The Ballad Of Morris The Cat
set for Dr. Demento premiere

Legendary comedy radio show host Dr. Demento will feature my new recording of The Ballad Of Morris The Cat on Saturday and Sunday, August 19-20. Not coincidentally, the show’s topic is “Cats”.

I wrote Morris The Cat some years ago, on news that the 9Lives spokesfeline had passed away. In my song, Morris is buried “in his favorite litter box/With some cans of 9Lives chicken and lox.” In television reality, 9Lives soon resurrected Morris for a new series of commercials.

But I didn’t know Dr. Demento then, and performed Morris only to amuse friends and co-workers. At the time, my original repertoire included just Morris (which borrows the tempo of Jimmy Dean’s “Big Bad John”) and the very personal A Boy Named Jew. I soon bagged both songs in favor of newer tunes with original melodies.

My history with Dr. Demento

Dr. Demento spun two of my songs, both from Look What I Made!, a total of five times during 2005. Today Was A Very Good Day appeared on Jan. 9. My Fat Ass Itches followed on Feb. 6 and repeated three more times, peaking at No. 3 on the Funny Five.

Just in time for the latest round of Dr. Demento pet-themed programs, I recorded Morris The Cat with Lee Fortune at Bright Spot Music Studios in Dallas, Texas. Lee, who produced and added bass guitar and background vocals, sets a Spaghetti Western-ish tone with expert handling of a clay turtle whistle (Made in Peru) I picked up at the Terre Haute Cultural Festival.

Listen here

Dr. Demento claims more than 100 broadcast outlets for his weekly show. You can also catch the program streaming online. Or, purchase any program for $2 directly from Dr. Demento. And please request Morris The Cat, My Fat Ass Itches or any of my other songs using the comments form on Dr. Demento’s site.

Comic songwriter Chris Wilkinson will make his Dr. Demento debut with “Your Dog’s Dead” during the doctor’s “Dog” show on August 12-13. I featured Chris in an edition of Look What They Made!, after he recorded two unique covers of My Fat Ass Itches (available in the music player at right, along with the original).

Finally, here’s a sample of Morris The Cat  (0:39).

Posted in: Dementia at 11:05 am Fri, Aug 11, 2006.

One comment

1. 

   Serenata says:
   

   3:29 am Fri, Nov 24, 2006

   It seems that your relation with Dr. Demento has proved a very productive one and a very amusing one as well.

   I have only one curiosity. Who’s the one who has chosen this name, Demento? It is funny, but does not reveal his true nature? I suppose.

   Reply