How Time Flys
Encyclopedia
How Time Flys is a comedy
album
written by David Ossman
and featuring the voice talents of all four members of The Firesign Theatre
plus several other contributors. It was originally released by Columbia Records
in 1973.
) (the same "Mark Time" character who appears in other Firesign Theatre albums), who was launched in a rocket from Earth
years ago on an exploratory voyage to "Planet X". As the story opens, it is December 31, 1999, and Mark's rocket is approaching Earth to finally complete its mission. Mark is awakened from hibernation by the rocket's computer system, and a light-hearted history video recorded five years earlier is played for him to bring him up-to-date on the events that have taken place on Earth during the latter half of the 20th century while he was away. Although Mark is unable to communicate with his Earth landing site, he lands anyway and is greeted by an aged launch facility and an equally aged robot, "Tweeny" (Philip Proctor
), who is the sole inhabitant of what is now the "President's Memorial Space Museum". It seems that Earth society has forgotten all about Mark; there are only holograph
ic recordings (one of which is of a now-deceased President Gazatchorn (Phil Austin
) who sounds like Richard Nixon
) left to welcome him and congratulate him on accomplishing his mission.
As Mark resigns himself to the end of his space career and the start of his retirement, he is drugged unconscious and kidnapped, along with the holographic recordings he made during his voyage. He awakens to find himself high above the Earth in a Zeppelin
, the guest of a "Mr. Motion" (Peter Bergman
) who plans to market Mark's recordings as entertainment. Mark protests that his research should be made available to the news media and freely disseminated to the public, but Mr. Motion tells him that Mark's news would be judged as no more important than any of the other newsbites that the news media (where it's "All news, all the time") constantly publishes. Mark still protests that his information is "not entertainment, it's real", to which Mr. Motion counters that Mark simply went on location and took photos: that's entertainment.
Mr. Motion brings the Zeppelin above a theme park, "Panoramaland 2000" (not unlike Las Vegas
in 2008) that features full-size holograms of world-famous buildings and monuments, and he begins to show Mark's holograms to the public. Mark's holograms combine with the theme park holograms, and the squid
-like creatures of Planet X appear to cavort around the theme park. Mark escapes from the Zeppelin and is interviewed by the media, only to be interrupted by an emergency bulletin that announces that a black hole
is approaching the Earth. The emergency announcer, however, portrays the upcoming catastrophe as just another interesting news event, albeit one that may finally provide an answer to "the question of infinity
". Mark suddenly finds himself back in his rocketship, approaching Earth again; the black hole has put him into a time loop
. It appears he will forever have to re-experience the day's events.
The LP insert states that the album was written and produced from March 11, 1973 to June 7, 1973 "in Wally Heider Studios 3 & 4 and on location".
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
written by David Ossman
David Ossman
David Ossman is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of The Firesign Theatre.-Career:...
and featuring the voice talents of all four members of The Firesign Theatre
The Firesign Theatre
The Firesign Theatre is an American comedy troupe consisting of Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, David Ossman and Philip Proctor. Their brand of surrealistic humor is best known through their record albums, which acquired a cult following in the late 1960s and early '70s.The troupe began as live radio...
plus several other contributors. It was originally released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1973.
Side one
NIGHTSIDE – DECEMBER 31, 1999 (24:10)- CUT 1 – Mark's Awakening (Midnight) (4:40)
- CUT 2 – "The Years In Your Ears" with Jim & Nellie Houseafire (recorded in May 1995) (6:30)
- CUT 3 – Tweeny and "The Welcome Home" (pre-programmed in October 1995) (10:55)
- CUT 4 – Manny, "Shortstop", and Lady Ann (Dawn) (2:05)
Side two
DAYSIDE – DECEMBER 31, 1999 (16:45)- CUT 1 – Consumer Instruction Section with Patsy Pending & Bruno Uvula (Manditory) (2:10)
- CUT 2 – Mark, Mr. Motion, and The Memory Loops with Manny and "Shortstop" aboard the "Gilda" (Noon) (8:05)
- CUT 3 – Emergency Program Over-Ride with Jim Dundee and W. C. Bingle (Live from Panoramaland 2000) (5:55)
- CUT 4 – The System Vs. The Black Hole (New Year's Eve) (:45)
Plot synopsis and commentary
The album tells the story of a solo astronaut, "Mark" (David OssmanDavid Ossman
David Ossman is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of The Firesign Theatre.-Career:...
) (the same "Mark Time" character who appears in other Firesign Theatre albums), who was launched in a rocket from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
years ago on an exploratory voyage to "Planet X". As the story opens, it is December 31, 1999, and Mark's rocket is approaching Earth to finally complete its mission. Mark is awakened from hibernation by the rocket's computer system, and a light-hearted history video recorded five years earlier is played for him to bring him up-to-date on the events that have taken place on Earth during the latter half of the 20th century while he was away. Although Mark is unable to communicate with his Earth landing site, he lands anyway and is greeted by an aged launch facility and an equally aged robot, "Tweeny" (Philip Proctor
Philip Proctor
Philip Proctor is an American actor, voice actor and a member of The Firesign Theatre. He plays Rocky Rococo and Nancy in the Nick Danger series. He is from Goshen, Indiana...
