ASCAP, BMI and the RIAA, representing song publishers and record
labels, are zealous about going after people who transmit their music
without paying.
3) The Dr. Demento Show is my full time job. It takes 40-50 hours a week to
put it together, and make it the best funny-music show on the planet, week
after week for over 35 years.
There is good news on the horizon. We are very busy making preparations to
make current and past Dr. Demento shows available online, through this
site, for an affordable fee. There is a lot of red tape involved in doing this
legitimately, but we're plowing through it as fast as we can.
Watch this site for updates...but in the meantime, remember that pirated
transmissions threaten the survival of the Dr. Demento Show. With
your help, I'll keep making new shows for your enjoyment as long as I
possibly can.
Sincerely,
Dr Demento
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See Dr. Demento's visit to B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.
Proclaim Your Dementia
Let Your Brain Cells Dance
Enjoy Mad Music and Crazy Comedy Anytime You Like --
JOIN THE DEMENTO SOCIETY!
2006 MEMBERSHIP KIT STILL AVAILABLE!
For a limited time, we are still shipping the 2006 Demento Society membership kit.
It contains a brand new membership card, photo button, bumper sticker...a
new photo of Dr Demento deep inside his Demento Archives which the Doctor
will personally autograph to you...and of course, the Basement Tapes 14 CD
which has seven songs from the just-broadcast Funny 25 plus unreleased
songs by Christine Lavin and Weird Al Yankovic...24 hilarious hits in all.
Plus you get a newsletter subscription and a discount coupon...and this
year's kit also includes a totally delicious surprise!
The new package is just $29.95 plus $4.95 shipping.
Order now! Membership Kit
BASEMENT TAPES #11 - CORRECTION
In the booklet for Basement Tapes #11, an incorrect web address is given
for Axel the Sot. The correct address is http://www.chivalry.com/axel/.
CORRECTION: CD booklet notes for DEMENTIA 2000 (Dr. Demento 30th
Anniversary Collection):
Regarding the song "Tennessee Birdwalk," the notes to this CD imply that
Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan are no longer married. That is incorrect.
They are still married. In Jack's words, "We are STILL MARRIED, STILL
TOGETHER, still writing, recording, and performing! We have NEVER even come
CLOSE to a breakup!"
I sincerely apologize for this error, which was due to incorrect
information found in an otherwise reliable country music encyclopedia. -Dr
Demento
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MEET THE DR IN PERSON - If you would like Dr. Demento to appear at your next event Click Here.
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Webmasters click here if you would like to link to DrDemento.com.
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