Firesign Theater
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal
comedy troupe A comedy troupe is a group of comedians and associated Employment, personnel who work together to perform comedy as entertainment. The term is often used interchangeably with comedy group, and the troupe may specialize in a specific comedic genr ...
who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station
KPFK KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, California, which serves Southern California. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listener-sponsored Pacifica Radio network. KPFK 90.7 FM be ...
FM. They continued appearing on ''Radio Free Oz'', which later moved to
KRLA 1110 KWVE (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles as a simulcast of Christian talk and teaching station KWVE-FM. The station is operated by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, who acquire ...
AM and then KMET FM, through February 1969. They produced fifteen
record album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
s and a
45 rpm single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standal ...
under contract to
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
from 1967 through 1976, and had three nationally syndicated radio programs: ''The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour'' in 1970 on
KPPC-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...
; and '' Dear Friends'' (1970–1971) and ''Let's Eat!'' (1971–1972) on KPFK. They also appeared in front of live audiences, and continued to write, perform, and record on other labels, occasionally taking sabbaticals during which they wrote or performed solo or in smaller groups. The Firesign Theatre was the brainchild of
Peter Bergman Peter Michael Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American television actor best known for his portrayals on soap operas: as Cliff Warner on ''All My Children'' (1979–89) on ABC and as Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1989–pre ...
, and all of its material was conceived, written, and performed by its members: Bergman,
Philip Proctor Philip George Proctor (born July 28, 1940) is an American actor and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Early life Proctor was born in Goshen, Indiana, on July 2 ...
,
Phil Austin Philip Baine Austin (April 6, 1941 – June 18, 2015) was an American comedian and writer, best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre. Early life and education Austin was born in Denver, Colorado, and later grew up in Fresno, California, at ...
, and
David Ossman David Ossman (born December 6, 1936, in Santa Monica) is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre and screenwriter of such films as '' Zachariah''. Early life Ossman attended Pomona College, where he star ...
. The group's name stems from
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
, because all four were born under the three "
fire signs In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. T ...
":
Aries Aries may refer to: *Aries (astrology), an astrological sign *Aries (constellation), a constellation in the zodiac Arts, entertainment and media * ''Aries'' (album), by Luis Miguel, 1993 * ''Aries'' (EP), by Alice Chater, 2020 * "Aries" (song), ...
(Austin),
Leo Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...
(Proctor), and
Sagittarius Sagittarius ( ) may refer to: *Sagittarius (constellation) *Sagittarius (astrology), a sign of the Zodiac * Sagittarius of Gap, a 6th century bishop *Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy Ships *'' S ...
(Bergman and Ossman). Their popularity peaked in the early 1970s and ebbed in the Reagan era. They experienced a revival and second wave of popularity in the 1990s and continued to write, record and perform until Bergman's death in 2012. In 1997, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked the Firesign Theatre among the "Thirty Greatest Comedy Acts of All Time". Their 1970 album ''
Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers ''Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers'' is the Firesign Theatre's third comedy album, released by Columbia Records in July 1970. In 1983, ''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'' called it "the greatest comedy album ever made". It was nom ...
'' was nominated in 1971 for the
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...
by the
World Science Fiction Society Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...
, and their next album ''
I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus ''I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus'' is the fourth comedy album made by the Firesign Theatre for Columbia Records, released in August 1971 on standard stereo vinyl LP, and Quadraphonic LP and 8-track tape. It was nominated for a Hugo Award ...
'' received the same nomination in 1972. Later, they received nominations for the
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and t ...
for three of their albums: ''
The Three Faces of Al ''The Three Faces of Al'' is a 1984 comedy album by the group Firesign Theatre. It features the group members reprising their most popular characters from earlier collaborations, notably hard-boiled detective Nick Danger and his nemesis, Lieuten ...
'' (1984), '' Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death'' (1998), and '' Bride of Firesign'' (2001). In 2005, the US
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
added ''Don't Crush That Dwarf'' to the
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...
and called the group "
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
of comedy."


Before ''Firesign''

Peter Bergman Peter Michael Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American television actor best known for his portrayals on soap operas: as Cliff Warner on ''All My Children'' (1979–89) on ABC and as Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1989–pre ...
and
Philip Proctor Philip George Proctor (born July 28, 1940) is an American actor and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Early life Proctor was born in Goshen, Indiana, on July 2 ...
met while attending
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
in the late 1950s, where Proctor studied acting and Bergman edited the Yale comedy magazine. Bergman studied playwriting and collaborated as lyricist with
Austin Pendleton Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor. Pendleton is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen, whose six-decade career has included roles in films i ...
in 1958 on two Yale Dramat musicals in which Proctor starred: ''
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
'', and '' Booth Is Back In Town''. In 1965, Bergman spent a year working in England on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television program '' Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life'' and went to see surrealist comedian
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...
in a play. Bergman went backstage and struck up a friendship with Milligan. Also that year, he saw
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
in concert, which gave him the inspiration to form a four-man comedy group. On returning to the US, Bergman started a late-night listener-participation
talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
, ''Radio Free Oz'', on July 24, 1966, on listener-sponsored
KPFK KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, California, which serves Southern California. It was the second of five stations in the non-commercial, listener-sponsored Pacifica Radio network. KPFK 90.7 FM be ...
FM in Los Angeles, working with producers
Phil Austin Philip Baine Austin (April 6, 1941 – June 18, 2015) was an American comedian and writer, best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre. Early life and education Austin was born in Denver, Colorado, and later grew up in Fresno, California, at ...
and
David Ossman David Ossman (born December 6, 1936, in Santa Monica) is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre and screenwriter of such films as '' Zachariah''. Early life Ossman attended Pomona College, where he star ...
. According to Austin, the show "featured everybody who was anybody in the artistic world who passed through LA." Guests included the band
Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...
and
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
. In November, Proctor was in Los Angeles looking for acting work and watching the
Sunset Strip curfew riots The Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the "hippie riots", were a series of early counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States, in 1966. Hist ...
. When he discovered he was sitting on a newspaper photo of Bergman, he called his college buddy, who recruited him as the fourth man for his comedy group. Bergman originally named the group the "Oz Firesign Theatre" because all four were born under the three astrological fire signs (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius), and the group debuted on his November 17, 1966 show. Bergman had to drop "Oz" from the name after legal threats from
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
and
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
, who owned movie rights to ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...
'' and other associated works.


''Radio Free Oz''

The Firesigns initially chose an
improvisational Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...
style and carried it to a level which revolutionized
radio comedy Radio comedy, or comedy, comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve variety show, sitcom elements, sketch comedy, sketches, and various types of comedy found in other media. It may also include more surreal or fantastic elemen ...
. According to Proctor: On nights when he had no guests, Bergman would have the Firesigns come on the air and pretend (including himself) to be outrageously interesting guests. On their November 17, 1966 debut, they pretended to be the panel of an imaginary "Oz Film Festival": Bergman was film critic Peter Volta, "writing a history of world cinema one frame at a time"; Ossman was Raul Saez, maker of “thrown camera” films, who had just won a grant to roll a
70 mm film 70 mm film (or 65 mm film) is a wide high-resolution film gauge for motion picture photography, with a negative area nearly 3.5 times as large as the standard 35 mm motion picture film format. As used in cameras, the film is wid ...
camera down the
Andes mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
; Austin was Jack Love, making "Living Room Theatre" porn films like ''The Nun'' and ''Blondie Pays the Rent''; and Proctor was Jean-Claude Jean-Claude, creator of the "Nouvelle Nouvelle Vague Vague movement" and director of a documentary ''Two Weeks With Fred'', which lasts a full two weeks. By 1967, Bergman had the Firesign Theatre appear regularly on ''Radio Free Oz''. The Firesigns were strongly influenced by the British ''
Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...
''; Proctor, Austin, and Ossman were big fans since the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
program ''
Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...
'' broadcast ''Goon Show'' episodes in the late 1950s, and Bergman became a fan after forming the Firesigns. According to Ossman: In the fall of 1967, the Firesign Theatre was broadcasting Sunday nights from ''The Magic Mushroom'', in
Studio City Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 19 ...
, formerly a
Bob Eubanks Robert Leland Eubanks (born January 8, 1938) is an American disc jockey, television personality and game show host, widely known for hosting the game show ''The Newlywed Game'' on and off since 1966. He also hosted the successful revamp version o ...
' '' Cinnamon Cinder''. In September 1967, they performed an adaptation of
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...
' short story "La Muerte y La Brujula" ("
Death and the Compass "Death and the Compass" (original Spanish title: "La muerte y la brújula") is a short story by Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986). Published in '' Sur'' in May 1942, it was included in the 1944 collection ''Ficciones''. ...
") on Radio Free Oz. In 1969, they created improvised television commercials for Jack Poet Volkswagen in Highland Park, California, with the characters of Christian Cyborg (Bergman), Coco Lewis (Proctor), Bob Chicken (Austin), and Tony Gomez (Ossman).


