Peter Bergman 1939-2012:
I think the first time I heard the Firesign Theatre was when I was visiting a friend in his co-op in college. We were all in the kitchen, painting murals on the walls, Listening to "Don't Crush That Dwarf". Everyone in the room responded to the question on the record with "It's going to be alright!!" At some point I think a drop of paint got on the LP. I had no idea what was going on, but I was immediately hooked.
Little did I know that years later, my friend in the co-op would get a chance to interview them on KBOO in Portland, OR.
That time in the kitchen set in motion a change in my life that would generate some of my fondest memories. I still will slip in a line from their album into conversation (and email threads, no less) to see if other's know about them. It's a bit like a shared secret.
So Peter, thank you for being part of the entity known as the Firesign Theatre. You have opened up my eyes to so many things. Yes, you died. But shrug it off, man. You'll live through it. It's going to be alright.
