Dr. Demento Announces Retirement After 55-Year Radio Career

Radio personality Barret “Dr. Demento” Hansen announced his retirement this week, ending a 55-year career devoted to comedy and novelty music when his show concludes in October.

Hansen, 84, revealed the decision during his weekly program, saying the current episode would be his final regular show. The announcement comes as the program approaches its 55th anniversary this fall.

The Dr. Demento Show will continue with retrospective episodes through October, culminating in a final broadcast featuring the top 40 songs in the program’s history. Hansen plans to host the remaining episodes, which will chronicle different decades of the show’s run.

Dr. Demento debuted in October 1970 on KPPC Pasadena, California, now known as KROQ-FM. The program initially featured freeform rock before Hansen shifted focus to comedy and novelty music that became his trademark.

The show gained popularity across multiple Los Angeles stations, including a notable run on KMET from 1972 until the station’s closure in 1987. A syndicated version launched in 1974, originally distributed on reel-to-reel tape. Over time, the show reflected changes in audio technology, syndicating via LPs, cassettes, and CD-Rs until the end of its syndicated run in 2010.

The show then transitioned to an online format with a subscription service. Beginning in 2006, the show offered pay-per-show audio streaming through its official website.

Hansen, who grew up in Minneapolis, was inspired to pursue novelty music after his father brought home Spike Jones’ “Cocktails for Two.” The bells, whistles and chaotic sound effects of the song inspired him to seek similar music, leading him to become an avid collector before and during his radio career. By his own estimates, Hansen has gathered more than 300,000 albums in his Lakewood, CA. library, many from bands seeking airplay.

Dr. Demento introduced audiences to comedy songs, parodies, and musical oddities that traditional radio avoided. Throughout the years, the two most requested songs were Barnes & Barnes’ “Fish Heads” and Bill Fenzer’s “Dead Puppies Aren’t Much Fun,” followed by “Weird Al” Yankovic’s catalog, who Hansen is largely credited for discovering. Rainn Wilson played a fictionalized Dr. Demento in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

A few Bootleg Dr. Demento Tapes from the 1980’s. Fans recorded and traded programs to collect and share with friends outside of syndicated areas. Credit: Foo Conner / The Pittsburgh Reporter

The Radio Hall of Fame inducted Dr. Demento (Barret Hansen) in 2009, recognizing his contributions to broadcast entertainment.

The remaining episodes will include decade-by-decade retrospectives and classic show reruns from the 1970s and 1980s. Hansen has scheduled shows featuring his personal favorites and listener requests before the October finale.

Past episodes dating to 1974 are available on the show’s website, along with select archives from the early 1970s. Upcoming episodes will be posted as they are produced.