Golden age


Early recording career

Bergman coined the term "
love-in A love-in is a peaceful public gathering focused on meditation, love, music, sex and/or use of recreational drugs. The term was coined by Los Angeles radio comedian Peter Bergman, creator of comedy group The Firesign Theater, who also hosted the ...
" in 1967, and he promoted the first Los Angeles Love-In, attended by 40,000 in Elysian Park, on his program. The Firesigns performed there, which led to ''Radio Free Oz'' moving to
KRLA 1110 KWVE (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles as a simulcast of Christian talk and teaching station KWVE-FM. The station is operated by Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, who acquire ...
AM, which had a much wider audience than KPFK FM. This event also caught the attention of
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
staff producer
Gary Usher Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fic ...
, who sensed commercial potential for the Firesign Theatre and proposed to Bergman they make a "love-In album" for Columbia. Bergman countered with a proposal for a Firesign Theatre album, and this led to a five-year recording contract with the label. Usher also used the Firesigns' audio collages on songs by
The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
("Draft Morning") and
Sagittarius Sagittarius ( ) may refer to: *Sagittarius (constellation) *Sagittarius (astrology), a sign of the Zodiac * Sagittarius of Gap, a 6th century bishop *Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy Ships *'' S ...
(the 45 RPM version of "Hotel Indiscreet") in 1967 and 1968. The album was given the non sequitur title ''
Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him ''Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him'' is the first comedy album recorded by the Firesign Theatre. It was originally released in January 1968 by Columbia Records. Synopsis The first side of the original LP presented a trilogy of thr ...
'', from Bergman's undeveloped 1965 idea for a comic film. The Firesigns changed their improvisational style, producing tightly scripted and memorized material. According to Bergman: "There was no leader." The Firesigns always billed themselves alphabetically on their album jackets and other printed materials. "Everything was communally written, and if one person didn't agree about something, no matter how strongly the other three felt about it, it didn't go in." The resulting synergy created the feeling of a fifth Firesign; according to Austin: "It's like, suddenly there is this fifth guy that actually does the writing. We all vaguely sort of know him, and a lot of the time take credit for him." This resulted in the group inventing the name "4 or 5 Krazy Guys Publishing" to copyright their work. Their contract with Columbia, in exchange for a low royalty rate, gave them unlimited studio time, allowing them to perfect their writing and recording. ''Electrician'' revolutionized the concept of the
comedy album A comedy album is an audio recording of comedic material from a comedian or group of comedians, usually performed either live or in a studio. Comedy albums may feature skits, humorous songs, and/or live recording of stand-up comedy performan ...
: it consists of four radio plays. Side one is a trilogy of pieces: starting with "Temporarily Humboldt County", a satire of the Europeans' displacement of the
indigenous peoples of the Americas In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...
; followed by "W. C. Fields Forever", a satire of the 1960s
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
culture; leading into "Trente-Huit Cunegonde (Returned for Regrooving)", a projected future in which the roles of the
hippie counterculture The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the Western world during the mid-20th century. It began in the early 1960s, and continued through the early 1970s. It is ofte ...
and
the Establishment In sociology and in political science, the term the establishment describes the dominant social group, the elite who control a polity, an organization, or an institution. In the Praxis (process), praxis of wealth and Power (social and politica ...
culture are reversed. Side two, the title track, is a
stream-of-consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. It is usually in the form of an interior monologue which i ...
play about an American tourist (Austin) to an
Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
country, who ends up in prison and is rescued by the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
. It was recorded in
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
's Los Angeles radio studio from which ''
The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...
'' and others had been broadcast; the original
RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
microphones and
sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...
devices were used. It was released in January 1968, selling a modest 12,000 copies in its first year. The Firesigns continued to work on the radio and began performing in
folk club A folk club is a regular event, permanent venue, or section of a venue devoted to folk music and traditional music. Folk clubs were primarily an urban phenomenon of 1960s and 1970s Great Britain and Ireland, and vital to the second British folk r ...
s such as the Ash Grove. ''Radio Free Oz'' moved again to KMET FM until February 1969. ''The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour'' aired for two hours on Sunday nights on
KPPC-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...
in 1970. They concentrated their writing on the folk-club material and produced improvisational skit material for the ''Radio Hour'' and its successors. The Firesigns almost lost their recording contract after their first album. According to Bergman: "Columbia was going to kick us off the label, so we scripted the next record and the old guard at Columbia took a look at the script and said 'This isn't funny—this is dirty!' And to our rescue came
James William Guercio James William Guercio (born July 18, 1945) is an American music producer, musician, songwriter and director. He is best known for his work as the producer of Chicago's first eleven studio albums. He also produced the early recordings of The Buckin ...
roducer of the Buckinghams">the_Buckinghams.html" ;"title="roducer of roducer of the Buckinghamsand John Hammond (producer)">John Hammond." Austin says, "With Hammond backing us up, CBS came around." They went on to produce three more Columbia studio albums from 1969 to 1971. Each grew technically more sophisticated, taking advantage of up to 16 tape tracks and Dolby noise reduction">multitrack recording">up to 16 tape tracks and Dolby noise reduction by 1970. '' How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All'', released in 1969, consists of a stream-of-consciousness play on side one about a man named Babe (Bergman) who buys a car and goes on a road trip that turns into a parody of Norman Corwin's 1941 patriotic radio pageant '' We Hold These Truths''. Side two, ''The Further Adventures of Nick Danger'', is a parody of 1940s radio, about a
hard-boiled detective Hardboiled (or hard-boiled) fiction is a literary genre that shares some of its characters and settings with crime fiction (especially detective fiction and noir fiction). The genre's typical protagonist is a detective who battles the violence o ...
(Austin) who became possibly the Firesigns' most famous character. ''
Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers ''Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers'' is the Firesign Theatre's third comedy album, released by Columbia Records in July 1970. In 1983, ''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'' called it "the greatest comedy album ever made". It was nom ...
'' (1970) is a single play centered around an actor named George Tirebiter (Ossman), who gradually ages into an old man while watching his old movies on television: a
Henry Aldrich Henry Aldrich (15 January 1648 – 14 December 1710) was an English theologian, philosopher, architect, and composer. Life Aldrich was educated at Westminster School under Dr Richard Busby. In 1662, he entered Christ Church, Oxford, and in 1 ...
parody ''High School Madness'' (in which he is named Porgie Tirebiter), and the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
film ''Parallel Hell''. ''Dwarf'' marked a high point in the Firesign's use of
blue comedy Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy". Like any humour, ribaldry may be read as conventional or subversive. Ribal ...
: Porgie has explicit sex with a housemaid as creaking bedsprings are heard. This album was nominated for a
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is given each year for theatrical films, television episodes, or other dramatized works related to science fiction or fantasy released in the previous calendar year. Originally the award covered both ...
in 1971 by the
World Science Fiction Society Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...
, ''Dwarf'' brought a level of success to the Firesigns that started to spoil them. Bergman said, "We toured after ''Dwarf'' and we began to realize the extent we were influencing people. We realized that FM radio was playing our albums whole, and that people were memorizing them." Austin said of this period, "At that point we began not to get along with each other that well, and the being taken so seriously — ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' did a long article on us, and we were being compared to
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
— there was a prideful attitude that took over. But we weren't making money; we might as well have been teaching school somewhere and worrying about making tenure for all the money we were making. So in some sense we didn't really understand what we were doing, which is why we were never able to make a second ''Dwarf'', which to me is a real disappointment." Their fourth album, ''
I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus ''I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus'' is the fourth comedy album made by the Firesign Theatre for Columbia Records, released in August 1971 on standard stereo vinyl LP, and Quadraphonic LP and 8-track tape. It was nominated for a Hugo Award ...
'' (1971), also a single play, centers on a young, early-technology computer
hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bug (computing), bugs or exp ...
(Proctor) and an older "bozo" with a large nose that honks like a clown's (Austin), who attend a Disneyesque Future Fair. The blue comedy was dialed back from explicit to suggestive, as a scientist invents a machine that mimics sexual intercourse. This album also received a Hugo nomination in 1972. Meanwhile, from September 9, 1970 to February 17, 1971, they were performing a one-hour weekly live series on KPFK, '' Dear Friends''. These programs were recorded and then edited into slightly shorter shows and syndicated to radio stations across the country on
12" LP The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of  rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; ...
albums. Their fifth album, ''Dear Friends'', was a double-record compilation of what they considered the best segments from the series, released in January 1972. ''Dear Friends'' was followed with the KPFK show ''Let's Eat!'' in 1971 and 1972. Both titles came from lines uttered by televangelist Pastor Rod Flash (Proctor) on his "Hour of Reckoning" program in ''Don't Crush That Dwarf''. In 1970, the group had performed a live stage show, the
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
parody ''The Count of Monte Cristo'', at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. In January 1972 they decided to expand this and retitle it ''Anything You Want To'' for their next album. On March 9, Columbia signed them to a second five-year contract. On March 30, they ended ''Let's Eat!'' with a live broadcast titled ''Martian Space Party'', which was also recorded on 16-track tape and filmed. The Firesigns combined parts of the two shows with some new studio material to produce their sixth album, '' Not Insane or Anything You Want To''. But before releasing the album in October 1972, they had discarded their original story line idea and some newly written scenes.


