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Archive-name: firesign-theatre/intro/part2
Last-modified: 1995/3/23 Version: 2.1 See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
1.2) Published Works
1.2.1) Radio/TV/Stage production
There is/was a new special on PBS radio: M. Packer writes:
1. "The Firesign Theatre -- Back From The Shadows Again"
hosted by Steve Allen was "officially" announced to
Public Radio affiliates today. There is no current
scheduled time for the program, and its feed will be
based on the number of stations interested in it. The
special consists of three one-hour modules, each of
which is self-contained and can be carried seperately.
Check with Public Radio stations in your area to see if
they plan to air this three part special on the
Firesign Theatre.
David Ossman's 1988 remake of "War of the Worlds":
Both versions, 1938 and 1988, are available on cassette, as a
package, for $14.95, from:
The Mind's Eye
P.O. Box 1060
Petaluma, California 94953
Tel: 1-800-227-2020
FAX: 1.415-883-1849
In addition to old-time radio, The Mind's Eye carries lots of
other good stuff from BBC radio (including "The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy") to the up-to-date "Bradbury 13."
The following are the entries from the complete movie/TV credit
databases (portions of which are on refuge.colorado.edu) for the FT
members:
All 4 wrote the 1971 movie Zachariah (along with Joe Massot).
Details from David Miller:
The "original" FST movie is 1971's (?) _Zachariah_. That is, they wrote
the first version and have small parts in it, but it was rewritten by
its producers, and shows only occasional FST touches. They now refer to
it in very unkind terms, and boy does it look dated--wild west rock 'n
roll starring an unbelievably young Don Johnson. The movie "foundered on
the glistening rocks of cocaine...and the breakup of MGM". It's still
available from Playhouse Video, 39000 Seven Mile Road, Livonia,
MI 48152. It turns up sometimes *real* late at night..."
Acting credits for Peter Bergman:
Fantasies (1980) (TV)
Money, Power, Murder (1989) (TV) [Brant]
Woman on the Ledge (1993) (TV) [Bob]
"All My Children" (????)
Acting credits for Phil Proctor:
Lobster Man from Mars (1990)
Bad Attitudes (1991) (TV)
Tunnel Vision (1976)
A Safe Place (1971)
Diana Rigg Show -- played fashion designer "Mr. Vincent" who
was Diana Rigg's boss.
also appeared as Archie Bunker's
nephew on "All In The Family" and is a Smurf.
...often appears elsewhere on TV
Other:
Americathon (writing credits for Proctor & Bergman)
Thomas M. Niccum writes of yet another (dare we call it?) credit:
In about 1976 I was present at a lunch with a few friends and Phil
Proctor was there - my friend was a reporter for the U of Minnesota
Daily, and had volunteered to do a piece on Proctor and Bergman who were
in town to open for (get ready) Sha Na Na (ook). Anyway, he told us
that he had met up with the Starland Vocal Band (who had a hit entitled
"Afternoon Delight" if I'm not mistaken). The band had been offered a
summer replacement show, and Proctor and Bergman had volunteered to
write.
Thus forewarned, I looked for it the next year, and managed to catch
one episode. It was pretty normal "variety" show type TV. I'm pretty
sure they did the "Shoplifters" supermarket commercial, which shows up
in their Eat or be Eaten CD and Video.
1.2.2) Vinyl
---------------
Firesign Theatre:
-----------------
1968 - Waiting for the Electrician or Someone like him Columbia CS 9518
1969 - How Can you be in two places at once, when you're not
anywhere at all? Columbia CS 9884
1970 - Don't Crush that Dwarf, hand me the pliers: Columbia C 30102
1971 - I think we're all Bozos on this bus: Columbia C 30737
1972 - Dear Friends: Columbia PG 31099
1972 - Not Insane or Anything You Want To: Columbia KC 31585
1974 - Everything you know is Wrong!: Columbia KC 33141
1974 - The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra: Columbia C 32730
1975 - In the next world you're on your own: Columbia PC-33475
1976 - Forward into the Past: Columbia PG-34391
1977 - Just Folks ... A Firesign Chat: Butterfly FLY 001
1979 - Fighting Clowns: Rhino (###-same as Carter/Reagan ?)
