The Firesign Theatre: Difference between revisions
Added some information about the three books authored by the group and a formal MLA Bibliography for those titles and listed some external references for some of the material in this article. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://www.firesigntheatre.com The Firesign Theatre] |
*[http://www.firesigntheatre.com The Firesign Theatre] |
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*[http://www.planetproctor.com Planet Proctor] |
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*[http://www.rfo.net Radio Free Oz] |
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*[http://www.faqs.org/faqs/firesign-theatre/ Firesign Theatre FAQs] |
*[http://www.faqs.org/faqs/firesign-theatre/ Firesign Theatre FAQs] |
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*[http://www.chromiumswitch.org/ Chromium Switch, The Original Fanzine] |
*[http://www.chromiumswitch.org/ Chromium Switch, The Original Fanzine] |
Revision as of 17:22, 4 February 2006
- The Isles of Langerhans should never be confused with the Islets of Langerhans.
The Firesign Theatre is a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. The troupe began as live radio performers in Los Angeles, California on radio stations KPPC and KPFK during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The name is an astrological reference: The members consist of an Aries (Austin), a Leo (Proctor), and two Sagittarians (Bergman and Ossman). The name also is intended as a pun on "Fireside Theatre," a popular radio show from the nineteen-thirties.
Called "The Beatles of Comedy" by their admirers, the Firesign Theatre specialize in audio recordings, having had relatively little presence in stage performance, television or movies. Over the course of their career, they have sold more audio recordings in total than any other comedy act. Their first four albums in particular are considered classics of recorded comedy. (Each of those four albums features a different one of the four members in a leading role.)
While their free-flowing, stream of consciousness style has the feel of improvisational comedy and may derive from improvisational processes, most of it actually is tightly scripted and memorized (a situation not unlike that of Britain's Monty Python troupe, to whom Firesign are often compared). They have employed a writing method that 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," reflecting their collective sentiment that there is a "fifth guy in the room" who actually is doing all the writing.
Because of their complexity, Firesign recordings tend to become funnier with repeated listenings as new jokes are revealed, and their high production values provide an additional layer of aesthetic pleasure that endears them to audiophiles. Similarly, Firesign Theatre productions take place in a satirical world with many subtle and oblique references to mass culture which fans enjoy decoding. See A Firesign Theatre lexicon for the perplexed.
In 1972 and 1974, Straight Arrow Press 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, contain scholarly information, satirical introductions, and parodic histories, as well as transcriptions of many of the performances from their first seven albums. A later work, also authored by the group and published by a small press, was titled The Apocalypse Papers and was limited to an edition of only 500 copies.
The group cowrote the screenplay to the offbeat comedy Western Zachariah, released in 1971.
During the mid-1970s, the group more or less split in half: Firesign productions continued, 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 the in 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 and most of their current and back catalog is available from Laugh.com.
Discography
Official Firesign Theatre Commercial Releases
- Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him
- (Columbia CS-9518 - January, 1968)
- (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-762 - 1992)
- (Columbia CS-9518 - January, 1968)
- 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)
- (Columbia CS-9884 - July, 1969)
- Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers
- (Columbia C 30102 - July, 1970)
- (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-880 - 1987)
- (Columbia C 30102 - July, 1970)
- I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus
- (Columbia C-30737 - 1971)
- (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-785 - 1989)
- (Columbia C-30737 - 1971)
- Dear Friends
- (Columbia KG-31099 - January, 1972)
- (re-released by Mobile Fidelity MFCD-758 - 1992)
- (Columbia KG-31099 - January, 1972)
- 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 by performed by the entire group)
- (Columbia PC-33475 - October, 1975)
- 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)
- (Firesign/Rhino RNLP-018 - 1980)
- Lawyer's Hospital
- (Rhino RNLP-806 - 1982)
- Shakespeare’s Lost Comedie
- (Firesign/Rhino RNLP-807 - 1982)
- The Three Faces of Al
- (Rhino RNCD-5812 - 1984)
- (An official Firesign Theatre release but without David Ossman)
- (Rhino RNCD-5812 - 1984)
- Eat Or Be Eaten
- (Mercury 826 452-2 - 1985)
- (An official Firesign Theatre release but without David Ossman)
- (Mercury 826 452-2 - 1985)
- 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)
- RadioNow Live!
- (Whirlwind Media - July, 2001)
- Papoon For President
- (Laugh.Com - 2002)
- All Things Firesign
- (Artemis Records - March, 2003)
Non-Commercial Releases such as Radio Program Releases and Promo LPs
- Dear Friends - Syndicated Radio Program
- (1970-1971)
- A Firesign Chat With Papoon
- (Columbia AS-41 - November, 1972)
- 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.)
- (Rhino RM-73 - 1980)
Firesign Related Albums
- TV or not TV
- (Columbia Columbia KC-32199 - 1973)
- (an album by the team of Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman)
- (Columbia Columbia KC-32199 - 1973)
- How Time Flys
- (Columbia Columbia Kc-32411 - 1973)
- (a “solo” album written and presented by Ossman, but with all members performing, among others)
- (Columbia Columbia Kc-32411 - 1973)
- Roller Maidens From Outer Space
- (Epic KE-32489 - March 1974)
- (a "solo" album written and presented by Austin, with other members performing)
- (Epic KE-32489 - March 1974)
- What This Country Needs
- (Columbia PC-33687 - September, 1975)
- (an album by the team of Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman)
- (Columbia PC-33687 - September, 1975)
- Give Us A Break
- (Mercury SRM-3719 - 1978)
- (an album by the team of Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman)
- (Mercury SRM-3719 - 1978)
- Daily Feed 1988 Newsreel - The Daily Feed
- (DC Audio - 1988)
- (a “solo” cassette by Austin)
- (DC Audio - 1988)
- The George Tirebiter Story Chapter1: Another Christmas Carol
- (Sparks Media - 1989)
- (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)
- (Sparks Media - 1989)
- George Tirebiter's Radiodaze
- (Sparks Media - 1989)
- (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)
- (Sparks Media - 1989)
- The George Tirebiter Story Pt.2 Mexican Overdrive / Radiodaze
- (Company One - 1989)
- (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)
- (Company One - 1989)
- A Capital Decade Daily Feed 1989 Newsreel - The Daily Feed
- (DC Audio - 1989)
- (a “solo” cassette by Austin)
- (DC Audio - 1989)
- The George Tirebiter Story Pt.3 The Ronald Reagan Murder Case
- (Midwest Radio Theatre Workshop - 1990)
- (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)
- (Midwest Radio Theatre Workshop - 1990)
- Down Under Danger
- (Sparks Media - 1994)
- (a “solo” cassette by Austin)
- (Sparks Media - 1994)
- Tales Of The Old Detective And Other Big Fat Lies
- (Audio Partners - 1994)
- (a “solo” cassette by Austin)
- (Audio Partners - 1994)
- David Ossman's Time Capsules
- (Otherworld Media - Omw 1996/1 - 1996)
- (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)
- (Otherworld Media - Omw 1996/1 - 1996)
- George Tirebiter's Radio Follies
- (Twin Cities Radio Theatre Workshop - July, 1997)
- (a “solo” cassette by Ossman)
- (Twin Cities Radio Theatre Workshop - July, 1997)
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.
Refrences
- Firesign Theatre. Firesign Theatre. 19 Jan. 2006 <http://www.firesigntheatre.com/>.
- "FIREZINE: Linques!." Firesign Theatre FAQ. 23 Jan. 2006 <http://firezine.net/faq/>.
- 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.