Arcane BanjoDec 9, 2018

On May 18, 1986, Dr. Demento aired a program that changed my life, although I didn't realize it until I was well into adulthood. Look at this playlist: http://dmdb.org/cgi-bin/plinfo.pl?drd86.0518.html

Frank Zappa, John Hartford, The Residents, The Beat Farmers... artists I would rediscover later in a non-novelty context and realize that the good Doctor was providing a subversive service to impressionable youths like myself.

The Dr. Demento Show #86-20 - May 18, 1986

Show threadArcane BanjoDec 9, 2018

One of the very last "miniatures" he featured on that show was a song by Moondog called "Be a Hobo" - it is not an exaggeration to say that this deceptively simple round has bewitched me my entire life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io_yIZglGZI

Moondog - Be a Hobo

YouTube
Show threadArcane Banjo
I've long thought about trying to do some sort of recording of it, and today realized that #acapellaapp is the platform I've been waiting for. To that end I finally, after all these years, got the melody down on paper. How did he do so much with 8 simple bars?
Dec 9, 2018 at 3:31pmWeb
Show threadArcane BanjoDec 9, 2018
I remember immediately realizing that this was not your usual Dr Demento goofy novelty/parody song, but I had no idea what to make of it. I was never able to find out anything about Moondog until years later, when the web happened.