Lawyer's Hospital
1985 - Eat or be eaten (PB,PP,PA)
???? - Shakespeare's Lost Comedie (Rhino Records)
Quadrophonic Albums:
--------------------
1971 - I think we're all Bozos on this bus: Columbia CQ 30737
1974 - Everything you know is Wrong!: Columbia CQ 33141
Proctor & Bergman :
-------------------
1973 - TV OR NOT TV: Columbia KC-32199
1975 - What this Country Needs: Columbia PC-33687
1978 - The Comedy of Proctor and Bergman / Give Us A Break:
Mercury SRM-3719
Solo/Subgroup Albums:
---------------------
1974 - Roller Maidens from outer Space: Epic (Phil Austin)
???? - The Three Faces of Al (PB,PP,DO)
1973 - How Time Flys: Columbia C 32411 -- David Ossman
1979 - Nick Danger and the Case of the Missing Shoe
(Rhino - RNEP506)
45 Singles:
-----------
1980 - Firesign Theater Presents "Fighting Clowns"
(Rhino # RNPD 904) "Special Limited Edition 7"
Picture Disc From Their New LP" Carter/Reagan
Soundtrack:
-----------
A Head Of His Time (Zachariah Soundtrack)
See For Miles Records, Ltd. SEE 91 (British)
Bootleg:
--------
According to the Hot Wacks Press Book XV (probably the most complete
bootleg guide around), there is one FST bootleg LP. Called _Firesign
World_, it was released by Wizardo Records, WRMB 512, and consisted of,
on side one, "Firesign World", and "Thanksgiving Or Pass The Indian
Please" on the other side. The only other info given is that the
recording is supposed to be in excellent stereo and is a live recording.
Syndicated Radio Pressings and other stuff:
------------------------------------------
Carl M Stone writes:
An apparently promo-only 12" single was released by Polygram from the
"Eat Or Be Eaten" LP in 1985. Titled _Bites from "EAT OR BE EATEN"_,
it featured on side one, "National Toliet/Dylan At The Met/Shoplifters
Market/Neighboorhood Survival Gunstore" (3:52) and "Art Snob/Tonto's
First Cowboy Bank/Wimpy's Software/Kamikaze Recall" (4:06) on
side two.
In some copies of the _Nick Danger Case Of The Missing Shoe_ there
came a flyer/order form for "two fabulous offers:" 1)_The Firesign
Theatre Cassette Chronicles_, a six cassette series, delivered one
every two months, begining in January of 1980, for the subscription
price of $30. Is this the item listed in the FAQ as "Carter Reagan"?
2)A Nick Danger T-Shirt, "a suitable-period brown shirt with Bill
Stout's Nick Danger drawing, as depicted on..'Nick Danger in the Case
of the Missing Shoe'". It sold for the price of "$5.95, plus $1.05
postage and handling" (which conveniently comes out to $7.00), and was
available in Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large.
Howard Landman writes:
In the booklet of the Mobile Fidelity CD of DEAR FRIENDS, it says
that there was a 12 hour syndicated version released to radio stations
(on 12 vinyl records, of which only 100 copies were pressed.
John Leving writes:
FYI, when Proctor and Bergman were at Yale, they did a lot of goofing
around on WYBC-FM, the student radio station. There may still be old
airchecks of theirs lying around on tape cartridges.
Michael Packer writes:
re: syndicated Radio Shows; "Let's Eat" was also
syndicated (on tape) and in 1983 a pilot program, called
"Firesign Radio" was syndicated by the Global Satellite
Network (it featured "Nick Danger Meets ET - Or Is It
Ghandi?"). It was distributed on VINYL.
Here's a list of of the "Dear Friends" syndication albums:
Dear Friends Volume 01 "Live At The Ash Grove"
Dear Friends Volume 02 "Power Is Trouble & Trouble's Not Funny!"
Dear Friends Volume 03 "... I Could Always Shoot Him With A Camera"
Dear Friends Volume 04 "Somebody Put A Mickey In The Ground Zero!"
Dear Friends Volume 05 "All We Have To Fear Is Me"
Dear Friends Volume 06 "Deputy Dan Will Find Us No Matter Where We Go"
Dear Friends Volume 07 "Was There A Cow On the Moon?"
Dear Friends Volume 08 "Being On Radio Is More Fun Than Watching T.V."
Dear Friends Volume 09 "Dr. Memory's Laff-A-While News"
Dear Friends Volume 10 "All Nite Images"
Dear Friends Volume 11 "Welcome To Microorganism State Park"
Dear Friends Volume 12 "Is This the Machine That Registers No 'n' Yes?"
Cassette versions of these are available through Sparks Media,
mentioned elsewhere in this file.
1.2.3) Video
----------------
1970 - Zachariah (co-written by TFT) 92 mins.
1972 - Martian Space Party (TFT, Campoon workers) 27 mins.
1973 - Love is Hard to Get (Bergman) 26 mins.
1976 - Six Dreams (PB [exec. producer], PP) 13 mins.
1976 - Tunnelvision (featuring PP) 70 mins.
1978 - Everything You Know Is Wrong 40 mins.
1978 - TV Or Not TV (Proctor & Bergman) 33 mins.
1979 - J-Men Forever (TFT featuring P&B) 75 mins.