1973 split

The ''Not Insane'' album performed poorly, and the Firesigns later claimed to be disappointed with it. In the liner notes to the group’s 1993 greatest hits album, '' Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre'', Bergman criticized ''Not Insane'', saying it "was when the Firesign was splitting apart; it was a fractious, fragmented album." Ossman called it "a serious mistake" and said it “was incomprehensible, basically," and "it was not the album it should have been and I think that caused us to slope off rapidly in sales." The four decided to take a break from the group in 1973 to work in separate directions. Proctor and Bergman decided to perform as a duo, and made a separate record deal with Columbia, producing '' TV or Not TV: A Video Vaudeville in Two Acts''. The record predicts the rise of pay cable TV, and it depicts an amateur station run by two men who must constantly block a group of teenage
hijackers Hijacking may refer to: Common usage Computing and technology * Bluejacking, the unsolicited transmission of data via Bluetooth * Brandjacking, the unauthorized use of a company's brand * Browser hijacking * Clickjacking (including ''likej ...
. They turned this into a
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
-type show which they played on tour. While promoting the show, they did a radio interview with disk jockey
Wolfman Jack Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938July 1, 1995), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey active for over three decades. He was famous for his gravelly voice, and credited it with his success, saying, "It's kept meat and potatoes on ...
. Meanwhile, Ossman wrote a solo album, '' How Time Flys'', based on the Mark Time astronaut character he created for a ''Dear Friends'' skit, used on ''I Think We're All Bozos'' and cut from ''Not Insane''. He co-directed the album with Columbia producer Stephen Gillmor, and the other three Firesigns starred on it, along with several guest personalities including Wolfman Jack,
Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, musician, radio host, writer, and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The ...
of
The Credibility Gap The Credibility Gap was an American satirical comedy team active from 1968 through 1979. They emerged in the late 1960s delivering comedic commentary on the news for the Los Angeles AM rock radio station KRLA 1110, and proceeded to develop more ...
, and broadcast journalist
Lew Irwin Lew Irwin has been a Los Angeles–based journalist for more than 50 years. He was the original anchor/reporter at KABC-TV from 1957 to 1962 and the news director of Los Angeles radio stations KPOL, KRLA, KDAY, and KNX-FM. While at KRLA in the lat ...
. Mark returns on New Year's Eve, 1999, from a twenty-year round trip to
Planet X Following the discovery of the planet Neptune in 1846, there was considerable speculation that another planet might exist beyond its orbit. The search began in the mid-19th century and continued at the start of the 20th with Percival Lowell's ...
, only to find the space program has been dismantled, and no one cares about him except for an eccentric
impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...
(Bergman) who kidnaps him for his video recordings of encounters with alien life. Austin wrote the solo album '' Roller Maidens From Outer Space'', based on a hardboiled detective in the same vein as his Nick Danger character introduced on the B side of ''How Can You Be In Two Places...''. ''Roller Maidens'', released in March 1974 on Columbia's Epic label, also featured all four Firesigns and included actors Richard Paul and Michael C. Gwynne. The album satirizes series television,
televangelist Televangelism (from ''televangelist'', a blend of ''television'' and ''evangelist'') and occasionally termed radio evangelism or teleministry, denotes the utilization of media platforms, notably radio and television, for the marketing of relig ...
s, the
1973 oil crisis In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Eg ...
, and the
presidency of Richard Nixon Richard Nixon's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 37th president of the United States began with First inauguration of Richard Nixon, his first inauguration on January 20, 1969, and ended when he resigned on August 9, 19 ...
.


Comedy style

The Firesigns made use of inside humor. They peppered ''Waiting for the Electrician'' and ''How Can You Be in Two Places At Once'' with Beatles references not found in the band's
top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
material. Firesign characters quoted lyrics from songs such as " The Word", "
I'm So Tired "I'm So Tired" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written and sung by John Lennon, though credited to Lennon–McCartney. Lennon wrote the song du ...
", and "
I Am the Walrus "I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour (film), Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to ...
". The name of Danger's criminal nemesis Rocky Rococo was a parody of the Beatles' "
Rocky Raccoon "Rocky Raccoon" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as the ''White Album''). It was primarily written by Paul McCartney, although credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership, ...
", and Danger's girlfriend has multiple names but "everyone knew her as Nancy" just like Rocky Raccoon's girlfriend. Later the Firesigns created their own inside jokes by referring to their own previously released material. A famous example is when a confused caller tries to order a pizza from Nick Danger; the other side of this phone conversation is portrayed in ''Dwarf'', where George Tirebiter is the frustrated, hungry caller trying to get food delivered from "Nick's". "He's no fun, he fell right over" became a famous
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
delivered by Austin in "How Can You Be In Two Places at Once" and repeated on side two in "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger". This line was repeated on the albums ''Not Insane'' and ''How Time Flys''.


Reunion

The group reunited in late August 1973 to produce the
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
parody '' The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra'', based on one of the plays from their 1967 Magic Mushroom broadcasts, ''By the Light of the Silvery''. This was released on vinyl in January 1974. The Firesigns sold this script to science fiction writer
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
for Book Three of Ellison's
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
''
The Last Dangerous Visions ''The Last Dangerous Visions'' (often abbreviated ''TLDV'', sometimes as ''LDV'') is a 2024 original speculative fiction anthology following ''Dangerous Visions'' (1967) and ''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972). Like its predecessors, it was edite ...
'', which Ellison never completed. In October 1974, the Firesigns released their eighth album, ''
Everything You Know Is Wrong ''Everything You Know Is Wrong'' is the eighth comedy album by the Firesign Theatre. Released in October 1974 on Columbia Records, it satirizes UFO conspiracy theories and New Age paranormal beliefs such as Erich von Däniken's '' Chariots ...
'', which satirized the developing
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
movement. Ossman said this record "grew out of our basic interest in those
parapsychological Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, teleportation, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those r ...
things ... from Castaneda to the
hollow Earth The Hollow Earth is a concept proposing that the planet Earth is entirely hollow or contains a substantial interior space. Notably suggested by Edmond Halley in the late 17th century, the notion was disproven, first tentatively by Pierre Bougue ...
theory to the guy who bends spoons. Originally, when we started writing it, it was going to be a much more complicated and 'cinematic' record; we were trying to write a radio movie." The Firesigns produced a film made by
Allen Daviau John Allen Daviau (June 14, 1942 – April 15, 2020) was an American cinematographer known for his collaborations with Steven Spielberg on ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), ''The Color Purple'' (1985), and '' Empire of the Sun'' (1987). ...
(who later filmed ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
'') using the album as the soundtrack. The film was shown in a live appearance at
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
and released on
VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...
video tape in 1993. In 1975, they released the
black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
album '' In the Next World, You're on Your Own'', written by Austin and Ossman. The story centers on Random Coolzip (Proctor), an
alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
dirty cop Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which a law enforcement officer breaks their political contract and abuses their power for personal gain. A corrupt officer may act alone or as part of a group. Corrupt acts include taking ...
whose son (Bergman) is a by-the-book cop, whose daughter (Proctor) is a porn actress, and whose police
dispatcher A dispatcher is a Communication, communications worker who receives and transmits information to coordinate operations of other personnel and vehicles carrying out a service. Emergency organizations including police, police departments, fire de ...
wife (Ossman) lives in a
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
. In a parody of
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
's 1973 Academy Awards protest, the brother and sister stage a
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
attack on an
Oscar awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
ceremony. This album, like ''Not Insane'', also sold poorly, and Columbia declined to offer them a third contract in 1976. This time, the Firesigns didn't protest. Bergman said, "The group had really split apart; we had just burned out. I mean it was five years non-stop work. We would stop one album and start writing the next. Frankly, we didn't have five more albums in us at that point."