), who is the sole inhabitant of what is now the "President's Memorial Space Museum". It seems that Earth society has forgotten all about Mark; there are only holograph
Holograph
A holograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of the person whose signature it bears. Some countries or local jurisdictions within certain countries give legal standing to specific types of holographic documents, generally waiving requirements that they be witnessed...
ic recordings (one of which is of a now-deceased President Gazatchorn (Phil Austin
Phil Austin
Phil Austin is a comedian and writer. He was born in Denver, Colorado and later grew up in Fresno, California, attending Fresno High School...
) who sounds like Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
) left to welcome him and congratulate him on accomplishing his mission.
As Mark resigns himself to the end of his space career and the start of his retirement, he is drugged unconscious and kidnapped, along with the holographic recordings he made during his voyage. He awakens to find himself high above the Earth in a Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
, the guest of a "Mr. Motion" (Peter Bergman
Peter Bergman
Peter Bergman is an American soap opera actor best known for his portrayals as Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children, as well as Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless.-Biography:...
) who plans to market Mark's recordings as entertainment. Mark protests that his research should be made available to the news media and freely disseminated to the public, but Mr. Motion tells him that Mark's news would be judged as no more important than any of the other newsbites that the news media (where it's "All news, all the time") constantly publishes. Mark still protests that his information is "not entertainment, it's real", to which Mr. Motion counters that Mark simply went on location and took photos: that's entertainment.
Mr. Motion brings the Zeppelin above a theme park, "Panoramaland 2000" (not unlike Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in 2008) that features full-size holograms of world-famous buildings and monuments, and he begins to show Mark's holograms to the public. Mark's holograms combine with the theme park holograms, and the squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
-like creatures of Planet X appear to cavort around the theme park. Mark escapes from the Zeppelin and is interviewed by the media, only to be interrupted by an emergency bulletin that announces that a black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...
is approaching the Earth. The emergency announcer, however, portrays the upcoming catastrophe as just another interesting news event, albeit one that may finally provide an answer to "the question of infinity
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
". Mark suddenly finds himself back in his rocketship, approaching Earth again; the black hole has put him into a time loop
Time loop
A time loop or temporal loop is a common plot device in science fiction in which time runs normally for a set period but then skips back like a broken record. When the time loop "resets", the memories of most characters are reset...
. It appears he will forever have to re-experience the day's events.
Credits
- Philip ProctorPhilip ProctorPhilip Proctor is an American actor, voice actor and a member of The Firesign Theatre. He plays Rocky Rococo and Nancy in the Nick Danger series. He is from Goshen, Indiana...
as Tweeny® - Peter BergmanPeter BergmanPeter Bergman is an American soap opera actor best known for his portrayals as Dr. Cliff Warner on All My Children, as well as Jack Abbott on The Young and the Restless.-Biography:...
as Mr. Motion & Dr. Progresso Sweetheart - Phil AustinPhil AustinPhil Austin is a comedian and writer. He was born in Denver, Colorado and later grew up in Fresno, California, attending Fresno High School...
as President William D. Gazatchorn - Wolfman JackWolfman JackRobert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
as Jim Dundee - Harry ShearerHarry ShearerHarry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
& Penny NicholsPenny NicholsPenny Nichols is an American folk musician and songwriter. She began her career in the Southern California folk circuit in Orange County, California in 1964, singing in a bluegrass band with Alice, Bill & John McEuen...
(a singer) as Jim & Nellie Houseafire - Lew IrwinLew IrwinLew Irwin has been a Los Angeles-based journalist for more than 50 years. He was the original anchor/reporter at KABC-TV from 1957–1962 and the news director of Los Angeles radio stations KPOL, KRLA, KDAY, and KNX-FM...
as W. C. Bingle - Helena Kallianotes (one of the hitchhikers in Five Easy PiecesFive Easy PiecesFive Easy Pieces is a 1970 American drama film written by Carole Eastman and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Susan Anspach. The cast also includes Billy 'Green' Bush, Fannie Flagg, Ralph Waite, Sally Struthers, Lois Smith, Toni Basil, and...
) as Roxanne Pavemente - Jock Livingston (a Hollywood restaurant owner) as Gen. George "Crash" Gorgon, USAF, Ret.
- Tiny as Nurse Angela & Chuquita Bandana
- Richard PaulRichard PaulRichard Paul was an American actor.He was born in Los Angeles, California. He was able to imitate most American and many foreign dialects. He had a tenor voice and trained with Lee Sweetland....
as "Shortstop," Manny Grossero & Bruno UvulaUvulaThe palatine uvula, usually referred to as simply the uvula , is the conic projection from the posterior edge of the middle of the soft palate, composed of connective tissue containing a number of racemose glands, and some muscular fibers .-Function in language:The uvula plays a role in the... - Anna Cheverton Drury as Lady Ann®
- Jon Knoll as The Ground Control Dude
- Sheilah Wells as Patsy Pending
- Freddy Burns as Himself
- Steve Gillmor as Arnie Zonker
- Mike Rozsa and Scott Weintraub
- David OssmanDavid OssmanDavid Ossman is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of The Firesign Theatre.-Career:...
as "MARK"
LP Contents
The Stereo LP includes a stiff paper insert that can be broken apart and assembled to form a "3-D Diorama" of the album cover art, which shows Mark descending from the Zeppelin over Panoramaland 2000.The LP insert states that the album was written and produced from March 11, 1973 to June 7, 1973 "in Wally Heider Studios 3 & 4 and on location".