Seven Days this week reported on the efforts of local musician Pitz Quattrone to instruct others on how to use, of all things, the didigeridoo to treat sleep apnea. Read that story for more details, but the gist of it is that there’s some solid science behind the idea. Playing the didgeridoo is an effective way to tone the muscles of the upper respiratory tract, which are precisely the ones that, if untoned, collapse and cause the breathing difficulties characteristic of sleep apnea.

As if that weren’t interesting enough, Quattrone has received the honor of having his song “Electric Tan” featured on the radio by one of America’s oddest and most beloved musical tastemakers. Yes, the venerable Dr. Demento himself — keeper of the flame of musical weirdness for more than 40 years — will play the song on his radio show on Saturday, June 7. 

“Electric Tan,” a bouncy number about the stupidity of indoor tanning beds, finds Quattrone boogieing down on the didgeridoo and, as on many of his other songs, singing lead vocals, as well.

“Everybody get your cancer / Get it while you can,” Quattrone sings in the chorus, his sarcasm lending the groovy song a welcome edge.

You can hear some of Quattrone's other songs on his website.

Dr. Demento streams his shows online, so anyone with an internet connection can tune in. Try finding another site on which you can listen to funky, didgeridoo-centric songs about skin cancer.

In the few days before Dr. Demento airs "Electric Tan," all you lovers of what I'm calling "didge funk" can content yourselves with the official video for "Movin'," the title track of Quattrone's recent EP.