Second split

As Austin looked back on this period from September 1993, he wrote that he saw Proctor and Bergman wanting to take the Firesign Theatre in a different direction than he did, moving away from intensely written albums released one per year, to more live performances with lighter material. Proctor and Bergman turned their attention in 1975 to producing a live show recorded on the Columbia album ''
What This Country Needs What This Country Needs is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Aaron Tippin, released on October 6, 1998. It was his first full studio album since switching from RCA Records Nashville, RCA Nashville to Lyric Street Records. ...
'', based in part on material from ''TV or Not TV'' and named for a song added to the show. The Firesign Theatre closed out their Columbia Records contract with a greatest-hits compilation '' Forward Into the Past'' in 1976. This title came from the A side of a
45 RPM single In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standal ...
originally released in November 1969. This track and its B side, "Station Break", were included on the 1976 album. Meanwhile, Austin and Ossman toured the west coast, billing themselves as "Dr. Firesign's Theatre of Mystery". They produced a live stage show ''Radio Laffs of 1940'', which included a second episode of the private eye character Nick Danger, "School For Actors"; and a soap opera "Over the Edge". This was performed at the Los Feliz Theatre in Los Angeles in May 1976 and at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in June. Austin wrote in 1993 that this tour "was meant to be an antidote to confusion but ... had not turned out to be much fun at all". The Firesigns took it easy for the rest of the 1970s, producing a 1977 album '' Just Folks... A Firesign Chat'' based largely on unreleased ''Dear Friends'' and ''Let's Eat'' radio material. Proctor and Bergman appeared as regulars on a 1977 summer replacement TV series hosted by the
Starland Vocal Band Starland Vocal Band was an American pop band, known for " Afternoon Delight", one of the biggest-selling singles of 1976. Career The group began as Fat City, a husband/wife duo of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert. Danoff and Nivert co-wrote ...
. Proctor and Bergman gave up their road performances after witnessing the September 4, 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre, and in 1978 released another studio album '' Give Us a Break'', which lampooned radio and television. The Starland Vocal Band also performed short comic radio breaks on this album.
Norman Lear Norman Milton Lear (July 27, 1922December 5, 2023) was an American screenwriter and producer who produced, wrote, created, or developed over 100 shows. Lear created and produced numerous popular 1970s sitcoms, including ''All in the Family'' (1 ...
and
Bud Yorkin Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Yorkin was born Alan David Yorkin on February 22, 1926, in Washington, Pennsylvania. At ...
's
Tandem Productions Tandem Productions, Inc. (a.k.a. Tandem Enterprises, Inc.) was a film and television production company that was founded in 1958 by television director Bud Yorkin and television writer/producer Norman Lear. History Tandem Productions In the e ...
bought the rights to Nick Danger for a TV series to star George Hamilton; and in 1978,
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
began negotiations to make a movie starring
Chevy Chase Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He became the breakout cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1976), where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment b ...
. Both projects ended in
development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...
, and rights to the character reverted to the Firesigns. In December 1978, they began writing five short (2:24) episodes of '' Nick Danger: The Case of the Missing Shoe'' for a possible syndicated daily radio series. When the syndication went unsold, Austin approached
Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
and secured a deal to release the five episodes in 1979 on a 12-minute
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
(EP) record. Meanwhile, Proctor and Bergman produced a film, ''
J-Men Forever ''J-Men Forever'', originally titled "The Secret World War", is a 1979 comedy film by Philip Proctor and Peter Bergman of the Firesign Theatre. The film is a pastiche using film clips from Republic Pictures, Republic Movie serial, serials, re-dubb ...
'', using clips from old
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...
movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...
s with dubbed dialogue, combined with new footage of them as FBI agents tracking down a villain known as "the Lightning Bug" voiced by disk jockey
M. G. Kelly Gary D. Sinclair (born 1952), known professionally as Michael Gary "M.G." Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly, is an American actor, disc jockey, and radio personality. In addition to hosting several radio programs over the years, Kelly has held severa ...
. This became popular on the 1980s late-night TV series '' Night Flight''. Austin called Bergman in late 1979 to make peace and reunite the Firesigns. This resulted in a series of shows performed at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles: "The Owl and the Octopus Show"; "The Joey Demographico Show"; "Nick Danger: Men in Hats"; and "Welcome to Billville". These included songs with music written by Austin, and were recorded; the live recordings were used to produce their last album of the decade, the 1980 ''
Fighting Clowns ''Fighting Clowns'' is a 1980 album by the Firesign Theatre. It is unique among Firesign Theatre albums because it is primarily made up of songs rather than the group's usual audio theater or sketch comedy pieces. Many of the songs on this albu ...
''. They also produced a show, "Presidents in Hell" ( FDR, Truman,
Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
, and
Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...
), which was not recorded.


Reagan era

The popularity of the group cooled off after 1980 as the social and political climate of the United States changed with the election of President Ronald Reagan. In 1982, they produced the album '' Lawyer's Hospital'' from a collection of live appearances,
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
(NPR) performances, and the Jack Poet Volkswagen commercials from ''Radio Free Oz''. They also expanded their 1972 Shakespeare parody into a road show, ''Shakespeare's Lost Comedie'' and released it on a 1982 vinyl LP, which required editing down; it was re-released uncut on CD in 2001, retitled '' Anythynge You Want To''. Ossman left the group in early 1982 to take a producer's job for NPR in Washington DC. The remaining three Firesigns produced a new album in 1984, ''
The Three Faces of Al ''The Three Faces of Al'' is a 1984 comedy album by the group Firesign Theatre. It features the group members reprising their most popular characters from earlier collaborations, notably hard-boiled detective Nick Danger and his nemesis, Lieuten ...
'', with the further adventures of Nick Danger. This received a nomination for the
Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album The Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album is presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement in comedy." The award was awarded yearly from 1959 to 1993 and t ...
, and was followed in 1985 with the album '' Eat or Be Eaten'', about a character trapped in an interactive video game. In 1988, Austin was signed by John Dryden to produce over 50 short Nick Danger pieces for his radio satire show
The Daily Feed
'. These were published on
cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...
as ''The Daily Feed Tapes'', and later formed the basis for a 1995 book authored by Austin, ''Tales of the Old Detective and Other Big Fat Lies''. In the summer of 1990, NPR producer Ted Bonnitt called Proctor and asked him if he wanted to contribute some comedy material to Bonnitt's nightly program '' HEAT with John Hockenberry''. Proctor called Bergman, and the duo agreed to write and perform a serial consisting of 13 five-minute episodes, '' Power: Life on the Edge in L.A.''


1990s revival

Following the
1992 United States presidential election The 1992 United States presidential election was the United States presidential election, presidential election, held in the United States, on November 3, 1992. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of governor of Arkansas B ...
, and with Ossman back in the group, the Firesign Theatre reunited in 1993 for a 25th anniversary reunion tour around the US, '' Back From the Shadows'', starting on April 24 in Seattle with an audience of 2,900. The title was taken from a parody of the
Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...
song "
Back in the Saddle Again "Back in the Saddle Again" was the signature song of American cowboy entertainer Gene Autry. It was co-written by Autry with Ray Whitley and first released in 1939. The song was associated with Autry throughout his career and was used as the n ...
", which they wrote for ''I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus''. The tour, consisting of live performances of material adapted from their first four Golden Age albums (''Electrician'', ''Two Places At Once'', ''Dwarf'', and ''Bozos''), was recorded on CD and a DVD video released in 1994. They also released a 1993 greatest hits album, '' Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre'' containing original material from the first nine albums, ''TV or Not TV'', and ''Roller Maidens From Outer Space''. In 1996, Bergman revived ''Radio Free Oz'' as an
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
-based radio station, www.rfo.net, calling it "the Internet's funny bone." The Firesigns followed this with the 1998 album ''
Pink Hotel Burns Down Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, sensitiv ...
'', a collection of material from two 1967 Magic Mushroom broadcasts, ''Exorcism In Your Daily Life'' and their early Sherlock Holmes parody "By the Light of the Silvery"; two cuts, "The Pink Hotel" and "The Sand Bar" from their video game record that eventually became ''Eat or Be Eaten''; the soap opera "Over the Edge" from Austin and Ossman's 1976 ''Dr. Firesign's Theatre of Mystery'' tour, and several clips from their radio work, including the earliest recorded appearance on ''Radio Free Oz''. The Firesigns satirized the turn-of-the-millennium Y2K scare with the 1998 album '' Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death'', in which they revived some of their classic characters such as used car salesman Ralph Spoilsport (Proctor) from ''How Can You Be In Two Places At Once'', news reporters Harold Hiphugger (Ossman) and Ray Hamberger (Proctor) from ''Everything You Know Is Wrong'', and game-show contestant Caroline Presskey (Proctor) from ''Don't Crush That Dwarf''. This earned them their second Grammy nomination, and they developed it into a "millennium trilogy" with the 1999 '' Boom Dot Bust'' and 2001 '' Bride of Firesign'', which received a third Grammy nomination. ''Boom Dot Bust'' used material from their 1979 Roxy show "Welcome to Billville".


