Search - Firesign Theater :: Everything You Know Is Wrong

Firesign Theatre at its best

Kevin O'Conner | 09/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I owned a copy of this LP as a kid; the wordplay and the beer commercial parody alone were enough to keep me and my friends howling with laughter whenever we'd listen. The Firesign Theatre represents a form of entertainment that has become something of a lost art: what used to be referred to as "theater of the mind". Much like radio plays, Firesign Theatre albums tell a story through characters and dramatization, with each listener's imagination providing the visuals. This kind of experience is hard to beat. (I got to see the Everything You Know Is Wrong video a couple of years ago and was actually a little disappointed by it; the visuals in my head were far more intriguing.)The review posted below mentions most of the highlights on this album, though my favorite part (other than the opening: "Dogs flew spaceships! The Aztecs invented the vacation! Men and women are the same sex! Our forefathers took drugs! Yes! That's right! Everything you know is WRONG!") was always the Bear Whiz Beer commercial, which perfectly parodied the Olympia Beer commercials of the day (1973).I've always been a little surprised that Sony didn't include this album when they reissued some of the Firesign Theatre catalog on CD a few years ago. But, leave it to a small label like Laugh.com to step in and fill the void. I'm not sure why this disc is listed as an import, though; the label's fulfillment center is in California. Still worth picking up, though. This will be my first Firesign Theatre CD purchase, that's for sure."

One of Firesign's best titles

Kevin O'Conner | 09/17/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This title is one of the best of the Firesign Theatre's canon... and that's saying a lot. It is a satire of New Age beliefs (or what were "New" back in 1974) which, remarkably, has aged very little. It's almost as if the album was so prophetic (as well as hilarious) that it's taken until now for everyone else to catch up to the humor. The troupe - David Ossman, Peter Bergman, Philip Proctor, and Philip Austin - all perform several roles a piece (though the lead character of Dr. "Happy" Harry Cox is handled by Austin) and do so remarkably. As with all Firesign efforts, laugh lines reveal themselves with every new listen, though the surrealism of "Don't Crush That Dwarf" and "How Can You Be..." are dialed down a bit, making this somewhat more accessible to neophytes. If you've never heard of the Firesign Theatre, just imagine the "head" (read: drug) humor of the '60s and '70s being pushed through the minds of four highly educated wits with enormous refence levels and then being performed by an Old Time "Golden Age of Radio" cast and you get a fair idea of what you're in for. The themes of power and TV pop up often in their work (especially one's relation to the other) and their media satires are devastating. And, above all else, they're really, really funny. Robin Williams, George Carlin, Chevy Chase, & John Goodman are fans, if that helps! Brainy, hilarious, and formerly out of print for over a decade, so grab a copy now before it goes into moratorium again!"

The perfect entry point for Firesign neophytes

D. T. Dennison | Powell, OH USA | 12/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all the Firesign Theater's essential recordings, "Everything You Know" is the most accessible. All the signature elements are here: savage wordplay, pitiless skewering of pop culture and political icons, and the pitch-perfect comic timing of the performances.



The TV shows and films within the radioplay are pure genius. The "Happy Hour News" with Pat Hat's interview of motorcycle daredemon Rebus Caneebus (hey, honey, y'ever heard of me?) plays like this evening's local news; the travelogue "The Golden Hind" features a weird alien encounter in the Arizona desert; and the "Army Training Film" with Genl. Curtis Goatheart (they think he is insane - yet he outranks them. His option: command!) is at once hilarious and as chilling as a Donald Rumsfeld press conference.



It sounds heavy, although it's anything but. The action jumps from scene to scene at breakneck speed, and the layers of subtext aren't always apparent - which is why the Firesign Theater's miniature epics demand repeated listenings. It's as absurd as Monty Python, as witty as Oscar Wilde, and as playful as James Joyce.



The story and presentation of "Everything You Know" is a bit more linear than Firesign classics like "Don't Crush That Dwarf" and "Waiting for the Electrician", making it an excellent introduction to Firesign's rich body of comic work. Absolutely essential listening!"