I just invented the Tom Collins

July 4, 2019 12:30 PM

Celebrate the history of the United States with The Firesign Theatre (here spelled Theater) on their first album Waiting For The Electrician Or Someone Like Him [42m]. Presented in two sides from the perspective of 1968, the first side contains Temporarily Humboldt County (in which the American Natives confront outsiders for the first time), W.C. Fields Forever (in which the American Natives encounter the then-rising Counter Culture), and Le Trente-Huit Cunegonde (in which the American Natives face the possibilities of the future of the US).

The fifth side of the album is Waiting For The Electrician Or Someone Like Him, in which P negotiates his way through the surreal modern world in its wide and varying forms, with possibly devastating consequences.

Some CD pressings of the album also contain The Mantras And The Shakras, which is not part of the original release.

posted by hippybear (24 comments total)

Used to know the first album by heart. It will be interesting to see how much I remember after 50 years.
posted by beagle at 12:36 PM on July 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

I would never recommend that anyone unfamiliar with the Firesigns start here. It’s fairly unfocused and noisy, although “Beat the Reaper” is great. Start with either of the next two, or Forward into the Past is a fine compilation.
posted by argybarg at 12:40 PM on July 4, 2019 [3 favorites]

I'm at least 33 1/3 percent Firesign Theatre, by weight.

Papoon for President! Not Responsible! Not Insane!
posted by seanmpuckett at 12:44 PM on July 4, 2019 [4 favorites]

"D'ya mind if I put up this antenna up on yonder peak?"

"That's our sacred mountain."

"This is our sacred antenna!"

Still gets me laughing after all these years.
posted by jabo at 12:52 PM on July 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

Everything You Know is Wrong has always been my primary imprint for the Firesign Theatre.
I had no idea until minutes ago that it was a FILM!
posted by the Real Dan at 1:37 PM on July 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

~ Runs and gets his copy of The Firesign Theater's Big Book of Plays...blesses hippybear profusely along the way...sits down for a good long listen and read-along.
posted by Thorzdad at 3:09 PM on July 4, 2019

The Firesign Theatre was a constant while I was in college. “You’re no fun, you fell right over.” FT lines were a frequent component of conversation. A few years back I was browsing around the internet tubes and I found, I think on their website, that I could get disks with all their radio shows. One of my college roommates told me the radio shows were the best. He was from LA. Now I have more hours to listen to... It’s called the Duke of Madness Motors. It’s a book and data DVD with all the radio shows. Shoes for Industry!
posted by njohnson23 at 4:07 PM on July 4, 2019 [3 favorites]

In 1976, Firesign Theatre sponsored the national convention for the "National Surrealist Light People's Party" in Santa Barbara. The main candidate was George G. Papoon. The vice-presidential candidate was George Tirebiter, thus leading to the slogan, "Let George George and George Do It!"

My twin brother and I purchased half-clown plastic masks and attended the convention as "security bozos." We searched the incoming attendees, and if they didn't have a weapon, we gave them a water gun. There is a picture of one of us here.
posted by blob at 5:02 PM on July 4, 2019 [4 favorites]

We’ve been waiting for this post for hundreds of years!
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:14 PM on July 4, 2019 [7 favorites]

Now we can make tortillas!
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:18 PM on July 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

Some CD pressings of the album also contain The Mantras And The Shakras , which is not part of the original release.

That was probably the right call.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:21 PM on July 4, 2019 [1 favorite]

I had no idea until minutes ago that it was a FILM !

Aww, foo. Slightly over eight minutes to blackface.
posted by zamboni at 7:38 PM on July 4, 2019 [2 favorites]

‘We are all Bozos on this bus’ is the only Firesign Theater sketch I remember now.
Thank you for posting this, my friend who had the records died and his records went to a family member out of state.
posted by Gadgetenvy at 8:16 AM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

{singing} Porgy Tirebiter, he's a boy and girl delighter{/singing}
"Don't use your fork, son - use your entrenching tool!"
So much fun - and the first time I heard any on headphones? Mind. Blown.
Antelope Freeway 1/2 mile
Antelope Freeway 1/4 mile
Antelope Freeway 1/8 mile
Antelope Freeway 1/16 mile
posted by dbmcd at 10:51 AM on July 5, 2019 [5 favorites]

It’s a butte.

And a right pretty one, too.
posted by sudogeek at 11:16 AM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Oh! By the way, Domini Domini Domini, you're all Catholics now! God bless you!
posted by tommasz at 11:22 AM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

And to follow up dbmcd's post, "If you lived here you'd be home by now!"

I've loved FT since I first heard them as a high school junior.
posted by Lynsey at 11:30 AM on July 5, 2019

Is this one where someone says, "What god would kill his only son?"
posted by Mesaverdian at 2:25 PM on July 5, 2019

Their social critiques remain as incisive today as they ever were. I was initially raised on Don’t Crush That Dwarf, though I pretty much still have Waiting For The Electrician memorized.

“Hey, corn! Now we can make whiskey!”
“We've been waitin' hundreds o' years for this!”
“Say! I just invented the Tom Collins!”
“Here, Injun! Ya want some firewater?”
“No. We were warned by our Elders not to drink anything that would make us weak or silly.”
“Put it in their well”
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:18 PM on July 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Don't touch that dwarf, hand me the pliers!
posted by Obscure Reference at 4:57 AM on July 6, 2019

Whoops, it's don't CRUSH that dwarf. You'd think I'd have remembered that.
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:04 AM on July 6, 2019

If you have Siri, tell it the following: “This is worker speaking. Hello.”
posted by pipian at 11:49 AM on July 6, 2019

dbmcd, I think it goes down to "1/512th mile". Which is 10 feet.
posted by Eyebeams at 4:14 PM on July 6, 2019

Papoon for President! Not Responsible! Not Insane!

oh you sweet 1969 child
posted by away for regrooving at 12:15 AM on July 7, 2019