21st century

They created a live show, '' Radio Now Live'' in 2001 using characters from ''Give Me Immortality'' and released it on a live album, which also includes updated cuts from ''Anythynge You Want To''. In December 2001, the Firesigns appeared in a 90-minute
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television show '' Weirdly Cool''. This contained live, updated performance material based on ''Waiting for the Electrician'', ''How Can You Be in Two Places...'', and ''Don't Crush That Dwarf''; and included interviews and two Jack Poet Volkswagen commercials. From November 2002 through early 2003, Bergman produced a political satire series ''True Confessions of the Real World'', three times weekly on Pasadena non-commercial KPCC FM. He scripted fake interviews with imaginary "newsmakers". The Firesigns appeared on the
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
show ''
All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
'' on US holidays from July 4 to December 31, 2002; these were compiled on a CD, '' All Things Firesign''. They also appeared for
President's Day Presidents' Day, officially Washington's Birthday at the federal governmental level, is a holiday in the United States celebrated on the third Monday of February. It is often celebrated to honor all those who served as presidents of the United ...
on February 17, 2003, and
Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...
on March 17, 2003. In 2008, they released a four-CD boxed set '' The Firesign Theatre's Box of Danger'', compiling most material which featured their most famous character, Nick Danger, including a
bootleg recording A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and traded ...
of a 1976 live performance. Their penultimate album was the 2010 '' Duke of Madness Motors: The Complete "Dear Friends" Radio Era'', a combination book and data DVD comprising a complete compilation, totaling over 80 hours, of their 1970s radio shows ''Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour'', ''Dear Friends'', and ''Let's Eat'' (the last two in both original broadcast, and syndication-edited form). Their last live performance as a quartet was on December 10, 2011 in Portland, Oregon. They could claim to be the longest surviving group from the "
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
" era to still be intact with the original members (45 years). Bergman died in a Santa Monica hospital on March 9, 2012, from complications of leukemia. According to Austin, the remaining three Firesigns' April 21, 2012 memorial for Bergman was their last live performance. Austin died in
Fox Island, Washington Fox Island is an island and census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States, in Puget Sound. It is located approximately 5 miles (8 km) from Gig Harbor. The island was named Fox by Charles Wilkes during the United ...
, on June 18, 2015, from complications of cancer. A compilation album distilled from the ''Duke of Madness Motors'' set, '' Dope Humor of the Seventies'', was released by
Stand Up! Records Stand Up! Records is an American independent comedy record label founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. It has been called "the country's most respected indie comedy label." Stand Up! has released more than 2 ...
in November 2020. The title is another Firesign inside joke: it was first used in 1972 for a fictional album hawked by Austin as "Dexter Fogg" in ''Martian Space Party'' (heard on ''Not Insane''). Ossman called ''Dope Humor'' a sort of "dark side" to the ''Dear Friends'' album, since both were compiled from the same source, but the sketches on ''Dope Humor'' had not been constrained by the desire to keep the material radio-friendly, as had been the case for ''Dear Friends''. Proctor called the release a tribute to Austin and Bergman.


Firesign members

Peter Bergman Peter Michael Bergman (born June 11, 1953) is an American television actor best known for his portrayals on soap operas: as Cliff Warner on ''All My Children'' (1979–89) on ABC and as Jack Abbott on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1989–pre ...
(born under the
fire sign In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up ecliptic, Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the Equinox (c ...
Sagittarius Sagittarius ( ) may refer to: *Sagittarius (constellation) *Sagittarius (astrology), a sign of the Zodiac * Sagittarius of Gap, a 6th century bishop *Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy Ships *'' S ...
in Cleveland, Ohio on November 29, 1939; died March 9, 2012) started his radio career on his high school radio system during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. He was kicked off the air by the principal when, as a prank, he announced a Communist takeover of the school. He studied economics at Yale (class of 1961) and was managing editor of the university's comedy magazine. In his second graduate year he became a fellow in playwriting. As a member of the
Yale Dramatic Association The Yale Dramatic Association, also known as the "Yale Dramat," is the second oldest college theater company in the United States. Founded in 1901 by undergraduates at Yale University, the Dramat has been producing student theatre in the Unite ...
, he co-wrote two musical comedies with
Austin Pendleton Austin Campbell Pendleton (born March 27, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and instructor. Pendleton is known as a prolific character actor on the stage and screen, whose six-decade career has included roles in films i ...
. Later, he considered attending medical school and helped produce a machine for viewing angiocardiograms and measuring blockage of the arteries of the heart. He had a deep voice and frequently took African-American roles in Firesign Theatre and Proctor and Bergman works.
Philip Proctor Philip George Proctor (born July 28, 1940) is an American actor and a member of the Firesign Theatre. He has performed voice-over work for video games, films and television series. Early life Proctor was born in Goshen, Indiana, on July 2 ...
(born under the fire sign
Leo Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...
in
Goshen, Indiana Goshen ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. It is the smaller of the two principal cities of the Elkhart–Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend–Elkhart–Mish ...
on July 28, 1940) was a boy soprano in a children's choir and studied acting at Yale. There, he met his future partner Bergman in the Yale Dramatic Association, where he starred in the two musical comedies written by Bergman and Pendleton. He became a professional actor, with a role on the soap opera ''
The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...
'', before contacting Bergman and joining him on ''Radio Free Oz'' in 1966. Proctor's adult tenor voice enables him to do a convincing female voice without using
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
; therefore he usually did most of the female roles in the Firesign Theatre and Proctor and Bergman works, though the other three Firesigns occasionally did female voices. He also has done celebrity voice impersonations on Firesign material, including W.C. Fields (''Waiting For the Electrician'' and ''How Can You Be In Two Places...''),
Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...
(''Waiting For the Electrician''), and a
Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...
-like voice for the Nick Danger character Rocky Rococo (''Box of Danger''). Proctor has also acted and appeared as a voice actor on many television shows and several feature films.
Phil Austin Philip Baine Austin (April 6, 1941 – June 18, 2015) was an American comedian and writer, best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre. Early life and education Austin was born in Denver, Colorado, and later grew up in Fresno, California, at ...
(born under the fire sign
Aries Aries may refer to: *Aries (astrology), an astrological sign *Aries (constellation), a constellation in the zodiac Arts, entertainment and media * ''Aries'' (album), by Luis Miguel, 1993 * ''Aries'' (EP), by Alice Chater, 2020 * "Aries" (song), ...
in Denver, Colorado on April 6, 1941; died June 18, 2015), was the youngest Firesign. He attended college but never graduated. He was an accomplished
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
ist, and he was responsible for adding much of the music to Firesign works. He also appeared as an actor and voice actor on television. He used his natural, sonorous baritone voice for Nick Danger, but affected a phony Japanese accent for his "Young Guy, Motor Detective"
self-parody A self-parody is a parody of oneself or one's own work. As an artist accomplishes it by imitating their own characteristics, a self-parody is potentially difficult to distinguish from especially characteristic productions. Self-parody may be us ...
of Danger in ''Not Insane'' and a stereotypical, tough-guy voice and accent for the similar hardboiled detective Dick Private in ''Roller Maidens From Outer Space''. He also could do an old-man voice as Doc Technical in the ''Dear Friends'' radio "Mark Time" episode, and he applied his impersonation of
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
as presidents in several Firesign and solo works (''Bozos'', ''How Time Flys'', ''Roller Maidens'', and ''Everything You Know Is Wrong''). He also did an
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
impersonation singing the news in the ''Roller Maidens'' track "The Bad News".
David Ossman David Ossman (born December 6, 1936, in Santa Monica) is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre and screenwriter of such films as '' Zachariah''. Early life Ossman attended Pomona College, where he star ...
(born under the fire sign Sagittarius in Santa Monica, California on December 6, 1936), the oldest Firesign, is known as the intellectual of the group, and he is known for doing an old-man voice (most famously as Catherwood the butler in the original Nick Danger story, George Tirebiter on ''Don't Crush That Dwarf'' and ''In the Next World You're On Your Own'', and as the elder ant Cornelius in
Disney Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
's 1998 ''
A Bug's Life ''A Bug's Life'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 1998 American animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter from a screenplay written by Andrew Stanton, Donald McEnery, and Bob Shaw, and a story conceived by Lasseter, Stanton, and Joe Ran ...
''.) He used his natural voice as astronaut Mark Time and newsman Harold Hiphugger. Outside of the Firesign Theatre, he has performed several voices on ''The Tick'' animated TV series and worked extensively as a producer and on-air narrator on
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
and several affiliated stations.


