The True Story of Doctor Demento
Wind up your projectors! “UNDER THE SMOGBERRY TREES” is the first ever feature length documentary about legendary deejay Dr. Demento!
Before we called it filk, before there was Krypton Radio, before even the Internet itself, there was Doctor Demento. His radio show began on KPPC-FM in Pasadena, California, and has launched the careers of many familiar artists (including most notably Weird Al Yankovic). With just days to go, they need to pick up about thirty thousand dollars to reach their production goal of $100K, and with your help they may just make it. It’ll be a squeaker, as they need a big surge to hit their mark.
“UNDER THE SMOGBERRY TREES” will be an engaging filmed history of “The Dr. Demento Show” from its humble beginnings to its current profound 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 forty-plus years.
It also serves as the definitive profile of Dr. Demento’s alter ego, the globally respected musicologist and historian Barret Hansen. Through stories told in his own words, it will follow Mr. Hansen from his 1940′s Minneapolis childhood, to Reed College in Portland, through his Master’s degree in Folk Music Studies from UCLA, and on to donning the heavy top hat of Dr. Demento in 1970 and carrying it into the Comedy Music and Radio Halls of Fame.
The film is being produced with the full participation of Barry Hansen. He is allowing us to get you a very rare glimpse at both the professional and private man, and see how it is indeed difficult to know where the tuxedo tails begin and where they end. Barry will tell us stories of his early motivations and inspirations, the history of his musical impact (including his rock band producing days in the 60′s), as well as taking us all into his massive music library (over 250,000 records and counting!) and to his home studio, where he produces The Dr. Demento Show to this day!
If you can, please chip in and support this documentary. Krypton Radio wouldn’t be here if not for Doctor Demento having blazed the trail first.
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