1979 - The Madhouse of Dr. Fear (TFT) 60 mins.
1983 - Nick Danger... Missing Yolk 60 mins.
Originally an Interactive Video (SelectaVision).
1985 - Eat or Be Eaten (A,B,P) 30 mins.
1985 - Hot Shorts (A,B,P) 73 mins.
Many of these can still be had; see the FAQ file (item 2.5):
1.2.4) Books
---------------
1.2.4.1 Big book of plays:
Type of Material: Book
LC Call Number: PN6120.R2 F47
Author: Firesign Theatre (Performing group)
Title: The Firesign Theatre's big book of plays.
Publication Info: [San Francisco] Straight Arrow Books [1972]
Phys. Description: 143 p. illus. 26 cm.
Subjects: Radio plays, American.
Other Names: Big book of plays.
LC Card Number: 72079024 //r82
ISBN: 0-87932-028-1 0-87932-027-3 (pbk)
There are at least two different versions of
"The Firesign Theatre's Big Book of Plays". The first printing (so
marked) has a red cover, with white and gold outlining the shape of
an old-time radio; the knobs are a little kid and a man in a sad-face
mask, and has two scantily clad women in silhouette, with a cover
price of $4.00.
The other version has a yellow border, an old-time radio at the top
of the page segues into a window at the bottom, through which a road
runs. A guy is waving through the window at four guys on the other
side, who are playing leap frog. The cover price is $5.95.
The first printing makes reference to a hardbound edition.
The SBN for the case bound in my book says 0/87932/028/1,
whereas the paperbound is 0/87932/027/3.
1.2.4.2 Big mystery joke book:
Type of Material: Book
LC Call Number: PN6120.R2 F48 1974
Author: Firesign Theatre (Performing group)
Generic Title: Big mystery joke book
Title: The Firesign Theatre's Big mystery joke book.
Publication Info: San Francisco : Straight Arrow Books;[New York]:
distributed by Simon and Schuster, [1974]
Phys. Description: 150 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
Notes:
Money song.--An invocation from the Book of Punter.--The
mysterious history of the Firesign Theatre.--The tale of
the giant rat of Sumatra.--The further adventures of Nick
Danger, third eye.--Temporarily Humboldt County.--The
adventures of Mark Time.--Hundred Dollar Ben.--Young Guy,
motor detective.--The year of the rat.--Gramps'
world.--Rubbergon dumn Toyko.--Le trente-huit
cunegonde.--The dream play.
Subjects: Radio plays, American.
Other Names: Big mystery joke book.
LC Card Number: 74076601 //r832
ISBN: 0-87932-078-8 : $5.95
1.2.4.3 The Bozobook
------------
Source: Yale Catalog:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Firesign Theatre (Performing group)
Title: Bozobook : or, clam calendar & book of ours : excerpts from
the notebooks of the Firesign Theatre, volume '71.
Published: Isla Vista, Calif. : Turkey Press, 1981.
Description: [48] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Notes: Paper wrappers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
LOCATION: CALL NUMBER: STATUS:
SML, Stacks, LC PS3556 I73 B6
Joe LoCicero writes further:
So how many people have ever heard of the Bozobook? I have it sitting
right here in front of me... and it says:
400 copies were letterpressed in the Spring of 1981 from a
variety of hand-set types and found art. Twenty-six copies
have been hardbound, lettered A-Z, and signed by The Fire-
sign Theatre. Design, printing, and binding by Harry and
Sandra Reese at TURKEY PRESS, 6746 SUENO ROAD, ISLA VISTA,
CA 93317. This project was supported, in part, by a grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts, our federal
agency, in Washington, D.C.
It also says:
Material in this book is from THE NOTEBOOKS OF THE FIRESIGN
THEATRE, August 1970-August 1971, the original scripts and
research for the album, I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus.
It is presented as part of The Firesign Theatre's 15th Birth-
day Celebration, and on the 10th anniversary of the release
of the "Bozos" album.
Edited for The Firesign Theatre by David Ossman, in asso-
ciation with Harry Reese and Turkey Press, March 1981.
Your 'OUR 12 CENTERFOLD' could be a page from the produc-
tion script of "Bozos," xeroxed for this edition, or an origi-
nal mimeographed page from one of several version of the
script to the ABC Films production of Zachariah by Joe Mas-
sot and The Firesign Theatre.
1.2.4.4 The apoca[l]ypse papers
Andrey Yeatts found this at the Univ. of Arizona:
CALL # PZ2001.F523 A6
LOCATIONS Special Coll
AUTHOR Firesign Theatre (Performing Group)
TITLE The apoca[l]ypse papers : a fiction.
SERIES Famous science fiction chapbook series ; v. 1.
PUBLISHER Topeka, Kan. : Apocalypse Press, 1976.
