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Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers is The Firesign Theatre's third comedy recording for Columbia Records. Released in 1970 at the height of their popularity, it is considered by many to be their best work. In 1983, The New Rolling Stone Record Guide called it "the greatest comedy album ever made" [1]. Image File history File links FT_dctdbmap. ...
A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ...
Left to right: Phil Proctor, Peter Bergman, Phil Austin, and David Ossman in 2001 The Firesign Theatre is a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. ...
1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...
1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...
A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ...
Comedy is the use of humor in the form of theater, where it simply referred to a play with a happy ending, in contrast to a tragedy. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ...
Left to right: Phil Proctor, Peter Bergman, Phil Austin, and David Ossman in 2001 The Firesign Theatre is a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. ...
The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that, along with its sister publication Rolling Stone magazine, contains professional reviews of popular music and is commonly used by both musicians and casual listeners. ...
Image File history File links Star*.svg Summary A golden star. ...
Image File history File links Star*.svg Summary A golden star. ...
Image File history File links Star*.svg Summary A golden star. ...
Image File history File links Star*.svg Summary A golden star. ...
Image File history File links Star*.svg Summary A golden star. ...
The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide is a 1996 book by Ronald L. Smith. ...
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Image File history File links Star*.svg Summary A golden star. ...
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Left to right: Phil Proctor, Peter Bergman, Phil Austin, and David Ossman in 2001 The Firesign Theatre is a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. ...
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When Youre Not Anywhere at All was the second comedy album recorded by The Firesign Theatre. ...
1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...
1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...
Between September 1970 and February 1971, The Firesign Theatre performed twenty one episodes of a live radio program titled Dear Friends on KPFK radio in Los Angeles. ...
Left to right: Phil Proctor, Peter Bergman, Phil Austin, and David Ossman in 2001 The Firesign Theatre is a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. ...
Comedy is the use of humor in the form of theater, where it simply referred to a play with a happy ending, in contrast to a tragedy. ...
Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ...
1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...
The Rolling Stone Album Guide, previously known as The Rolling Stone Record Guide, is a book that, along with its sister publication Rolling Stone magazine, contains professional reviews of popular music and is commonly used by both musicians and casual listeners. ...
Tracks
Side one This Side - 22:16
Side two The Other Side - 24:12 [3]
Detailed Track Information and Commentary This was The Firesign Theatre's first album wherein a single narrative took up both sides of the album.
In Phil Austin's notes to the 1987 Mobile Fidelity re-release of this album he says "'Dwarf' is the story of the five ages of Man and in particular, the five ages of one George Leroy Tirebiter; a man named after a dog" [4]
The piece centers on the character of Tirebiter (played by David Ossman) who is not only named after a dog but is also a former child actor who spends his time watching himself on late-night television. David Ossman (born December 6, 1936 in Santa Monica, California) is the oldest member of The Firesign Theatre. ...
The term child actor is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion the latter is also called a former child actor. ...
As his evening unfolds, the listener hears "excerpts" from the fictional movie High School Madness starring Peorgie Tirebiter. This film is a parody of shows like the Aldrich Family radio show and of 1940s youth in general, interspersed with commercials and other staples of late-night television as Tirebiter randomly changes channels. Cast of The Aldrich Family The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy (1939-1953), is remembered first and foremost for its unforgettable introduction: awkward teen Henrys mother calling, Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich! A top-ten ratings hit within two years of its birth (in 1941...
// Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ...
Advertising, generally speaking, is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually performed by an identified sponsor. ...
Ultimately, the piece is about the universal experience of channel-surfing, being only partly concerned with the subjective experience of the main character.
The catch phrase, "This is UTV, for you, the viewer!" was eerily prophetic of what in the following decade would become standard television viewing habits for Americans, after the rise of cable television. A catch phrase is a phrase or expression that is popularized, usually through repeated use, by a real person or fictional character. ...
Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ...
Another satirical comment from the album that has held up well was the slogan of The Howl of the Wolf Movie, "Presenting honest stories of working people as told by rich Hollywood stars" [3].
Issues and Reissues This album was originally released simultaneously on LP, 8 Track, and Cassette. - LP - Columbia C-30102
- 8 Track - Columbia 18C-30102
- Cassette - Columbia CT-30102
It has been re-released on CD at least five times: - 1987 - Mobile Fidelity MFCD-880
- 2001 - Acadia ACA8018
- 2001 - Laugh.com LGH1072
- 2001 (October) - Columbia CK-30102
- 2001 (December) - Sony/Legacy - CK-85775
[5] Sony Records is a record label courtesy of Columbia; Epic; and American Recordings. ...
