Firesign in odd places. Okay, anywhere you find it will be odd.

Cafe Society
1

Still no “Shoes for industry! Shoes for the dead!” spotted in the wild, but for a while the local ice cream truck played the tune from Bozos and I found a poster of presidents on our money and explained Ol’ Ben’s $100 with, “Benjamin Franklin: the only president of the United States who was never the president of the United States.” Any other examples you’ve found?

For the kids, I’m talking about the Firesign Theatre, the extremely influential comedy group of the Hippie Days. Turn to YouTube, load the bong, and immerse yourselves.

2

Apparently if you’re an older computer geek who wants to post negative comments anonymously you’re supposed to use names from FST.

Wasn’t there a computer magazine years ago that put random quotes in the masthead, including some FST ones? Dr. Dobb’s?

Bath, towel, border …

3

I hate to disappoint you but Dave Barry used the Benjamin Franklin line. So it might not have anything to do with Firesign Theatre.

4

Does it count that every time Family-Ko passes a road sign that says “Los Angeles” somebody adds “he walks by night”? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

5

It’s from Everything You Know Is Wrong. And their website
[quotes it]
(http://firesigntheatre.com/updates/00392.html) (in a sense: you’ll see what I mean)

I still remember the day in sophomore year when my roommate and I were listening to Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers for the umpteenth time and at a crucial moment of inspiration turned to each other and said in unison “God Is My Co-Pilot”!

6

I’m raising my grandson correctly. I can tell because when I had an attack of syncope and passed out, he said: “He’s no fun, he fell right over.”

7

It is very hard not to say that aloud sometimes. One sounds unsympathetic.

8

I was listening to an episode of Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me some years ago. It was probably when Larry Harmon, the original Bozo the Clown died, and there was a question about him. The listener did not know the answer, but then one of the panelists (Charlie, if memory serves) said “I think we’re all this guy on a bus”. That was just the hint that was needed.

And I’ve been known to say “holy Fudd” on occasion.

9

Often, when I’m preparing dinner at the stove, I will be heard to mutter “In the beginning…there were hot lumps.”

10

If you have an iPhone, activate Siri and say: “This is worker speaking. Hello.”

11

I said Barry used it. I didn’t claim he used it exclusively or even first.

12

Mine is sitting down to a meal and saying to myself, “Awww, grubs again. Grumble, grumble.”

13

“Oh, boy! Hotcakes! Heavy on the 30-weight, mom!”

14

No, sorry. You said it might not have anything to do with Firesign Theatre and that’s wrong. You also said Barry used it and that’s wrong, too. I can’t find any evidence of that.

Just a bad synapse in the memory wiring. Happens to all of us.

15

“Antelope Freeway, 1/128th of a mile”

16

Have you asked her “Why does the porridge-bird lay his egg in the air”?