Barret Eugene Hansen, known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present. Hansen created the Demento persona in 1970 while working at Pasadena, California station KPPC-FM. He played "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus on the radio, and DJ "The Obscene" Steven Clean said that Hansen had to be "demented" to play it, and the name stuck. His weekly show went into syndication in 1974 and was syndicated by the Westwood One Radio Network from 1978 to 1992. Broadcast syndication of the show ended on June 6, 2010, but the show continues to be produced weekly in an online version.
Barnes & Barnes were an American musical duo, formed in Los Angeles in 1970. Though commonly associated with novelty music and comedy rock, their music has also incorporated elements of new wave, synth-pop, and folk rock.
King of Skiffle is an album by Lonnie Donegan. A CD version of the album was released in the United Kingdom on 18 February 1998 by Castle Music. The CD was also released by Pickwick under the title The Best of Lonnie Donegan.
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the debut studio album by American parodist Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic. The album was the first of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Mostly recorded in March 1982, the album was released by Rock 'n Roll Records as an LP and on Compact Cassette in 1983.
"The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" is a song by American singer–comedian Julie Brown. It appeared as the B-side to her 1983 single "I Like 'em Big and Stupid". Brown's satire of valley girl culture also parodies 1950s-1960s "teen tragedy" songs.
"Deteriorata" is a comedy record released as a single in 1972. It is a parody of Les Crane's 1971 spoken word recording of "Desiderata", the early 20th-century poem by Max Ehrmann.
"My Bologna" is the debut single by American musical parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic, originally released in December 1979. It is a parody of the Knack's hit song "My Sharona". Yankovic originally wrote the lyrics while he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California; the original version of the parody was recorded in a bathroom across the hall from the radio station at which Yankovic worked. The title refers to Bologna sausage, specifically the Oscar Mayer brand popular in the United States. Yankovic sent "My Bologna" to Dr. Demento, who aired the song on his nationwide radio program, The Dr. Demento Show. The song was a hit on the program, and eventually gained the number one spot on Dr. Demento's "Funny Five" countdown.
Stevens & Grdnic are American comedians having worked as market radio morning hosts, and written for network TV comedies.
"Christmas at Ground Zero" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic, the tenth and final track on his 1986 album, Polka Party! and the final single from the album, released just in time for the 1986 Christmas season. The song is a style parody of Phil Spector-produced Christmas songs.
Russell's Shorts is the second studio album of the Canadian comedy music group The Arrogant Worms. It was released in 1994. "Having Fun Is Bad For You", "A Night In Dildo", and "Losing Hair Under God" were recorded live.
Meri Wilson Edgmon, known professionally as Meri Wilson, was an American singer best known for singing double entendre novelty songs.
"Shaving Cream" is a song written by Benny Bell in 1946, and originally sung by Paul Wynn. It is a novelty song in which each verse ends with a mind rhyme of shit, the initial sh- segueing into the refrain, "Shaving Cream"; for example:
The Firm was a British music act, formed by guitarist, session musician and music producer John O'Connor, which had hits in the 1980s with novelty songs.
"My Name Is Not Merv Griffin" is a 1982 novelty song by Gary Muller. It is a parody of "Je cherche après Titine," with music by Léo Daniderff and lyrics by Louis Mauban and Marcel Bertal. The melody is the same as that of Charlie Chaplin's nonsense-song performance toward the end of his 1936 film, Modern Times.
"Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour " is a novelty song by Lonnie Donegan. Released as a single in 1959, it entered the UK Singles Chart on 6 February 1959 and peaked at number three. It was also Donegan's greatest chart success in the United States, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961.
"Fish Heads" is a novelty song by comedy rock duo Barnes & Barnes, released as a single in 1978 and later featured on their 1980 album Voobaha. It is the most requested song on the Dr. Demento radio show, and a music video for the song made in 1980 was in regular rotation on MTV. The song was featured on Barnes & Barnes' 1982 Fish Heads 12-inch on Rhino Records.
Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection is a release by radio disc jockey Dr. Demento to celebrate 20 years since the beginning of his radio career and novelty song show. It covers many of the novelty and comedy songs from the 1950s to the 1980s, such as “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour ” by Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group, to “Eat It” by "Weird Al" Yankovic, whose popularity was boosted by Demento.
"In Heaven There Is No Beer" is a song about the existential pleasures of beer drinking. The title of the song states a reason for drinking beer while you are still alive. The song in German is "Im Himmel gibt's kein Bier", in Spanish, "En El Cielo No Hay Cerveza". It was originally composed as a movie score for the film Die Fischerin vom Bodensee, 1956, by Ernst Neubach and Ralph Maria Siegel. The English lyrics are credited to Art Walunas.
Songs & More Songs by Tom Lehrer is a reissue of musical satirist Tom Lehrer's two studio albums, combined with other studio sessions and a newly recorded version of "I Got It From Agnes". "Agnes" was a song from Lehrer's early live repertoire which he "polished up" for the Cameron Mackintosh-produced musical revue Tomfoolery in 1981, but which Lehrer himself never professionally recorded until 1996. The booklet notes include an essay by Dr. Demento and the original sleeve notes from the LP releases.
"Second Week of Deer Camp" is a song by American novelty music band Da Yoopers. It was released in 1987 as a single from their second album Culture Shock. The band's co-founders Jim DeCaire and Joe Potila wrote the song.
