Everything You Know is Wrong (1974)
Review from firstmusicreview.com
* * * * * One of Firesign's best titles
This title is one of the best of the Firesign Theatres 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. Its almost as if the album was so prophetic (as
well as hilarious) that its 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 apiece (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 youve 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 youre in for. The themes of power and TV pop up often in their work (especially ones 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, and 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!
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