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2011-12-02 16:18:39

Dr. Demento's Blog - December 3, 2011 - Logan Whitehurst

A few words about Logan Whitehurst, who died at 29 five years ago Saturday, December 3. There is a tribute to him on the show that uploads that day.
Logan was an awesomely talented songwriter, musician and recording artist. I thought he was just getting started on a sure-to-be-brilliant career�I felt sure he�d be writing songs for major animated films before very long. Just recently, The Logan Awards were named after him. (http://www.loganawards.com/ -- click on �About Logan� to see a nice video about him.)
Logan was born in 1977 in Los Banos, California, in the northwestern part of California�s agricultural San Joaquin Valley. He grew up with his parents� record collections; special favorites were The Beatles and Randy Newman. It was a musical family: his sister Emily, known as Agent M, was lead singer of the popular punk rock band Tsunami Bomb.
Logan graduated from Sonoma State University with a major in printmaking, and designed covers for Tsunami Bomb and other artists in addition to his own projects. After college he settled in Petaluma, California, played drums in the band Little Tin Frog, and then in The Velvet Teen with which he made two full length albums and toured nationally and in Japan. Meanwhile he began creating his own humorous, quirky music in his apartment, and recording it on four-track. He compiled his songs into albums, using the name Logan Whitehurst and the Junior Science Club. One day some friends gave him a plastic snowman, like you�d find on lawns at Christmas time. From that point on Vanilla, the Plastic Snowman was on stage at all Junior Science Club performances. He even had his own Live Journal page.
Logan made four full-length albums that were circulated on the former mp3.com before he was signed to Pandacide Records. For Pandacide he produced (with Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie) his album Goodbye, My 4-Track, which was released in 2003 and blew me away when I first heard it. I just thought it was the most imaginative, tuneful, and downright brilliant CD I�d heard from a relatively new artist in years. A month later, Logan came to L.A. (with Vanilla, of course) to promote the album and appear on my show. A portion of that interview is on the Dr. Demento Show uploading early December 3.
By that time Logan was beginning to suffer frequent bouts of nausea, which doctors were unable to explain for some time. He continued to play with The Velvet Teen until he was diagnosed with brain cancer in April 2004. Surgery was performed in May, and Logan seemed to be on a slow road to recovery. In the summer of 2006 he felt strong enough to make another Junior Science Club album. This was Very Tiny Songs, a collection of 81 short songs mostly based on ideas sent to him online by his fans. The cover has artwork by Logan illustrating every one of those songs.
As he was finishing up the album, Logan�s cancer returned. This time there was nothing that could be done, and he died on December 3rd, five years ago today. The CD was released a few weeks later.
A memorial was held that spring in Petaluma. I gave a little talk, and got to meet his family and friends, many of whom performed his songs.
Logan�s own web site can still be seen at http://www.loganwhitehurst.com/, pretty much the way he left it. His CD�s Goodbye, My 4-Track and Very Tiny Songs can be ordered from http://www.pandacide.com/store.html. His earlier songs can be heard at http://www.juniorscienceclub.com/loganarchive/.

"He was a gentle and sincere person, filled with humor and joy, amazingly gifted in all aspects of art and music, and a dear friend whom I miss terribly." �Josh Drake, head of Pandacide Records

Previous Replies:

2011-12-04 07:38:25
From: Johnny
Dr. D
How about playing New Year's songs as the bonus tracks on the Funny 25 show? Just an idea.

2011-12-03 19:50:17
From: Kevin J

Hi Doctor,
It was a very good show today.
The winter songs, along with winter sports songs were well mixed, that is why you are the DJ and we are the lsiteners, eh?
The Logan tribute was well deserved, it is too bad he ois not with us. He had a great mix of talent, perspective, and intellegence. He sure diod not nhave to do music to make a living. He could have done about anything, the combination he had could adjust to a number of career paths. As the artist he was he left himself behind for all of us to enjoy perpetually. Thanks for that Logan.
Between his music, people like us, and the annual Logan Awards he wil not be forgotten by those who knew of him and who will know of him.
I wonder who's band he is playing driumns with right now in heaven.

Kevin
Orland Park, IL