The Firesign Theatre

The Firesign Theatre is an American comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Philip Proctor. Their brand of surrealistic humor is best known through their record albums, which acquired an enthusiastic following in the late 1960s and early '70s.

The troupe began as live radio performers in Los Angeles on radio stations KPPC-FM and KPFK during the mid-1960s.

The group's name stems in part from astrology, because the membership encompasses all three "fire signs:" Aries (Austin), Leo (Proctor), and Sagittarius (Bergman and Ossman). The name also refers to Fireside Theatre, an early television series that ran on NBC from 1949 to 1955, followed by Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955–58); it may also refer to the Fireside Chats radio broadcasts made by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a parody of which can be heard in one of the Theatre's Nick Danger adventures.

Style

The Firesign Theatre employs a stream of consciousness style that includes direct references to movies, radio, TV, political figures, and other cultural sources, intermingled with sound effects and bits of music. The resulting stories — including the theft of a high school, a fair of clowns and holograms and aliens who use hemp smoking to turn people into crows — border on psychedelia, an effect intensified by the frequent appearance of mock "advertisements" satirizing real products.

The Firesign approach to comedy was strongly influenced by The Goon Show. All four Firesign members have spoken of their admiration for this show. Said Ossman:

“

We all listened to The Goon Show, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe, at various times in our lives. We heard a lot of those shows. They impressed us when we started doing radio ourselves, because they sustained characters in a really surreal and weird kind of situation for a long period of time. They were doing that show for 10 years, all the way through the '50s. So we were just listening to them at the end. It was that madness and the ability to go anywhere and do anything and yet sustain those funny characters. So when we first did written radio, where we would sit down and write half hour skits and do them once a week, which we did in the fall of 1967, we did things that were very imitative of The Goon Show and learned a lot of voices from them and such.

”

While their stream of consciousness style has the feel of improvisational comedy, most of the material is tightly scripted and memorized. The group's writing method demands the consent of all four members before a line can be included. Much of their work has been copyrighted under the name "4 or 5 Crazee Guys."

Other projects

In September 1967, The Firesign Theatre performed an adaptation of Jorge Luis Borges' short story "La Muerte y La Brujula" ("Death and the Compass") on Radio Free Oz.

Between September 9, 1970 and February 17, 1971, they performed a one-hour live series, produced by Bill McIntyre, on radio station KPFK in Los Angeles titled Dear Friends. These live programs were recorded and then edited into slightly shorter shows which were syndicated to radio stations across the country on 12-inch LPs. The group later collected the best segments from the series for their fifth record, Dear Friends.

In 1972 and 1974, Straight Arrow Press, Rolling Stone's book publishing arm, published two books authored by the Firesign Theatre. These books, The Firesign Theatre's Big Book Of Plays and The Firesign Theatre's Big Mystery Joke Book, feature background information, satirical introductions and parodic histories, as well as transcripts from their first seven albums. Apocalypse Papers, also authored by the group and published by a small press, was limited to an edition of only 500 copies.

In 1996, Peter Bergman began placing radio-show-like comedy sound bites on his own Internet-based comedy radio station, www.rfo.net. "The show will be the Internet's funny bone," Bergman said.

In 2008, the Firesign Theatre released a four-CD boxed set based on their most famous character, Nick Danger "Third Eye." It was compiled from various radio shows, albums and fan recordings that were sent in via their website.

The group plans to reissue all of their past Firesign albums with new bonus material. The members are asking fans to submit any high-quality audio and video clips to their website.

Films

The group co-wrote the screenplay to the comedy western, Zachariah, released in 1971. The film was inspired by the novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

The movie Americathon (1979) was based on a sketch created by Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman.

Later work

During the mid-1970s, members of the group mostly went in separate directions. Firesign productions continued sporadically, but Proctor and Bergman also performed as a duo, and Austin and Ossman worked individually and together in a few stage shows and most notably in the writing and production of In the Next World, You're on Your Own. In the mid-1980s, Ossman temporarily left the group to produce shows for National Public Radio.

Their recordings through 1975 were originally released by Columbia Records.

The Firesign Theatre are still performing today, most recently playing a series of live performances in December 2011. They claim to be the longest surviving group from the "Classic rock" era to still be intact with the original members (at the time of the claim in 2011, 45 years).

