Dear Friends (radio program)


Dear Friends was a live radio program performed by the Firesign Theatre on KPFK radio in Los Angeles. Twenty-one episodes aired between September 16, 1970 and February 17, 1971. These programs were recorded and later edited into one-hour shows distributed on 12" LPs for national syndication. In January 1972, the group released a Dear Friends double album, a compilation of what they considered to be the best segments from the radio program. The original broadcasts were released in 2011 on the group's Duke of Madness Motors DVD compilation.

Episodes

Episode #1 - Live At The Ash Grove

Originally aired live on KPFK on November 15, 1970

Tracks - side one

Intros
  1. P.B. Intros Freddy Earth
  2. Vegetables
  3. Dr. Memory
  4. Animals
  5. Tongue Exercises
  6. Religious Items
  7. Whales
  8. Rap On Cartoon Men Dagwood & Jigs
  9. Segue > Drunks
  10. Arms
  11. Letter From Tokyo
  12. American Koan
  13. Egyptians
  14. Skeleton
  15. Pirates
  16. F.T. Anniversary
  17. Joke Contest
  18. P.B.'S Close
  19. Last Chord Of Music

    Tracks - side two

  20. Shaky Open
  21. Music Break
  22. Applause
  23. P.P. Bit
  24. Hole Earth Estates
  25. Teenie Weenies
  26. Animals
  27. Vaudeville Act
  28. Georgia Island Story
  29. Don G. O'vanni Spot
  30. Thanksgiving Piece
  31. Leary-Duck
  32. President's Names Rap
  33. Thank You

    Episode #2 - Power Is Trouble and Trouble's Not Funny

Originally aired live on KPFK on November 1, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. Satie Opening
  2. Animals In Army
  3. Glaubner's Disease
  4. Dr. Spitz and Dog
  5. Commerce
  6. Dying Pig
  7. Party Lecture
  8. Dr. Memory Show
  9. Citizen X Reviews Firesign Theatre Album
  10. Giant Toad
  11. Mark Time
  12. Mission Inn
  13. Early Farming
  14. P.A. - P.B. Coal
  15. D.O. Coal
  16. Coal Improv
  17. Moon Worms
  18. Amoeba To Oil
  19. P.P. Speech

    Tracks - side two

  20. Duck
  21. Winter
  22. BBQ Chanters
  23. Police Records
  24. Leg O Crow
  25. "What's So Funny" Jokes
  26. Willie Sutton
  27. Morning T.V. Guide
  28. D.O. Book Report
  29. P.B. -P.A. On Book Reports
  30. Questions For Kids
  31. Presidents
  32. Names
  33. P.P. Announcement
  34. Harmonica Solo
  35. More Kids Questions
  36. News Items
  37. P.A. Reading
  38. D.O. Whole Earth Poem
  39. Indian Land
  40. Power
  41. Fanfare

    Episode #3 - I Could Always Shoot Him With The Camera

Originally aired live on KPFK on October 4, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. Equipment Trouble
  2. Japanese Miniature T.V.S
  3. Surrogate Mothers
  4. Hair
  5. Drunks
  6. President and Committee
  7. The Greening Of America Discussion

    Tracks - side two

  8. Orson Welles Bit
  9. Punter's Girls
  10. Sound Effects War
  11. Fresh Chef
  12. Sex Jail
  13. Sex Movies
  14. W.C. Fields
  15. FDR And Hitler
  16. P.P.'S The Mutt and Smutt Show

    Episode #4 - Somebody Put A Mickey In The Ground Zero

Originally aired live on KPFK on October 11, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. Yale Distorts Tape – 8:15
  2. Conk's Coal Ad
  3. Rocket Scientists's Lunch
  4. "Chucko"
  5. News Items: Sophia Loren, Fires, Agnew
  6. Famous Comic's School
  7. Child And Models At Mott's Miniatures
  8. Can You Stop This

    Tracks - side two

  9. Hitler
  10. Opinion Research
  11. The Chinchilla Show
  12. Real America Items
  13. Mixville Rocket News
  14. Spud Commercial
  15. Disaster Reports
  16. Rocket-Fags
  17. Us Census
  18. Crabs
  19. Writer's School Spot
  20. Mutt and Smutt
  21. Music Bit
  22. The Compromise ATC
  23. Warning
  24. Blast-Off