SUBJECTS Science fiction.
NOTE "This is book no. 267 in a series of 500 unsigned copies."
Includes bibliographical references.
DESCRIPTION [32] p. : ill. ; 22 cm. --
1.2.4.5 Other Works by David Ossman
Source: Univ. Calif. Berkeley (GLADYS) Library:
Title List
----------
1. The day-book of the city / David Ossman. <1982>
2. Hopi set : 12 poems for chance reading / David Ossman. <1985>
3. The Moon-sign book : Los Angeles/San Juan / David Ossman. <1984>
4. The Rainbow Cafe, Hollywood, 1967 / David Ossman. <1982>
5. The sullen art; interviews by David Ossman with modern American
poets. <1963>
6. The sullen art; interviews by David Ossman with modern American
poets. <1963>
7. Third mesa. <198->
1. Ossman, David.
The day-book of the city / David Ossman.
[Isla Vista, CA] : Turkey Press, 1982.
Bancroft pPS3565.S7.D3
Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library.
2. Ossman, David.
Hopi set : 12 poems for chance reading / David Ossman.
[Isla Vista, Calif. : Turkey Press] c1985.
Bancroft pPS3565.S77.H67 1985
Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library.
3. Ossman, David.
The Moon-sign book : Los Angeles/San Juan / David Ossman.
Isla Vista, CA : Turkey Press, 1984.
Bancroft pPS3565.S77.M66 1984
Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library.
Note: Blue paper wrappers.
4. Ossman, David.
The Rainbow Cafe, Hollywood, 1967 / David Ossman.
[s.l.] : Turkey Press, 1982.
Bancroft pPS3565.S77.R39
Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library.
5. Ossman, David.
The sullen art; interviews by David Ossman with modern American
poets.
New York, Corinth Books, 1963.
Moffitt PS324.O8
Main Stack 905 O84 sul
6. Ossman, David.
The sullen art; interviews by David Ossman with modern American
poets.
New York, Corinth Books, 1963.
Bancroft A6.O75S9 1963
Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library.
Note: Black cloth; dust jacket.
Note: Tram Combs collection
STORAGE #: W 74 821
7. Ossman, David.
Third mesa.
[Isla Vista, CA : Turkey Press, 198-?]
Bancroft pffPS3565.S77.T55 1980z
Non-circulating; may be used only in The Bancroft Library.
Note: Signed copy.
1.2.5) CD's
The following FT albums were released on CD; check with the
company for current availability:
Mobile Fidelity:
----------------
I Think We're All Bozos On This bus (MFCD 785)
Don't Crush That Dwarf (MFCD 880) (out of print :-(
Waiting for the Electrician (MFCD ???)
How Can you be in two places at once... (MFCD 834)
Dear Friends (MFCD 758);
Fighting Clowns (MFCD 748);
The Firesign Theatre's 25th Anniversary Reunion Tour
Back From the Shadows(MFCD 2-747)
Rhino
------
The Three Faces Of Al (out of print).
Mercury (Columbia):
-------------------------------------
Shoes for Industry! (double CD Collection) (C2K 52736)
Eat or Be Eaten (Mercury 826 452-2 M-1; released 1986).
Regarding this CD, Dave Lucas informs us that more than just sound
is found on this CD:
I read in a technical book (sorry, can't remember which) that
'Eat Or Be Eaten' was the first CD+G disc published in the US.
[actually, this was some time ago, and the book said that it
was the *only* CD+G disc published in the US]
So I popped it in a CDTV box, and sure enough...
The screen gets refreshed every 2-3 seconds, and it does
add a dimension to the fun.
Upcoming:
---------
A new CD based on the upcoming "Illusion of Unity Tour" may
be in the works.
1.2.6) Cassettes
---------------------
Firesign Theatre Cassette Chronicles, six cassette tapes from 1980.
Sparks Media has many cassette versions of FT albums, including
the "Dear Friends" 12-album set, and the following:
_ Let's Eat Volume 01 "Hey, Banana Nose!"
_ Let's Eat Volume 02 "Radio Prison In Peace & War"
_ Let's Eat Volume 03 "The Dr. Beanbag Show"
_ Let's Eat Volume 04 "The Filipino Cheese-Ball War"
_ Let's Eat Volume 05 "The New China Revue"
_ Let's Eat Volume 06 "The Underworld Olympics"
_ Let's Eat Volume 07 "X-mas in Rat Land"
_ Let's Eat Volume 08 "New Years In Mixville"
_ Let's Eat Volume 09 "The Hilario Spacepipe Show"
_ Let's Eat Volume 10 "Assorted Cold Cuts"
See also the FAQ, item 2.5, for sources.
1.2.7) LD'S
The following FT movies were printed on LaserDisk:
Hot Shorts
(any more?)
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