Yankovic received his first exposure via syndicated comedy radio personality Dr. Demento's Southern California-based radio show, later saying, "If there hadn't been a Dr. Demento, I'd probably have a real job now." Despite his mother having caught him listening to Dr. Demento's program and banning him from listening to it again, he found ways to hear it discreetly. In 1976, Dr. Demento spoke at Yankovic's school, where the 16-year-old Yankovic gave him a homemade cassette tape of original and parody songs performed on the accordion in Yankovic's bedroom into a "cheesy little tape recorder". The tape's first song, "Belvedere Cruisin'" (about his family's Plymouth Belvedere) was played on Demento's comedy radio show, launching Yankovic's career. Demento said, "'Belvedere Cruising' might not have been the very best song I ever heard, but it had some clever lines [...] I put the tape on the air immediately." Yankovic also played at local coffeehouses, accompanied by fellow dorm resident Joel Miller on bongos. He recalled in 2007: