Amazon.com
During the freewheeling 1960s, the Firesign Theatre's brand of surreal, stream-of-consciousness humor was as much a part of the psychedelic landscape as acid rock. Blending puns, non sequiturs, and literary allusions, the heady and often absurd narratives were rife with multiple interpretations, depending on the listener's degree of altered consciousness.
Bride of Firesign reunites the original members--Phillip Austin, Phillip Proctor, David Ossman, and Peter Bergman--in a program equally divided between "Something Old, Something Nude" and "Something Buried, Something Rude." The first section brings back Firesign Theatre stalwart Nick Danger in a noirish, tongue-in-cheek "L-O-S- T G-A-L-S" and opens with a lengthy paean to the male appendage, entitled "Pulling It Off As a Man," which accounts for the parental advisory warning. The second section takes on contemporary subjects like biogenetics and stem-cell research, giving them an appropriately ghoulish and paranoid spin on "Dr. Fireside's Plastic Beauty Saloon" and "Low-Glow Land." The Firesign Theatre's gift for creating offbeat characters expounding absurdist points-of-view is as evident as ever, though their radio-show format necessarily relegates them to another era.
--Wally Shoup
The Bride of Firesign,Firesign Theatre,Rhino / Wea,Comedy,Pop,Sketch Comedy,Spoken / Comedy / Radio Shows,Spoken Word Comedy
Average customer rating:
- Note for newcomers
- Retro Recapture
- Sweet misery of wife alas I've lost you.
- Buy This Record Or We'll Shoot This Dog!
- A postmodern return to classic (and yet new) material
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The Bride of Firesign
Firesign Theatre
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
 General
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General
| Comedy
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Rhino Records
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Similar Items:
- Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers!
- Waiting for the Electrician Or Someone Like Him
- All Things Firesign
- How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?
- Give Me Immortality Or Give Me Death
ASIN: B00005NQK4
Release Date: 2001-09-04 |
Tracks:
- Pulling It Off As A Man
- Whaz Reeaal!
- Nick Danger's 'L-O-S-T G-A-L-S'
- The Bride Stripped Bare
- Low-Glow Land
- Xeno's Paradise
- The Haystack In The Needle
- Dr. Fireside's Plastic Beauty Saloon
- The Graverobber's Roadshow
Amazon.com
During the freewheeling 1960s, the Firesign Theatre's brand of surreal, stream-of-consciousness humor was as much a part of the psychedelic landscape as acid rock. Blending puns, non sequiturs, and literary allusions, the heady and often absurd narratives were rife with multiple interpretations, depending on the listener's degree of altered consciousness. Bride of Firesign reunites the original members--Phillip Austin, Phillip Proctor, David Ossman, and Peter Bergman--in a program equally divided between "Something Old, Something Nude" and "Something Buried, Something Rude." The first section brings back Firesign Theatre stalwart Nick Danger in a noirish, tongue-in-cheek "L-O-S- T G-A-L-S" and opens with a lengthy paean to the male appendage, entitled "Pulling It Off As a Man," which accounts for the parental advisory warning. The second section takes on contemporary subjects like biogenetics and stem-cell research, giving them an appropriately ghoulish and paranoid spin on "Dr. Fireside's Plastic Beauty Saloon" and "Low-Glow Land." The Firesign Theatre's gift for creating offbeat characters expounding absurdist points-of-view is as evident as ever, though their radio-show format necessarily relegates them to another era. --Wally Shoup
Customer Reviews:
Note for newcomers.......2005-09-08
As the gentleman below sez, don't start here. Also, don't get too caught up in that "hippie" thing. The only thing hippies discovered was amnesia. Folks sometimes forget history existed before hippies--there were plenty of cool, weird, creative people before the Summer of Love and many of them belonged to no known trend. Firesign vibes heavily and purposefully off of Ernie Kovacs, the Goon Show, Mad Magazine, and ESPECIALLY Bob and Ray who are gods to those who love radio wackiness, and a lot of pre-flower power humor that was often more bizarre than anything some pack of potheads could ever come up with. Few have any concept of how utterly kooky creative people could be pre-1967. Think of Tex Avery or the Marx Brothers or Salvador Dali, or look up some of the stuff Ward Kimball did for Disney in the 50's, then think of a roomful of giggling stoners with crayons. See what I mean? There are good arguments (good arguments, not necessarily popular arguments) that the hippie years actually represent a serious decline in quality of creative weirdness and creativity as a whole. Criticism barely existed and standards were astonishingly low. Think of all that hippie art that eventually (and effortlessly)morphed into crappy New Age art--dude, it's like this, uh, celestial pyramid with this, like, energy aura around it radiating peace and love to the whole planet, man. That sort of thing.
I write this because although many have a certain nostalgia for those ancient times of sitting around the dorm late at night stoned to the gills and listening to Firesign Theatre, the group's work is far more timeless and universal than any of those retro allusions would indicate. (Actually all the hippies I knew back then didn't like Firesign but the Physics grad students loved them). This isn't Cheech and Chong. If anything, they have the feel of cubist Shakespeare--the Bard would've loved these guys.
Retro Recapture.......2005-08-21
The essence of Firesign's appeal was a lampoon of the era that preceded the one of their greatest popularity: the hippie time.
Now we make fun of the hippie era. Where does that leave Firesign Theatre?
Why, this album explains it perfectly. In response to sentimental pent-up demand, we realize that we've become the thing we were satirizing, and dive right into the pool. Shameless and commercial as anything.
Is it good? Well, you be the judge. I thought it was a rehash, certainly not real original, and not terribly funny. But it's sure nice to see the boys again; it's been such a long exposition, you know.
Sweet misery of wife alas I've lost you........2005-06-30
Review of the Bride of Firesign, 5 stars, meaning "If you like clowning around and aren't afraid of "cloning around" then you MUST buy Bride of Firesign." But what of clones. First, you must realise there is a "bawdy" track at the start of the album, which might have been better at the end of the album, as a reprise take off on "live" appearances by the funny four, like at the end of How Can You Be, etc...., fans know, maybe you don't, or aren't yet, however, Bride of Firesign will turn you into a Firesign fan, and, although it seems a trifle self conscious from a writer's standpoint, borrowing from past work and cloning your own characters into spinoffs of their former adventures, that's what Firesign fans have requested and demanded, and they won't be disappointed to find that this album, Bride of Firesign, revives many of the Firesign Theatre standards, and in a very conscious effort NOT TO LOSE the original savoire faire of the first effort, you hear me, Waiting For the Electrician Or Someone Like Him. Bride takes off like a rocket to the top of the charts, in comic composition, in my opinion, after the "adult" intro sketch, where the reality shows of the present day, like Survivor, are left tossed into the mud with a tribute to sex manuals around a lonely campfire, "Pass me the talking stick it's my turn.", hilarious, and so true. Porgy and Mutthead are grown up and virtual at the second track, and later also, on this album, this COMEDY album. They are in their, er Porgie's, swell virtual room at his apartment and living the driving life of those two roadsters, Sal and Dean, from Jack Kerouacs 'On the Road'. Coincidently, as a suggestion, if anyone from their production company is listening, they do "On the Road" very well, and ought to compile an album of more "Road" moments, like with Jon Kerry at the wheel and young guy George Bush, his companion touring America for all its worth. It's like Thelma and Louise for men, yet far more insightful than just driving along and pondering the swift plunge off the edge of the canyon. Back to "Bride of Firesign". Bride of Firesign turns into a Nick Danger Detective Adventure right in front of the two pals Porgie and Mutthead as they view this album on a virtual computer worthy of Ray Bradbury, the science fiction genius. You can even visit Radio Now with out leaving this album, right along with "Driver Porgie and Driver (Mutt) Head." Yes, old fans and new fans and even curiosity seekers who want to, perhaps, NEED, to laugh at old CBS comedians who can't click their ruby red slippers and return home again will enjoy Bride of Firesign. And remember, it's the best, perhaps the ONLY, now that I think of it, Firesign Theatre album you would not be surprised to find being sold at one of those porno book and movie and adult sex toy stores along with Debbie Does Dallas, or I Am Curious, Yellow, or Blue. It is adult. So is wearing a tee shirt that says, Dude your Mom is HOT!, or WILD THING. That doesn't make it bad or sad, just, "unfamiliar" perhaps, or overly familiar, but does it really breed contempt? NO! Pass me the talking Dick, er STICK. The Firesign Theatre has come full circle on Bride of Firesign. In a nice way, I mean, my little man. You are all grown up now. I could cry, but I'm too mature for tears right now. It isn't just welcome to the future, it IS the future, right now. As Rocky Rococo, who is in this story might say, "Look into my EYE, you must have your friends and this album too!"
Buy This Record Or We'll Shoot This Dog!.......2002-03-17
...So here's the deal. Yes, they basically take existing characters and put them in new situations. Yes, the first segment (a satire of the Men's Movement, by the way) was a surprise the first time. And... it all works! It's freakin' hilarious!
They obviously knew what they were doing when not creating all brand new characters, and don't be concerned about them reaching a creative dead-end, as opined by some reviewers herein. Remember, Give Me Immortality introduced a whole new set of folks in a format that is extremely flexible (yes, I know Ralph Spoilsport isn't new...), and that was just 2 years ago.
You'll love things like the Mobius Strip, Unca Pharoah's, a club called The Haystack in a building called The Needle (666 stories tall? Interesting reference). Porge and Mud are at it again, but they aren't the main thrust here.
Very well done. And, nice liner notes from the troup.
A postmodern return to classic (and yet new) material.......2002-01-15
Very aptly named. This one is a real treat for the serious die-hard FST fans in particular, as this album references many of their earlier works, often in amazingly subtle ways (i.e. sometimes a single word or phrase said just the right way, etc). Especially impressive to me is how characters from previous albums are revivied and synthezied into new characters. For example, Bebop Loco from "Give Me Immortality" merges with Laura from "Eat or Be Eaten," a trick that is possible only in FST-land, where characters are defined by their rhetoric rather than by their inner nature. A dizzying ride overall, but probably not the best one to listen to before you check out their earlier works.
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