Dr. Demento Retires After 55-Year Radio Career

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, June 17, 2025 | 9:14pm CT

Dr. Demnto (Photo credit: Martha Hartnett / Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection)

Barry "Dr. Demento" Hansen, the legendary radio personality who spent more than five decades championing comedy, novelty, and the bizarre in music, has announced his retirement at the age of 84. The host of "The Dr. Demento Show" shared the news during his most recent episode, marking the end of regular broadcasts after nearly 55 years on the air.

"I'm now 84 years old, and I have been doing this show for nearly 55 years -- about two-thirds of my life," Hansen told listeners after playing the No. 1 song on the show's final Top 10 countdown. "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 announcement sparked a wave of nostalgia among longtime fans who discovered Dr. Demento on stations like KPPC Pasadena and KMET Los Angeles in the 1970s, or later through syndication and digital streaming. A syndicated version of the show launched in 1974, initially distributed on reel-to-reel tape and later evolving through LPs, cassettes, and CDs. Since 2010, the show has thrived online through a paid subscription model.

Launched in October 1970, The Dr. Demento Show began as a freeform rock program before finding its identity in novelty and comedy music -- songs that mainstream radio typically ignored. The show helped revive tracks like Benny Bell's "Shaving Cream," "Monster Mash," and "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" But perhaps its most enduring legacy is the launch of "Weird Al" Yankovic, who got his start after Hansen played an early parody tape on-air. Their connection remained strong, with Yankovic-themed songs featured on the final countdown episode.

Beyond his musical impact, Dr. Demento provided a cultural refuge for fans of subversive humor, surreal storytelling, and audio absurdity. Hits like "Fish Heads," "Dead Puppies," and "Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun" became cult classics, while archival selections by Spike Jones, Allan Sherman, Stan Freberg, and Tom Lehrer introduced new generations to pre-rock comedy icons.

The show's final countdown, compiled with input from fans via Facebook, featured Lehrer's "The Vatican Rag" at No. 1, followed by Ruth Buzzi's "Don't Futz Around" and Sulu's "I Made It With Cartoon Characters." The farewell episode also included thematic sets reminiscent of Hansen's early freeform roots, such as DylanHearsAWho's "Green Eggs and Ham" and Elvis Presley's laugh-filled "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"

Hansen, who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2009, began collecting novelty records after his father brought home a Spike Jones single. That childhood fascination grew into a massive archive of more than 300,000 recordings housed at his Lakewood, California home -- many sent by aspiring artists hoping for airtime.

While regular programming has ended, Hansen plans to continue hosting through October with a series of bi-weekly retrospective episodes leading to a grand finale featuring the all-time Top 40 songs from the show's history.