Those familiar with Dr. Demento surely know Barnes & Barnes, the comic parodists who rose to fame in 1978 with The Chipmunk-inspired "Fish Heads," touting the merits of this -- uh, delicacy. Other albums contain similar quirky material. Who are Barnes & Barnes? Los Angeles musician Robert Haimer and Billy Mumy, the same Billy Mumy who appeared... [+] Read More

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Big Daddy, a Los Angeles-based comedic pop group that emerged in 1983 on the Rhino Records label, specializes in performing Contemporary hits in the styles of 1950s and early-'60s rock & roll. For example, they scored a Top 40 hit in the U.K. in 1985 by recording Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" as it might sound if sung by Pat Boone.... [+] Read More

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The morning-show DJ for Seattle's KISW, Bob Rivers began recording Weird Al-type song parodies in 1984 with the American Comedy Network's "Breaking Up Is Hard on You (Don't Take Ma Bell Away from Me)." Sung to the tune of Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," the track eased its way to number 70. He continued producing for the network, even... [+] Read More

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Buckner & Garcia are the team behind the 1982 novelty hit "Pac-Man Fever," a Top Ten single that became a ubiquitous pop culture phenomenon. In 1981, Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia were living in Atlanta, writing ad jingles, and doing voice work for radio. Struck by the emerging video game fad, the two wrote and recorded a tribute to the king of... [+] Read More

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Today's Sounds is a duo comprised of Meat Puppets drummer Derrick Bostrom and friend Bruce Sandig. Although Bostrom sings and plays guitar, he was never afforded the opportunity to show his multi-instrumental talents with the Puppets. So when the band decided to take a break in the late '90s, Bostrom put together a band to play his favorite... [+] Read More

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The foremost song parodist of the MTV era, "Weird Al" Yankovic carried the torch of musical humor more proudly and more successfully than any performer since Allan Sherman. In the world of novelty records -- a genre noted for its extensive back catalog of flashes-in-the-pan and one-hit wonders -- Yankovic was king, scoring smash after smash over... [+] Read More

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