Firesign
the electromagnetic history of everything as told on nine comedy albums
$42.40
- Paperback
320 pages
- Release Date
9 February 2025
Summary
Firesign: Reclaiming Comedy’s Forgotten Pioneers of the Counterculture
A cultural clearinghouse of the American 1960s and ‘70s told through the story of the period’s most important forgotten comedy group.
This expansive book reclaims the Firesign Theatre (hazily remembered as a comedy act for stoners) as critically engaged artists working in the heart of the culture industry at a time of massive social and technological change. At the intersection of popular…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780520398528 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0520398521 |
| Author: | Jeremy Braddock |
| Publisher: | University of California Press |
| Imprint: | University of California Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 320 |
| Release Date: | 9 February 2025 |
| Weight: | 454g |
| Dimensions: | 229mm x 152mm x 25mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
“A more compelling book of this kind could hardly be imaginable.” * Los Angeles Review of Books *“Jeremy Braddock has done absolutely astonishing work in putting together this history of the group, how it leveraged the technology of the moment in real time (as it was released), and all the obscure references and connections in it from history, current affairs, and pop culture. An enormous achievement.” * David Wineberg’s “The Straight Dope” *“Tremendously informative and enjoyable.” * Mindplex Magazine *
“A significant addition to the literature of the period often called the Long Sixties… . From Braddock’s discussion of the troupe’s influences and personal histories to the clever and erudite analysis of the group’s work, his exploration of the Firesign Theater is certainly well worth the wait.”
* CounterPunch *”… perceptive and well grounded. Braddock delivers his analysis with clarity, precision, and, as the title suggests, at least a dose of humour.” * Popular Music *“This book argues for Firesign’s spot in the canon of classic comedy troupes and album-makers, if only for how it also used technology creatively, brought back Surrealism, and briefly made literate comedy popular.” * Vulture *About The Author
Jeremy Braddock
Jeremy Braddock teaches literature, media, and sound studies at Cornell University and is author of Collecting as Modernist Practice, which was awarded the Modernist Studies Association Book Prize.
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