Trivia
Origin of George Tirebiter's name There was a real George Tirebiter, who was a dog [4]. Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) Puppy redirects here. ...
In 1946, a mongrel whose owner had died wandered onto the campus of the University of Southern California and was adopted by the students as an unofficial mascot. The mutt acquired a reputation for chasing cars--hence the name. The dog became so famous that at one point he was kidnaped by rival students from UCLA, who shaved their school's letters into his fur. In 1950 his car-chasing career came to an end when he was run over. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...
The University of Southern California (also known as USC, SC, Southern California and Southern Cal), located in the urban center of Los Angeles, California, was founded in 1880, making it Californias oldest private research university. ...
The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ...
1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
During Tirebiter's run as the USC mascot, a young David Ossman lived nearby. No one could have foreseen that the boy would revive the name 20 years later as that of a classic comedy character. It is a typical example of why Firesign humor appealed especially to college students.
The five ages of George Leroy Tirebiter In his notes to the Mobile Fidelity release, Phil Austin says that the five ages or George Leroy Tirebiter are: - Tirebiter the Child, called Peorge or Peorgie
- Tirebiter the College student, called George Tirebiter Camden N200-R
- Tirebiter the Soldier, called Lt. Tirebiter
- Tirebiter the Actor, called Dave Casman
- Tirebiter the Old Man, called George Leroy Tirebiter
[6]
Other Trivia Read or watch a performance of Thornton Wilder's play, The Skin of Our Teeth, and you will notice many similarities. The characters and stage manager/narrator often break the fourth wall and address the audience directly. The faux newscasts and abrupt transititions in the play mirror the multimedia stream-of-consciousness that characterize this (and most other) FT performances. Sabina expresses her misgivings about the show. Lt. Tirebiter cannot give his men the order to kill, so he breaks character. Thornton Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. ...
This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...
The protagonist of TSOOT is George Antrobus, purportedly the inventor of the wheel. In a news broadcast in DCTD, there is a reference to Antrobus inventing the wheel in 1938 BC. The FT newscast seems to be taking place in a post-apocalyptic setting similar to TSOOT. No one was born (after they changed the water)--except dark-hued aquarium children. There had been a 100 year war with the cows. Fred/Adolf Tirebiter, shares much with George Antrobus. They are both archetypes of the American Pater Familias. Antrobus becomes President of the Humans; Tirebiter becomes Peoples Commissioner. They find themselves on opposite sides of a war/trial with their sons.
Of course, The Skin of Our Teeth has often been linked to James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake, but that, as they say, is another story... James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish name Séamas Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an expatriate Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ...
Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
George's failed pizza to go order is the other half of Nick Danger's conversation from How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All. Left to right: Phil Proctor, Peter Bergman, Phil Austin, and David Ossman in 2001 The Firesign Theatre is a comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman, and Philip Proctor. ...
How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When Youre Not Anywhere at All was the second comedy album recorded by The Firesign Theatre. ...
At one point the proposed title for this album was We'll be Heironymus Bosch in Jest a Minute, but Faust . . . [4]
The LP release of this album included a poster of the group [3].
The Mobile Fidelity CD release of Dwarf is very rare. During the late 1990s and up until 2001 the bidding on Ebay for copies of the Mobile Fidelity edition regularly reached the $125 range with one copy actually selling for $250 in 2000. The price for the Mobile Fidelity CD has dropped, however, since this title became available again.
References - ^ a b Marsh, Dave, and Greil Marcus. "The Firesign Theatre." The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Ed. Dave Marsh and John Swenson. New York: Random House, 1983. 175-176.
- ^ Smith, Ronald L. The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide. Iola: Krause, 1996.
- ^ a b c Firesign Theatre. Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers. Columbia Records, 1970.
- ^ a b c Firesign Theatre. Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers. Mobile Fidelity, 1987.
- ^ For information about the various releases and re-releases of this album, see the following:
"FIREZINE: Linques!." Firesign Theatre FAQ. 20 Jan. 2006 <http://firezine.net/faq/>.
Firesign Theatre. Firesign Theatre. 19 Jan. 2006 <http://www.firesigntheatre.com/>.
At the Official Firesign Theatre Website, see specifically [1] - ^ Firesign Theatre. Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers. Mobile Fidelity, 1987.
This description of Tirebiter's "ages" are quoted directly from the notes to the Mobile Fidelity release. |
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