Discography

Commercial releases

• Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him
  • (Columbia CS-9518 — January 1968)
    • (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-762 — 1992)

• How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All
  • (Columbia CS-9884 — July 1969)
    • (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-834 — 1988)

• Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers
  • (Columbia C 30102 — July 1970)
    • (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-880 — 1987)

• I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus
  • (Columbia C-30737 — 1971)
    • (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-785 — 1989)

• Dear Friends
  • (Columbia KG-31099 — January 1972)
    • (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-758 — 1992)

• Not Insane or Anything You Want To
  • (Columbia KC-31585 — October 1972)

• The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra
  • (Columbia KC-32730 — January 1974)

• Everything You Know Is Wrong
  • (Columbia KC-33141 — October 1974)

• In the Next World, You're on Your Own
  • (Columbia PC-33475 — October 1975)
    • (Written by Austin and Ossman but performed by the entire group)

• Forward Into The Past
  • (Columbia PC-34391 — 1976)

• Just Folks . . . A Firesign Chat
  • (Butterfly FLY-001 — April 1977)

• Nick Danger: The Case of the Missing Shoe
  • (Rhino RNEP-506 — 1979)

• Fighting Clowns
  • (Firesign/Rhino RNLP-018 — 1980)
    • (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-748 — 1993)

• Lawyer's Hospital
  • (Rhino RNLP-806 — 1982)

• Shakespeare’s Lost Comedie
  • (Firesign/Rhino RNLP-807 — 1982)
  • (re-released in expanded edition as Anythynge You Want To Firesign Theatre Records MSUG090, 2001, 2005)

• The Three Faces of Al
  • (Rhino RNCD-5812 — 1984)
    • (An official Firesign Theatre release but without David Ossman)

• Eat Or Be Eaten
  • (Mercury 826 452-2 — 1985)
    • (An official Firesign Theatre release but without David Ossman)

• Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre
  • (Sony/Legacy 52736 — August 1993)

• Anythynge You Want To
  • (Whirlwind Media — 1993)

• Back From The Shadows
  • (Mobile Fidelity Mfcd-2-747 — 1994)

• Pink Hotel Burns Down
  • (LodeStone Media MSUG006 — December 1996)

• Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death
  • (Rhino R2 75509 — September 1998)

• Boom Dot Bust
  • (Rhino R2 75983 — October 1999)

• Bride of Firesign
  • (Rhino R2 75390 — September 2001)

• Radio Now, Live|Radio Now Live!
  • (Whirlwind Media — July 2001)

• Papoon For President
  • (Laugh.Com — 2002)

• All Things Firesign
  • (Artemis Records — March 2003)

• Box of Danger
  • (Shout! Factory — September 2008)

• Duke of Madness Motors - The Complete "Dear Friends" Radio Era (book and data DVD of radio program recordings, over 80 hours)
  • (Seeland Records 534 - 2010)

Non-commercial releases (radio, promotional LPs)

• Dear Friends — Syndicated Radio Program
  • (1970–1971)

• A Firesign Chat With Papoon
  • (Columbia AS-41 — November 1972)

• Let’s Eat — Syndicated Radio Program
  • (1974)

• The Proctor-Bergman Report
  • (1977–1978)

• The Cassette Chronichles
  • (Rhino RM-73 — 1980)
    • (A six cassette collection of The Firesign Theatre’s presidential and campaign commentaries which aired on NPR during the 1980 election season.)

Firesign-related albums

• TV or not TV
  • (Columbia KC-32199 — 1973)
    • (an album by the team of Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman)

• How Time Flys
  • (Columbia KC-32411 — 1973)
    • (a “solo” album written and presented by Ossman, but with all members performing, among others)

• Roller Maidens From Outer Space
  • (Epic KE-32489 - March 1974)
    • (a "solo" album written and presented by Austin, with other members performing)

• What This Country Needs
  • (Columbia PC-33687 — September 1975)
    • (an album by the team of Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman)

• Give Us a Break
  • (Mercury SRM-3719 — 1978)
    • (an album by the team of Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman)

• Daily Feed 1988 Newsreel — The Daily Feed
  • (DC Audio — 1988)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Austin)

• The George Tirebiter Story Chapter1: Another Christmas Carol
  • (Sparks Media — 1989)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)

• George Tirebiter's Radiodaze
  • (Sparks Media — 1989)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)

