You’ve definitely been spend-
ing lots of time with Dr Demen-
to doing interviews and such.
What have you learned about
him that you didn’t expect?
Back in the 1960s, before he
got his ‘doctorate’ in demented
music, he played a formative role
in the early days of classic rock.
He was a confidant to the bands
Canned Heat and Spirit who both
went on to become classic rock
staples. Dr. Demento, then
Barret Hansen, produced a demo
for Spirit a year before their stu-
dio debut, and was even slated
to produce their first album. Cir-
cumstances led to a label change,
Spirit signed to Ode Records and
the producer role filled by the
legendary Lou Adler. Barry (aka
Dr. Demento) was disappointed
at losing the gig, but knew how
much this would mean for the
band’s career, so he cheered for
them from the sidelines. Spirit’s
self-titled debut album was a
commercial success and stayed
on the Billboard charts for over
six months.
Listen to Fred Schneider cover “Fluffy”
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 54
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