T
Thomps2525
Guest
I wrote this obituary for a radio fanzine. I did not plagiarize it. Well...maybe a sentence or two, but that's all. 
Phil Austin, a founding member of the Firesign Theatre satirical comedy troupe, died June 19 of cardiac arrest following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 75. His most popular character was Nick Danger, a zany detective with the mysterious power of a third eye. Born in Denver, Austin grew up in Fresno and studied drama at Fresno State and UCLA. He began performing in plays and in 1966 appeared with fellow actor Philip Proctor and documentary filmmaker David Ossman on Radio Free Oz, Peter Bergman's late-night talk program on KPFK. The four began doing improvisational comedy. After several more radio appearances, they became the Firesign Theatre and started performing at local clubs such as the Ash Grove and the Magic Mushroom. They landed a recording contract with Columbia and eventually released more than 20 albums for various labels. Eight of those albums appeared on Billboard's Top 200 chart. The biggest was I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus, which reached #50 in 1971. In 1967, Radio Free Oz moved to KRLA, where it aired on Sunday nights. The program was heard on KMET in 1968. The troupe starred in The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour on KPPC in 1969. They returned to KPFK in 1970 with a short-lived weekly comedy program titled Dear Friends. The best segments were released on an album. During the 1980 Presidential race, the troupe's satirical political commentaries were heard on NPR. The Firesign Theatre also released four books and starred in 16 films.
Phil Austin, a founding member of the Firesign Theatre satirical comedy troupe, died June 19 of cardiac arrest following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 75. His most popular character was Nick Danger, a zany detective with the mysterious power of a third eye. Born in Denver, Austin grew up in Fresno and studied drama at Fresno State and UCLA. He began performing in plays and in 1966 appeared with fellow actor Philip Proctor and documentary filmmaker David Ossman on Radio Free Oz, Peter Bergman's late-night talk program on KPFK. The four began doing improvisational comedy. After several more radio appearances, they became the Firesign Theatre and started performing at local clubs such as the Ash Grove and the Magic Mushroom. They landed a recording contract with Columbia and eventually released more than 20 albums for various labels. Eight of those albums appeared on Billboard's Top 200 chart. The biggest was I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus, which reached #50 in 1971. In 1967, Radio Free Oz moved to KRLA, where it aired on Sunday nights. The program was heard on KMET in 1968. The troupe starred in The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour on KPPC in 1969. They returned to KPFK in 1970 with a short-lived weekly comedy program titled Dear Friends. The best segments were released on an album. During the 1980 Presidential race, the troupe's satirical political commentaries were heard on NPR. The Firesign Theatre also released four books and starred in 16 films.