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. They have been called the American Monty Pythons. In 1993 Sony/Columbia Records released Shoes For Industry, a "Best Of" double-CD package of their work. Their latest album, The Bride of Firesign, was released by Rhino Records in September, 2001.

I sometimes play Firesign Theatre material on Sound Affects on KFAI radio in the Twin Cities. (See current schedule.)

Breaking News! With the success of their recent new recordings on Rhino Records, and their television appearance on the PBS Special "Weirdly Cool", many of their old recordings have been reissued on Compact Disc, from several different vendors. Sony/Columbia released their first four albums. Those first four, plus several later ones are also coming out from Laugh.com, including "Everything You Know Is Wrong", "In The Next World You're On Your Own", and "The Giant Rat of Sumatra." See more on their official website at www.firesigntheatre.com. Other reissues are available through The LodesTone Catalog.

These are just a few of the Internet sites that have Firesign Theatre material.
Also check out the Firesign Theatre Webring, listed below.

  • The Official Firesign Theatre Homepage - http://www.firesigntheatre.com/.

    Lots of info about the recent albums. Sound files, pictures, and some great Flash movies. New material by the Firesign guys. A site that's moving with them into the new incarnation and the new century. A treat!

      

  • Firezine - The Official Official Digital Magazine of the Firesign Theatre - http://www.firezine.net/

    Plenty of info, recent news, and Firesign CDs and other stuff for sale that's simply not available anywhere else.


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

    Quite a compendium of Firesign related links. He also helps maintain the Official Firesign site (see above).

     

  • House of Firesign - Benway's Premier Site - http://www.benway.com/firesign/index2.html

    Some great images and lots of 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. Bios, FAQs, Chronologies, Discographies, Dictionaries, lyrics to songs,


  • Nino the Mind Boggler's Excellent site - http://www.Bigfoot.com/~Nino.Savatte/

    Sounds, links, and some very silly stuff of his own. And he knows you are coming already.


  • Tiny Dr. Tim's Firesign Fan Site - http://www.tinydrtim.com/

    You should go here just to see the wonderful Paisley Horsey on the cover, but there's also plenty of CD and Firesign DVD info, news, and more, just by clicking on the horse. Weirdly cool.


  • Richard Arnold's Firesign Links Page - http://www.boo.net/~rarnold/tft.html

    Includes links, sounds, news, and a wonder picture from the back of the "Everything You Know Is Wrong" album.


  • Planet Proctor Archives - http://www.planetproctor.com/

    You see, Phil Proctor wants to tell you something. So he writes up stuff people have sent him, tells stories of people he knows and works with in Jollywood, and generally quotes from the planet's wackiest people and culture. It's a good time with your mind. And this is where it's all kept in storage afterward.


  • 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, and other audio Cool Stuff and Flash movies.

     

  • The Mark Time Award - http://www.greatnorthernaudio.com/MarkTime/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.

      

  • Firesign Theatre newsgroup

    alt.comedy.firesgn-thtre


  • Firesign Theatre Roots interview - http://members.aol.com/tedalvy/fst.htm

    An all text page of historical info on the early Firesign and their origins.


  • Audio available.

    Some of their early albums were re-released recently on CD. You might find them occasionally in stores like Borders. Also check out Laugh.com, who is releasing many of their early works. There is a double CD Best of set, "Shoes for Industry" that is available from Sony/Columbia. And of course their recent recordings from 1998 through 2001.

    There are also a few things offered from The LodesTone Catalog, which includes Firesign's fairly recent cassette tape/CD issue of The Pink Hotel Burns Down, a collection of short pieces not previously released, and Anythyng You Want To, as originally done for NPR. Also check at the website of the Firezine for some material unavailable anywhere else.

  • Movies Available.

    There are three Firesign films available through the LodesTone Catalog - Martian Space Party, Nick Danger and the Case of the Missing Shoe, and Everything You Know Is Wrong. The Proctor and Bergman film, J-Men Forever is NOT commercially available yet, although they are trying to find out who owns it so it can be released. I just thought I'd put that out here, since I get asked that question so often.
     

    Firesign Theatre Web Ring

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    Last updated October 27, 2002.