MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SEMINAR SERIES, THE: THIRTY YEARS OF THE FIRESIGN THEATRE {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. The Firesign Theatre first unleashed its surreal brand of comedy on the radio audience in 1966 when Peter Bergman, host of KPFK-FM's "Radio Free Oz" in Los Angeles, joined forces with Phil Austin, David Ossman, and Phil Proctor. Fans are so devoted to their humor that many have memorized lines from the group's routines. Since its inception, the group has produced radio, television, film, and even cyberspace projects together, individually, and in various collaborations. In this seminar, presented in Los Angeles and moderated by Museum assistant curator Jennifer Lewis, Austin, Bergman, Ossman, and Proctor discuss their radio work and answer questions from the audience. Lewis begins the evening with a presentation of audio highlights from the group's thirty-year history, including clips from the following programs: "Radio Free Oz: International Youth on Parade" (1967); "Dear Friends!: The Chinchilla Show" (1971); Pizza Hut Commercial (1971); and "All Things Considered: Everything You Know Is Wrong About the Future" (1997). After the clips, Lewis is joined on stage by Austin, Bergman, Ossman, and Proctor for a discussion on the following topics, among others: how they got started; their run-in with Disney over "ownership" of the word "Oz"; their various radio influences, including Steve Allen, Bob & Ray, Ernie Kovacs, Stan Freberg, Jack Benny, and "The Goon Show"; and their meticulous collaborative writing process. Questions from the seminar audience lead to comments on the following topics, among others: Bergman and Proctor's early political/musical comedy collaborations while at Yale; how a Marx-Lennon (Groucho Marx and John Lennon) stamp inspired by a Firesign album cover helped finance a revolution; the imminent re-release of some of their albums on CD, and their work on a CD-ROM; whether they ever feel entrapped by old characters and comedy routines; their "How Can You Be?" album (at this point they perform a reading, spoofing the "the fantastically generic ads that appear on TV today" for large conglomerates); why they believe Lorne Michaels has never asked them to appear on "Saturday Night Live"; similarities between the recording experimentation of the Beatles and their own albums; the influence of the Beatles on their work; the early influence of folk singers such as Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, and early Cat Stevens; Bergman's firing from KRLA after an off-color on-air remark about a Toyota car; various inspirations for their work, from a job fair Proctor visited to Disneyland; how they supported themselves in the early days; terrible experiences as the scorned opening act for such bands as Sha Na Na and the Tubes; and the fortuitous accident that was their first meeting.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: February 26, 1997 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:25:20
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:47533
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Jennifer Lewis … Moderator
- Phil Austin … Panelist
- Peter Bergman … Panelist
- David Ossman … Panelist
- Phil Proctor … Panelist
- Steve Allen
- The Beatles
- Jack Benny
- Bob & Ray
- Stan Freberg
- Ernie Kovacs
- Leadbelly
- John Lennon
- Groucho Marx
- Lorne Michaels
- Pete Seeger
- Sha Na Na
- Cat Stevens
- The Tubes