There’s a lot of love here at Radio Survivor for the most famous and prolific booster of humorous, novelty and parody music on the radio, Dr. Demento. Filmmakers Scott McKenzie and Devin Lucas want to document the life of the good Doctor in a movie titled “Under the Smogberry Trees: The True Story of Dr. Demento and Mr. Hansen.” The film’s Kickstarter deadline is 11:59 PM PDT this Saturday, and over $81,000 has been pledged towards the $100,000 goal.
The project is authorized by Dr. Demento himself, a/k/a Barret Hansen, and he has promised to participate in its making. According to the filmmakers, the documentary,
“will be an engaging filmed history of ‘The Dr. Demento Show’ from its humble start at revolutionary radio station KPPC-FM in Pasadena, CA and up to date at DrDemento.com, covering the lasting impact of funny music on popular culture, and including current interviews with Dementites (the famous and the nearly famous) connected to and/or inspired by the show over its four decades and counting.”
The filmmakers also will profile the life of the man behind the Dr. Demento persona, who is a well-known musicologist and historian in his own right.
Some Kickstarter backer rewards include having Dr. Demento say your name on the air, a Dr. Demento kazoo and even dinner with the good Doctor himself before going to the movie’s premiere (doesn’t include travel to Los Angeles). Overall it’s a pretty wide array of Demented swag available for both very reasonable ($7) and very large ($5000) contributions.
If the movie successfully kickstarts, I’ll certainly want to see it.
Previously:
- Dr. Demento discusses censorship and going online-only with Nerdist
- Radio Survivor’s Top Radio Shows – Jennifer’s #4: Dr. Demento Show