• The George Tirebiter Story Pt.2 Mexican Overdrive / Radiodaze
  • (Company One — 1989)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)

• A Capital Decade Daily Feed 1989 Newsreel — The Daily Feed
  • (DC Audio — 1989)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Austin)

• The George Tirebiter Story Pt.3 The Ronald Reagan Murder Case
  • (Midwest Radio Theatre Workshop — 1990)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)

• Down Under Danger
  • (Sparks Media — 1994)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Austin)

• Tales Of The Old Detective And Other Big Fat Lies
  • (Audio Partners — 1994)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Austin)

• David Ossman's Time Capsules
  • (Otherworld Media — Omw 1996/1 — 1996)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)

• George Tirebiter's Radio Follies
  • (Twin Cities Radio Theatre Workshop — July 1997)
    • (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)

Filmography

• 1970 - Zachariah (co-written by Firesign Theatre) (92 min.)
• 1972 - Martian Space Party (Firesign Theatre with Campoon workers) (27 min.)
• 1973 - Love is Hard to Get (Peter Bergman) (26 min.)
• 1973 - Let's Visit the World of the Future (stars Bozo characters from Firesign Theatre, directed by Ivan Stang) (44 min.)
• 1976 - Six Dreams (Peter Bergman - executive producer, Phil Proctor) (13 min.)
• 1976 - Tunnel Vision (featuring Phil Proctor) (70 min.)
• 1978 - Everything You Know is Wrong (40 min.)
• 1978 - TV or Not TV (Peter Bergman and Phil Proctor) (33 min.)
• 1979 - Americathon (Based on a play by Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman) (86 min.)
• 1979 - J-Men Forever (Firesign Theatre featuring Peter Bergman and Phil Proctor) (75 min.)
• 1979 - The Madhouse of Dr. Fear (Firesign Theatre) (60 min.)
• 1983 - Nick Danger: Case of the Missing Yolk (60 min.) (Originally an Interactive Video, Pacific Arts PAVR-527)
• 1985 - Eat or be Eaten (Phil Austin, Peter Bergman and Phil Proctor, RCA Columbia 60566) (30 min.)
• 1985 - Hot Shorts (Phil Austin, Peter Bergman and Phil Proctor, RCA Columbia 60435) (73 min.)
• 1994 - Back from the Shadows
• 2001 - Firesign Theatre Weirdly Cool DVD Movie

Bibliography

• Firesign Theatre. The Firesign Theatre's Big Book Of Plays. San Francisco: Straight Arrow, 1972.
• Firesign Theatre. The Firesign Theatre's Big Mystery Joke Book. San Francisco: Straight Arrow, 1974.
• Firesign Theatre. The Apocalypse Papers, a Fiction by The Firesign Theatre. Topeka: Apocalypse Press, 1976.
• Firesign Theatre. Backwards Into the Future: The Recorded History of the Firesign Theatre. Albany: Bearmanor Media, 2006.

See also

• Dear Friends Radio Program

Sources

• Official website 19 January 2006
• Firezine.net FAQ, 23 January 2006
• Marsh, Dave, and Greil Marcus. "The Firesign Theatre." The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Ed. Dave Marsh and John Swenson. New York: Random House, 1983. 175–176.
• Smith, Ronald L. The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide. Iola: Krause, 1996.

Further reading

• Ossman, David. Dr. Firesign's Follies: Radio, Comedy, Mystery, History. (Albany: BearManor Media) (2008) ISBN 978-1593931483
• Ossman, David. The Ronald Reagan Murder Case: A George Tirebiter Mystery. (Albany: BearManor Media) (2006) ISBN 1-59393-071-2
• Wiebel, Jr, Frederick C. (2005). Backwards into the Future - The Firesign Theatre. Albany: BearManor Media ISBN 1-59393-043-7
• Santoro, Gene. Highway 61 Revisited: The Tangled Roots of American Jazz, Blues, Rock & Country Music. (New York: Oxford University Press) (2004) ISBN 978-0-19-515481-8

External links

• Firesign Theatre
• Peter Bergman's Radio Free Oz
• Phil Austin's Blog of the Unknown
• Planet Proctor
• Firesign Theatre FAQs
• The Chromium Switch Webzine
• The World's Biggest Firesign Theatre FAQ
• Firesign Theatre Lexicon
• Firesign Theatre record reviews