The Firesign Theatre

The Firesign Theatre is an audio comedy group. They did Live! radio back in the Sixties and Seventies, made twenty-two albums - as a group or in various combinations of the members - between 1967 and 1985. In 1993 Sony/Columbia Records released Shoes For Industry, a "Best Of" double-CD package of their work. Their NEW album, Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death, (Rhino) was released September of 1998. A delightful album reminiscent of their early work. I sometimes play Firesign Theatre material on Sound Affects on KFAI radio in the Twin Cities. (See current schedule.)

Breaking News! The 4 Or 5 Crazy Guys have a brand new album for release September 1, 1998, Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death! (Rhino Records). It's about a radio station on the last night before the new Millenium arrives. Silly. Predictive. Sharp and very funny. Look for it. Available through The LodesTone Catalog and ZBS .

David Ossman was a Guest of Honor at Minicon 31 in April, 1996, and brought a lot to the performance at Minicon 32 in 1997 as well. Tapes of those original programs (the former with special guest George Tirebiter) are available from me. E-mail me at jstearns@mtn.org. We expect him to be attending at Minicon 34 in April of 1999, too.

These are just a few of the Internet sites that have Firesign Theatre material.

• The Official Firesign Theatre Homepage - http://www.firesigntheatre.com/.
  Lots of info about the new album, Give Me Imortality Or Give Me Death. Sound files, pictures, and new written material from each of the 4 or 5 Crazy Guys. A site that's moving with them into the new incarnation and the new century. A treat!

  The Semi-Official Firesign Theatre Home Page - http://www.earthlink.net/~ritter/firesign/firesign.html

  Maintained by Niles Ritter. Recently moved from JPL's site by edict and security concerns - a very Firesign-ish irony. Tells where there are other pages referring to the 4 or 5 Crazy Guys, among other things. Start here, and it will show you more.

  Doc Technical's Firesign Canonical irReference - http://www.doctechnical.com/fst/

  Quite a compendium of Firesign related links.

  Firesign Theatre - Cristofer Morley - http://www.benway.com/firesign/fstpage.shtml

  A nice picture and more Firesign related links. Host of the Firesign Webring.
  Also maintains the Firesign Theatre FAQ Page at http://www.benway.com/firesign/fst-faq-1.shtml.

  Visit the FireSign Theatre Webring Home page Want to join the Firesign Webring?

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  Firezine

  An erstwhile Firesign Theatre Fanzine published approximately quarterly by Frederick ("Freditor") Wiebel, Jr. Wholeheartedly supported by the Firesign boys themselves, there are currently three issues extant. Wonderful stuff with pictures of their albums and their selves, sources of Firesign audio, video and memorabilia, articles and silliness by and about members of the 4 or 5 Crazy Guys and their current and future doings. There also is an on-line home for the zine...

  Firezine Homepage at http://www.intrepid.net/~firezine/

  Firesign Theatre FAQ Files:

  Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) asked by contributors to the alt.comedy.firesgn-thtre newsgroup. (See below.) Here are some links to the FAQ files, maintained by two different people:

  • Firesign Theatre FAQ Site -- http://www.benway.com/firesign/fst-faq-1.shtml
    Maintained by Christofer Morley (originally created by Niles Ritter)
    • Side 1 - Who Am Us, Anyway?
      Biographies of the 4 or 5 crazy guys; press releases; history; fan clubs; news and chat groups; fanzines and stuff about the Firesign Theatre.

      Side 2 - Published Works

      Discographies; radio, tv and film performances; books published; other works by members of the group not done as a group; computer games.

      Side 3 - References and Sitings

      Media references and mentions; literary references; interviews.

      Side 4 - I've Just Discovered the Firesign Theatre. What Now?

      Answers to questions like "Where can I get their records/tapes/CDs/videos?", or "Where are they now?", or "Who is Dr. Memory?", and many others.

      Side 5 - Firesign Chronology

      Time lines, broken into short segments of years.

      Side 6 - Discographies

      A number of differently focused lists relating to the FST's works over the years.

  • Maintained by Niles Ritter
    • Lexicon. (Hypertext) "You can't get there from here."
      Words and phrases created or used in Firesign material. http://www.earthlink.net/~ritter/firesign/lexicon/lexicon.html

      Lyrics To Songs. "We are marching, marching to Omaha."

      Just what it implies - lyrics to songs written and performed by Firesigns.
      http://www.earthlink.net/~ritter/firesign/lyrics.html

  Steve Gillmor's "Martian Space Party." - http://www.sdigital.com/intech/martian.html

  Steve was the producer of the Martian Space Party film/video, and the Web site is an historical repository of Firesign Theatre information. "So long, Dad. Keep 'em flying!"

  Radio Free Oz - http://www.rfo.net

  An early radio show with the Firesign Theatre in Loose Angels, and now a fine Web site hosted by Peter Bergman. Some sound bytes from his "Digital Diner" show, a strange short story with John Goodman, and other audio Cool Stuff. Been inactive lately, but expected to re-start in time.

  The Mark Time Award - http://www.mtn.org/~jstearns/MarkTime.html

  Two Firesign albums have been ensconced in the Mark Time Science Fiction Audio Hall of Fame honor roll, as well as other works by David Ossman. Take a look at http://www.mtn.org/~jstearns/MT_HoFame.html.

  Sounds -

  Richard Arnold maintains a Firesign Theatre website which includes a lot of .wav sound files of quotes from Firesign albums. You can find it at http://www.clark.net/pub/rarnold/firesign/tft_sounds.html. Be sure to look over the rest of his pages while you're there. They're great. He's doing this Firesign quiz series which you will find challenging.

  Josh Hayes keeps .au sound files at http://www.cqs.washington.edu:80/~josh/sounds/firesign/.

  Firesign Theatre newsgroup

  alt.comedy.firesgn-thtre

  Albums available.

  Six of their early albums were re-issued on CD by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.
  However, the rights have reverted to Sony/Columbia, and they are barely beginning to reissue some. How Can You Be In Two Places At Once is now out on CD again. (See the ZBS Catalog.)

  Some of the Mobile Fidelity releases have been found for sale overseas through CD Banzai! Home Page, but be aware, they'll cost you Big Time!

  There are also a few things offered from The LodesTone Catalog, which includes Firesign's fairly recent cassette tape issue of The Pink Hotel Burns Down, a collection of short pieces not previously released.

Last updated 27 October 1998.