Rock & Roll Doctor by Travesty Ltd. - one of the greatest comedy bits ever!

[rockland6674]

I remember when this was new on the Dr. Demento show. For the first month or so, the first caller would say, "Yeah... (silence) Aerosmith concert, man." I assume this was a glitch, because it was soon fixed. I have the Dr. Demento "30th Anniversary" CD, as well as the Travesty LTD. "Dementia 2000" CD, and both obviously mastered this track from vinyl. What the hell happened to the tape sources for this track?

[MichaelHansenFUN]

if this was a 30 year old tape, it would mention LED ZEPPELIN and not nugent. I had the Led Zeppelin version from a "funny 25" (or is it "funny 45") from the early 80's radio broadcast. The transcription list was online many years ago, and that one (i remember some of the order of songs) has the original version.

[AbortionOnToast]

@MichaelHansenFUN

Interesting, I don't recall when it was recorded, but it had to be early to mid 80's, anywhere from 82-85 or so. I never did get a response from their website about why it was changed, but what the hell, it's funny either way! Certainly Zeppelin would have been the more 'popular' reference of the time. I'm still seeking out the original version, maybe I'll find it online somewhere. For that matter if you have it digitized maybe you could send me a copy. Thanks for the comments!

[MichaelHansenFUN]

@AbortionOnToast my led zeppelin copy was loaned to a friend who lost it many years ago, but it was missing the beginning and it was recorded by having the tape recorder next to the speaker. However this was before 1985 or so, because I remember some of the other songs played during this one particular broadcast and got the date of when it was originally aired online, but didnt save the copy. (transcription discs of the show were at my local used record store for a very high price)

[OofusTwillip]

There's a lottery commercial on Canadian TV right now, in which a young woman dazedly calls the lottery corporation to say, "Um...I think I just won..." She sounds exactly like the woman who calls the Rock & Roll Doctor and says, "Um, I had these pills, and I took 'em, I think...uh..."

Those of us familiar with the Rock & Roll Doctor find the commercial hilarious.

If I can catch a copy on the DVR, I'll do a mashup, so we can all enjoy it.

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

i have the dr demento box record set

and it was not destroyed by termites

[AbortionOnToast]

@TEMPmichaelhansen I don't think I have the full box set, but I have a few of the compilations that came out on Rhino Records in the last 15 years or so. Great stuff, Dr. Demento is a legend!! Just think of the people he helped make famous, namely Weird Al, but also helped to promote people like Steve Dahl and many others. I will truly miss his show.

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

@AbortionOnToast

there was a vinyl set in the 80's from the 1940's till the 1980's and xmas

i have it in full...

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

THE ROCK AND ROLL DOCTOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE DRUGS, JUST PERSCRIBES THEM!!! my brother used to recite this and say it wrong. also the "Turn your radio down" may have been because of the seven second delay, because usually the things just feedback, or am i wrong about this.

[AbortionOnToast]

@TEMPmichaelhansen

That is correct, most stations at that time had a seven second delay, today it's probably more due to the extreme censorship of the FCC (We can thank morons like the Nancy Reagans and Tipper Gores of the country for that!) I'm a big Steve Dahl fan, as witnessed by the many videos on my channel (Thanks Steve!!) and I remember many, many times of people calling in with their radios up, which then ended up manifesting itself in the 'acid flashback' bit that Steve used to do.

[OofusTwillip]

@AbortionOnToast - Even without the 7-second delay, there's still a delay of about a second between the time your phone picks up the sound that's coming out of the radio, sends it back to the station, and it comes back out of the radio to start the cycle again. This short delay is what causes that feedback you're hearing.

There's a similar delay in TV, as the cable company takes the broadcast feed, reduces the bitrate, & sends it down the cable to your TV (or computer if you watch online).

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

I remember the early 80's, someone I knew had a "funny 25" (I remember some of the set list) on tape, with this track, and the version of ROCK AND ROLL DR was different.

The guy who mentions "Nugent concert", originally it was "Zeppelin concert"

[AbortionOnToast]

@TEMPmichaelhansen Hard to believe it is close to 30 years ago (if not 30!) but it is, and now Dr. Demento is retiring it is truly the end of an era.

I never heard another version, interesting, I wonder why they made the change. As far as I know this is the original version, or the original that was played on Dr. Demento's show since this tape is from then (I'm getting old!) Maybe it was a legal thing like the change in Extestential Blues by Tom "T-Bone" Stankus (I have the original of that!)

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

@AbortionOnToast

originally the ROCK AND ROLL DOCTOR mentions Zeppelin, not Nugent. (which i heard from a early 80's broadcast & remember) YOu cant get dr demento around here in san jose (you used to many years ago), but in Trukee you can. I remember reading about Tom "T-Bone" Stankus. at least my dr demento box set was not destroyed by termites.

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

@AbortionOnToast

since your recording is 30 years old, I thought this would have been the original version.

[AbortionOnToast]

@TEMPmichaelhansen Yeah, that's why I figured too, assuming it came out right at the time that the good Doctor aired it. Anyway, I'll look around for the other version, just out of curiousity. Maybe I'll go the the Travesty Ltd. website and ask them why it was changed, again just out of curiousity.

Thanks again for stopping by and commenting! Later, Toast

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

@AbortionOnToast another video i left a comment on it stated that this came out then john bonham died, so they changed it. they chose ted, who is anti drug, how funny is that?

[AbortionOnToast]

@TEMPmichaelhansen That interesting, I wondered what prompted the change, that makes sense I guess, though it seems a little overly-sensitive, but whatever.

Also, Ted Nugent may be 'anti-drug' now but I have to wonder about what he did in the 70's (I'm not saying I know), and certainly plenty of his fans weren't anti-drug, or stoners at the very least (which I don't consider to be a 'drug' per-se, it's a natural herb). Either way Ted has turned crotchety in his older years. F 'em!

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

@AbortionOnToast

well dr demento started in 1970

and it is 2010

i wonder if he is still married.

[TEMPmichaelhansen]

DUDE! 30 years old? There are 2 different versions of this track. wow.