Associate Firesigns

Several people have been accorded unofficial "associate Firesign" status over the years, by virtue of performing on several records with the group. Austin's first wife Annalee performed in support of the group on several golden age albums. She is credited as a member of "the St. Louis Aquarium Choraleers" (singing the hymn "Marching to Shibboleth") and as "the Wake-Up Lady" and for birdsong on ''Don't Crush That Dwarf''; as "Mickey" and with keyboard stylings on ''I Think We're All Bozos''; with film footage on the ''Dear Friends'' album; and organ, piano, and vocals on ''Not Insane''. Ossman's first wife Tiny (Tinika) performed as a St. Louis Aquarium Choraleer and as part of the "Ambient's Noyes Choral" (singing the Peorgie and Mudhead theme song) on ''Don't Crush That Dwarf''; as "Ann" on ''I Think We're All Bozos''; as Nurse Angela and news reporter Chiquita Bandana on ''How Time Flys''; and vocals and percussion on ''Not Insane''. She and Ossman co-hosted a Sunday night radio program of pre–World War II music on
KTYD KTYD (99.9 FM, pronounced "K-Tide") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Santa Barbara, California, and serves Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The station is owned by Rincon Broadcasting and airs a classic rock format. KTYD ...
. Austin married his second wife Oona in 1971. She is credited as an anonymous extra in ''I Think We're All Bozos''; was photographed as one of the '' Roller Maidens From Outer Space'' and sang backup vocals for the Austin solo album; and appeared as a Reebus Caneebus groupie in the film version of ''Everything You Know Is Wrong''. She is the model for the blonde
femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
on the cover art of the '' Box of Danger'' CD set, and is credited with performing support functions such as photography and catering on several of the later albums. Proctor's third wife, actress Melinda Peterson, appeared with Proctor and Bergman on their 1990 NPR serial '' Power: Life on the Edge in L.A.''. She also performed on the ''Give Me Immortality ...'', ''Boom Dot Bust'', and ''Bride of Firesign'' albums and supported the group in the ''Radio Now Live'' show.


Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:300 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1966 till:31/12/2020 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Bergman value:blue id:Proctor value:blue id:Austin value:blue id:Ossman value:blue id:Associate value:pink id:Records value:black legend:Records id:Radio value:gray(0.75) legend:Radio id:Films value:gray(0.25) legend:Films id:Live value:gray(0.5) legend:Live Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1968 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1968 BarData = bar:Bergman text:"Peter Bergman" bar:Proctor text:"Phillip Proctor" bar:Austin text:"Phil Austin" bar:Ossman text:"David Ossman" bar:Annalee text:"Annalee Austin" bar:Tiny text:"Tiny Ossman" bar:Melinda text:"Melinda Peterson" PlotData= width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Bergman from:17/11/1966 till:15/07/1985 color:Bergman bar:Bergman from:01/06/1990 till:21/09/1990 color:Bergman bar:Bergman from:01/04/1993 till:09/03/2012 color:Bergman bar:Bergman at:09/03/2012 text:Death bar:Proctor from:17/11/1966 till:15/07/1985 color:Proctor bar:Proctor from:01/06/1990 till:21/09/1990 color:Proctor bar:Proctor from:01/04/1993 till:31/12/2020 color:Proctor bar:Austin from:17/11/1966 till:15/07/1985 color:Austin bar:Austin from:01/04/1993 till:18/06/2015 color:Austin bar:Austin at:18/06/2015 text:Death bar:Ossman from:17/11/1966 till:30/07/1982 color:Ossman bar:Ossman from:01/04/1993 till:31/12/2020 color:Ossman bar:Annalee from:01/01/1970 till:15/10/1972 color:Associate bar:Tiny from:01/01/1970 till:15/10/1972 color:Associate bar:Melinda from:01/06/1990 till:21/09/1990 color:Associate bar:Melinda from:17/11/1997 till:01/06/2001 color:Associate LineData = width:1 at:17/11/1966 color:Radio layer:back # RFO Oz film festival at:01/02/1970 color:Radio layer:back # FST Radio Hour Hour at:08/02/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:15/02/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:22/02/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:08/03/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:15/03/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:22/03/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:29/03/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:05/04/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:12/04/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:19/04/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:26/04/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:03/05/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:17/05/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:24/05/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:31/05/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:07/06/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:14/06/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:21/06/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:28/06/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:05/07/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:12/07/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:09/09/1970 color:Radio layer:back # Dear Friends at:16/09/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:23/09/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:04/10/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:11/10/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:18/10/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:25/10/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:01/11/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:15/11/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:22/11/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:29/11/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:06/12/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:13/12/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:20/12/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:27/12/1970 color:Radio layer:back at:03/01/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:10/01/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:17/01/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:24/01/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:03/02/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:17/02/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:11/11/1971 color:Radio layer:back # Let's Eat! at:18/11/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:09/12/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:16/12/1971 color:Radio layer:back at:06/01/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:13/01/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:20/01/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:27/01/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:03/02/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:10/02/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:17/02/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:24/02/1972 color:Radio layer:back at:30/03/1972 color:Radio layer:back # Martian Space Party at:15/08/1990 color:Radio layer:back width:5 # Proctor & Bergman: POWER (NPR) at:04/01/1997 color:Radio layer:back width:1 # All Things Considered (NPR) at:15/01/1968 color:Records layer:back #Waiting for the Electrician at:15/07/1969 color:Records layer:back #How Can You be ... at:15/07/1970 color:Records layer:back #Don't Crush That Dwarf at:15/08/1971 color:Records layer:back #I Think We're All Bozos at:15/01/1972 color:Records layer:back #Dear Friends at:15/10/1972 color:Records layer:back #Not Insane at:15/01/1974 color:Records layer:back #Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra at:15/10/1974 color:Records layer:back #Everything You Know is Wrong at:15/10/1975 color:Records layer:back #In the Next World You're On Your Own at:15/05/1976 color:Records layer:back #Forward Into the Past at:15/01/1977 color:Records layer:back #Just Folks at:15/07/1979 color:Records layer:back #Nick Danger:Case of the Missing Shoe at:15/07/1980 color:Records layer:back #Fighting Clowns at:15/07/1982 color:Records layer:back #Lawyer's Hospital at:15/07/2001 color:Records layer:back #Anythynge You Want To at:15/07/1984 color:Records layer:back #The Three Faces of Al at:15/07/1985 color:Records layer:back #Eat or Be Eaten at:15/07/1993 color:Records layer:back #Shoes For Industry at:15/07/1994 color:Records layer:back #Back From the Shadows at:15/07/1996 color:Records layer:back #Pink Hotel Burns Down at:15/07/1998 color:Records layer:back #Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death at:15/07/1999 color:Records layer:back #Boom Dot Bust at:15/03/2001 color:Records layer:back #Bride of Firesign at:15/09/2001 color:Records layer:back #Radio Now Live at:15/07/2002 color:Records layer:back #Papoon for President at:15/07/2003 color:Records layer:back #All Things Firesign at:15/07/2008 color:Records layer:back #Box of Danger at:15/07/2010 color:Records layer:back #Duke of Madness Motors at:27/11/2020 color:Records layer:back #Dope Humor of the Seventies


Cultural influence

In 1997, ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' ranked the Firesign Theatre among the "Thirty Greatest Comedy Acts of All Time". In 2005, the US
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
added ''
Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers ''Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers'' is the Firesign Theatre's third comedy album, released by Columbia Records in July 1970. In 1983, ''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'' called it "the greatest comedy album ever made". It was nom ...
'' to the
National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...
, and called the group "
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
of comedy." Comedians
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...
,
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...
, and
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
enjoyed the Firesigns' comedy and lent their comments to the 2001
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
television special ''Weirdly Cool''. Williams referred to Firesign albums as "the audio equivalent of a
Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ;  – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...
painting." Beatle
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
was photographed wearing the Firesign's "Not Insane – Papoon for President" campaign button they had made for ''Martian Space Party'' (''Not Insane'' album). Musical satirist
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
paid homage to the Firesigns by giving the title "Everything You Know Is Wrong" to an original song on his 1996 album ''
Bad Hair Day ''Bad Hair Day'' is the ninth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on March 12, 1996. It was Yankovic's last studio album for the Scotti Brothers label before it was purchased by Volcano Entertainment in 19 ...
''.
Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor best known for co-founding the technology company Apple Inc. Jobs was also the founder of NeXT and chairman and majority shareholder o ...
paid homage to the Firesigns' ''I Think We're All Bozos'' album by programming an "
Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
" in
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
's
Siri Siri ( , backronym: Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) is a digital assistant purchased, developed, and popularized by Apple Inc., which is included in the iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, Apple TV, audioOS, and visionOS operating sys ...
intelligent personal assistant A virtual assistant (VA) is a software agent that can perform a range of tasks or services for a user based on user input such as commands or questions, including verbal ones. Such technologies often incorporate chatbot capabilities to strea ...
. Siri responds to the prompt "This is worker speaking. Hello" with "Hello Ah-Clem. What function can I perform for you? LOL". On several occurrences of the
Association for Consciousness Exploration Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
(ACE)'s
Starwood Festival The Starwood Festival is a seven-day New Age Modern paganism, neopagan and world music festival. It takes place every July in the United States. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects. There are ...
, director Jeff Rosenbaum has organized performances of
Firesign Theatre The Firesign Theatre (also known as the Firesigns) was an American surreal humour, surreal comedy troupe who first appeared on November 17, 1966, in a live performance on the Los Angeles radio program ''Radio Free Oz'' on station KPFK FM broad ...
radio plays performed by organizers and guest speakers of the event under the name "Firesign Clones".


Copyright infringement

In
Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...
in 1974, a pair of University of Illinois students opened the first of a regional chain of pizza restaurants they named "Rocky Rococo" after the Nick Danger character, without any mention of connection to the Firesign Theatre. They hired an artist to design, as their logo, a moustachioed Italian with a white hat and sunglasses, suggested by the White Spy from
Mad Magazine ''Mad'' (stylized in all caps) is an American humor magazine which was launched in 1952 and currently published by DC Comics, a unit of the DC Entertainment subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. ''Mad'' was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman an ...
, and hired comic actor Jim Pederson to portray this "Rocky Rococo" wearing a white suit. The Firesigns visited the first Rocky Rococo Pizza when on tour in Madison in 1975 and reacted with good humor, joking around with the owners and giving them pictures that said, "To Rocky, from Rocky" which were hung on the wall. But in 1985, by which time the chain had grown to 62 restaurants and the Firesigns had passed their "golden age", they sent the owners a letter claiming ownership of the name. The pizza chain's lawyers found a similar case where an Austin, Texas pizzeria named Conan's ran afoul of the copyright owners, producers of the 1982 film ''
Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...
''. Since the creator of the ''Conan the Barbarian'' comic had similarly endorsed the restaurant by drawing Conan on its walls, the suit lost in the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...
, so the Firesigns settled out of court.


Mark Time awards

Ossman and his second wife Judith Walcutt formed Otherworld Media Productions in 1985 to produce
audio theatre Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
. They created an annual "Mark Time award" for best radio science fiction, named after Ossman's astronaut character. In 2015, they added three new awards named after Firesign Theatre characters: *Nick Danger prize for best mystery/detective fiction *The Bradshaw prize (after Bergman's cop character) for "service to the field" *The Betty Jo (But Everyone Knew Her as Nancy) prize, judged by Phil Proctor and his wife, for best "multi-gender" vocal performance


Media


Radio

*''Radio Free Oz'' (1966–1969) *''The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour'' (1970) *'' Dear Friends'' (1970–1971) Syndicated *''Let's Eat'' (1971–1972) Syndicated *'' A Firesign Chat with Papoon'' (1972 Columbia) *''The Proctor-Bergman Report'' (1977–1978) *''The Cassette Chronicles'' (1980
Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded ...
) A six-cassette collection of the Firesign Theatre's presidential and campaign commentaries which aired on NPR during the 1980 election season. *
Daily Feed 1988 Newsreel

The Daily Feed
' (1988, DC Audio) A solo cassette by Austin *''A Capital Decade Daily Feed 1989 Newsreel — The Daily Feed'' (1989 DC Audio) A solo cassette by Austin *'' Power: Life on the Edge in L.A.'' (summer 1990) Proctor and Bergman on NPR's ''Heat with John Hockenberry'' *''True Confessions of the Real World'' (November 2001 – 2002) Peter Bergman's commentary and interviews with imaginary "news makers" on KPCC *''All Things Considered'' (July 2002–March 2003) Ten appearances on NPR


Podcast


''Radio Free Oz'' Podcast
(2010–2012)


Albums

*''
Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him ''Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him'' is the first comedy album recorded by the Firesign Theatre. It was originally released in January 1968 by Columbia Records. Synopsis The first side of the original LP presented a trilogy of thr ...
'' (1968,
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
) *'' How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All'' (1969, Columbia) *''
Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers ''Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers'' is the Firesign Theatre's third comedy album, released by Columbia Records in July 1970. In 1983, ''The New Rolling Stone Record Guide'' called it "the greatest comedy album ever made". It was nom ...
'' (1970, Columbia) *''
I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus ''I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus'' is the fourth comedy album made by the Firesign Theatre for Columbia Records, released in August 1971 on standard stereo vinyl LP, and Quadraphonic LP and 8-track tape. It was nominated for a Hugo Award ...
'' (1971, Columbia) *'' Dear Friends'' (1972, Columbia) *'' Not Insane or Anything You Want To'' (1972, Columbia) *'' The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra'' (1974, Columbia) *''
Everything You Know Is Wrong ''Everything You Know Is Wrong'' is the eighth comedy album by the Firesign Theatre. Released in October 1974 on Columbia Records, it satirizes UFO conspiracy theories and New Age paranormal beliefs such as Erich von Däniken's '' Chariots ...
'' (1974, Columbia) *'' In the Next World, You're on Your Own'' (1975, Columbia) *'' Forward Into the Past'' (1976, Columbia) Compilation, includes 1969 singles *'' Just Folks . . . A Firesign Chat'' (1977, Butterfly Records) *'' Nick Danger: The Case of the Missing Shoe'' (1979,
Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...
EP) *''
Fighting Clowns ''Fighting Clowns'' is a 1980 album by the Firesign Theatre. It is unique among Firesign Theatre albums because it is primarily made up of songs rather than the group's usual audio theater or sketch comedy pieces. Many of the songs on this albu ...
'' (1980, Rhino) *'' Lawyer's Hospital'' (1982, Rhino) *''Shakespeare's Lost Comedie'' (1982, Rhino) (re-released 2001 in expanded edition as '' Anythynge You Want To'') *''
The Three Faces of Al ''The Three Faces of Al'' is a 1984 comedy album by the group Firesign Theatre. It features the group members reprising their most popular characters from earlier collaborations, notably hard-boiled detective Nick Danger and his nemesis, Lieuten ...
'' (1984, Rhino, without David Ossman) *'' Eat or Be Eaten'' (1985,
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
, without David Ossman) *'' Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre'' (1993,
Sony Records Sony Records was a record label founded by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner in 1963. It was not affiliated with Sony Group Corporation. Ike Turner produced singles by members of the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes on Sony Records. Records on the la ...
) *'' Back From the Shadows: The Firesign Theatre's 25th Anniversary Reunion Tour'' (1994,
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL or MoFi) is a record label that specialized in the production of audiophile issues. The company produces reissued vinyl LP records, compact discs, and Super Audio CDs and other formats. History Recording engine ...
) *''
Pink Hotel Burns Down Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, sensitiv ...
'' (1998, LodeStone Media) *'' Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death'' (1998, Rhino) ''We're Doomed'' trilogy *'' Boom Dot Bust'' (1999, Rhino) ''We're Doomed'' trilogy *'' Bride of Firesign'' (2001, Rhino) ''We're Doomed'' trilogy *'' Radio Now Live'' (2001, Whirlwind Media) *'' Papoon for President'' (2002, Laugh.Com) *'' All Things Firesign'' (2003,
Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York–based independent record label, founded in June 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as president, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. As of 2006, Artemis Records was owned b ...
) *'' The Firesign Theatre's Box of Danger'' (2008,
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
) *'' Duke of Madness Motors: The Complete "Dear Friends" Radio Era'' (book and data DVD of radio program recordings, over 80 hours) (2010,
Seeland Records Seeland Records is an independent record label created by Negativland in 1979 to release their own recordings. It is a reference to the song "Seeland" by the band Neu!, who also gave Negativland the basis for their name, Sea-Land Corporation, a ...
) *'' Dope Humor of the Seventies'' (
Stand Up! Records Stand Up! Records is an American independent comedy record label founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by Grammy-winning producer Dan Schlissel. It has been called "the country's most respected indie comedy label." Stand Up! has released more than 2 ...
, 2020)


Solo albums

*'' TV or Not TV'' (1973, Columbia) Proctor and Bergman *'' How Time Flys'' (1973, Columbia) Written and co-directed by Ossman, including all Firesign members plus a cast of guest stars *'' Roller Maidens From Outer Space'' (1974,
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
) Written and directed by Austin, including all Firesign members plus a cast of extras *''
What This Country Needs What This Country Needs is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Aaron Tippin, released on October 6, 1998. It was his first full studio album since switching from RCA Records Nashville, RCA Nashville to Lyric Street Records. ...
'' (1975, Columbia) Proctor and Bergman live, based on material from ''TV or Not TV'' *'' Give Us a Break'' (1978,
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
) Proctor and Bergman *''Nick Danger: The Daily Feed Tapes'' (1988-1990, Austin) *''Down Under Danger'' (1994, Sparks Media) a solo cassette by Austin *''David Ossman's Time Capsules'' (1996, Otherworld Media) a solo cassette by Ossman *''George Tirebiter's Radio Follies'' (1997, Twin Cities Radio Theatre Workshop) a solo cassette by Ossman


Films

* '' Zachariah'' (co-written by Firesign Theatre) (92 min., 1971) Comedy
western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
, inspired by the
Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss poet and novelist, and the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His interest in Eastern philosophy, Eastern religious, spiritual, and philosophic ...
novel '' Siddhartha'' * ''Martian Space Party'' (Firesign Theatre with Campoon workers) (27 min., 1972) * ''Love is Hard to Get'' (Peter Bergman) (26 min., 1973) * ''Let's Visit the World of the Future'' (44 min., 1973) based on characters from ''
I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus ''I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus'' is the fourth comedy album made by the Firesign Theatre for Columbia Records, released in August 1971 on standard stereo vinyl LP, and Quadraphonic LP and 8-track tape. It was nominated for a Hugo Award ...
'', directed by
Ivan Stang Ivan Stang (born Douglass St. Clair Smith; August 21, 1953) is an American writer, filmmaker and broadcaster, best known as the author and publisher of the first screed of the Church of the SubGenius. He is credited with founding the Church wit ...
* ''Six Dreams'' (Peter Bergman - executive producer, Phil Proctor) (13 min., 1976) * ''
Tunnel Vision Tunnel vision is the loss of peripheral vision with retention of central vision, resulting in a constricted circular tunnel-like field of vision. Causes Tunnel vision can be caused by: Eyeglass users Eyeglass users experience tunnel vision ...
'' (featuring Phil Proctor) (70 min., 1976) * ''Everything You Know is Wrong'' (40 min., 1978) lip-synch to the album * ''TV or Not TV'' (33 min., 1978) based on the Proctor and Bergman album * ''
Americathon ''Americathon'' (also known as ''Americathon 1998'') is a 1979 American science fiction comedy film directed by Neal Israel and starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin ...
'' (86 min., 1979) based on a sketch created by Proctor and Bergman * ''
J-Men Forever ''J-Men Forever'', originally titled "The Secret World War", is a 1979 comedy film by Philip Proctor and Peter Bergman of the Firesign Theatre. The film is a pastiche using film clips from Republic Pictures, Republic Movie serial, serials, re-dubb ...
'' (75 min., 1979) Proctor and Bergman; compilation of Republic Science Fiction serial clips with new dialogue overdubbed * ''The Madhouse of Dr. Fear'' (60 min., 1979) * '' Nick Danger in The Case of the Missing Yolk'' (60 min., 1983) Originally an Interactive Video, Pacific Arts PAVR-527; broadcast on the
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
series '' Night Flight'' * ''Eat or be Eaten'' (30 min., 1985) Austin, Bergman, and Proctor, RCA Columbia 60566 * ''Hot Shorts'' (73 min., 1985) Austin, Bergman, and Proctor, RCA Columbia 60435 * ''Back From the Shadows: The Firesign Theatre's 25th Anniversary Reunion Show'' (1994) * ''Firesign Theatre Weirdly Cool DVD Movie'' (2001) * ''Just Folks: Live at the Roxy'' (2018)
S'More Entertainment
live performances (1974-1981)


Books

Straight Arrow Press Straight Arrow Press (Straight Arrow Publishing Co., Inc.) was a publishing company that published the periodical ''Rolling Stone''. They operated a book publishing division in the 1970s in San Francisco, which published authors such as Oscar ...
, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''s book publishing arm, published two books authored by the Firesign Theatre: '' The Firesign Theatre's Big Book of Plays'', and ''The Firesign Theatre's Big Mystery Joke Book''. These feature background information, satirical introductions and
parodic A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
histories, as well as transcripts from their first seven albums. *''Exorcism In Your Daily Life: The Psychedelic Firesign Theatre at the Magic Mushroom''. 1967 *''Profiles in Barbecue Sauce: The Psychedelic Firesign Theatre On Stage''. 1970 *'' The Firesign Theatre's Big Book Of Plays''.
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
: Straight Arrow, 1972. *''The Firesign Theatre's Big Mystery Joke Book''.
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
: Straight Arrow, 1974. *''The Apocalypse Papers, a Fiction by The Firesign Theatre''.
Topeka Topeka ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeaste ...
: Apocalypse Press, 1976. Limited edition, 500 copies *''George Tirebiter's Radiodaze'' (1989 Sparks Media) a solo cassette by Ossman *''The George Tirebiter Story Chapter 1: Another Christmas Carol'' (1989, Sparks Media) by Ossman *''The George Tirebiter Story Pt.2 Mexican Overdrive / Radiodaze'' (1989 Company One) by Ossman *''The George Tirebiter Story Pt.3 The Ronald Reagan Murder Case'' (1990 Midwest Radio Theatre Workshop) by Ossman *''Tales Of The Old Detective And Other Big Fat Lies'' (1995) by Austin *''The Ronald Reagan Murder Case: A George Tirebiter Mystery'' by Ossman. (Albany: BearManor Media) (2006) *''Dr. Firesign's Follies: Radio, Comedy, Mystery, History'' by Ossman. (Albany: BearManor Media) (2008)


Games

*In 1983
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
released two
Intellivision The Intellivision (a portmanteau of intelligent television) is a home video game console released by Mattel Electronics in 1979. It distinguished itself from competitors with more realistic sports and strategic games. By 1981, Mattel Electronic ...
video games with
Intellivoice The Intellivoice Voice Synthesis Module, commonly abbreviated as Intellivoice, is an adapter for the Intellivision, Mattel's home video game console, that utilizes a voice synthesizer to generate audible speech. The Intellivoice is a large, brow ...
: ''Bomb Squad'', with Proctor as the voice of Frank and Bergman as the voice of Boris; and ''B-17 Bomber'', with Proctor as the voice of the Pilot and Austin as the Bombardier.; Intellivisionlives.com *In 1996, a computer game written by Bergman, ''
Pyst ''Pyst'' (stylised as ''PYST'') is an adventure PC game, computer game released in October 1996. It was created as a parody of the highly successful adventure game ''Myst''. ''Pyst'' was written by Peter Bergman (comedian), Peter Bergman, a co-f ...
'', a parody of the game ''
Myst ''Myst'' is a 1993 adventure video game developed by Cyan and published by Broderbund for Mac OS. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and traverses the ...
'', was released by
Parroty Interactive Parroty Interactive was an American video game developer based in Larkspur, California, which acted as a division of publisher Palladium Interactive, Inc. Parroty Interactive created a number of notable parody video games for personal computer ...
.


See also

*
Old time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...


References


Further reading

* Marciniak, Vwadek P., ''Politics, Humor and the Counterculture: Laughter in the Age of Decay'' (New York etc., Peter Lang, 2008). * Santoro, Gene. ''Highway 61 Revisited: The Tangled Roots of American Jazz, Blues, Rock & Country Music''. (New York: Oxford University Press) (2004) * Wiebel, Jr, Frederick C. ''Backwards into the Future - The Firesign Theatre''. Albany: BearManor Media, (2005).


External links


Firesign TheatrePhil Austin's Blog of the UnknownPlanet ProctorFiresign Theatre pagesFiresign's podcast episodes on Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firesign Theatre, The American comedy troupes American radio comedy Surreal comedy radio series Surrealist groups American surrealist artists Columbia Records artists Rhino Entertainment artists 1966 establishments in California Reagan Era