    Episode #5 - All We Have To Fear Is Me

Originally aired live on KPFK on December 9, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. D.O. Intro
  2. Toad Away Hymn
  3. Book Of Punter
  4. Sermonizing
  5. "They Heard Us Talking"
  6. Pudy Valee
  7. President's Songs
  8. Lomesome Beet Song
  9. Navy Dress Regs
  10. Heaves Of Hoove
  11. P.P. As FBI Agent
  12. P.B. Kicks On Nix
  13. Music Break
  14. D.O. - Ad Billboard
  15. P.P. Zen Story
  16. P.B. Andalusion Dog
  17. P.P. Poem
  18. Ufos
  19. Sodom And Jubalee
  20. 2 Idiots For Peace
  21. Pauser's Manifesto
  22. Dr. Tim In Algeria
  23. Youthful Folly

    Tracks - side two

  24. D.O. Luie's Ad
  25. P.P. Pavlov's Dog
  26. Pooche's Beer Hall
  27. Afternoon T.V. Guide
  28. Watching T.V.
  29. I Am An American
  30. Luci and Desi
  31. C.B. Demille Movie
  32. Beer Ads
  33. Music Break
  34. Food Ad
  35. Hoove's Dogs
  36. Lavender Hoove
  37. Fish War
  38. Weather Report
  39. Carozzi Pot Garden
  40. Beaner Dealers
  41. Gym Hs
  42. Fod On T.V.
  43. Nightinjail JHS
  44. G. Canyon Suite
  45. Fudd
  46. Johnny
  47. Marvin Ratman
  48. Recruiting For FBI
  49. Zen Story
  50. Squash Outro

    Episode #6 - Deputy Dan Will Find Us No Matter Where We Go

Originally aired live on KPFK on November 8, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. Savings and Loan Spot
  2. Beer Drinking
  3. Tri-City Spot
  4. Education
  5. Cock Teasing
  6. Bears and Boars
  7. Baliol Bros. Spot
  8. Mudslide
  9. The FAg
  10. Police
  11. Aliens Spot
  12. Hanging Athenian Gardens
  13. Criogenics - Foster Freeze
  14. Rabbits
  15. Lucky Duck
  16. News Items
  17. Plane Bombings
  18. Boys Books
  19. Chicanos
  20. Baliol
  21. Deputy Dan
  22. Police Car
  23. Accident
  24. Amos and Andy

    Tracks - side two

  25. Baliol Spot
  26. G. Washington Letter
  27. Dr. Memory
  28. Baliol
  29. P.B.-Operation Bootstrap
  30. Fuse Of Doom
  31. Baliol Spot
  32. Tongue Exercises

    Episode #7 - Was There A Cow On The Moon?

Originally aired live on KPFK on November 29, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. Barn Dance Opening
  2. Peter's Birthday
  3. P.P.'S German
  4. Movie Score
  5. Mars-Marsh
  6. Motorcycle
  7. Bird-Dog Song
  8. Dik-Dik Story
  9. Pears-Paris
  10. Tarzan
  11. Copper Smelting
  12. Sex Problems
  13. T.V. Guide Girl
  14. P.P.'S "Bluff" Piece
  15. Pain Pills
  16. Brautigan Poem
  17. Golgotha Discussion
  18. Basket Boys
  19. War
  20. GI Bills

    Tracks - side two

  21. Businessman's Lunch
  22. Three Questions
  23. Homosexuals And Doctors
  24. Copper Smelting
  25. Badges
  26. Armegeddon
  27. War With The Cows
  28. "Hell"
  29. Message In Rocket Sequence
  30. Rose In Spanish Harlem Music Trip
  31. Men On The Moon
  32. Film-Makers
  33. Horse-Players
  34. Silence
  35. 2-Minute Light
  36. Money
  37. 45 Seconds To Go...

    Episode #8 - Being On Radio Is More Fun Than Watching TV

side one originally aired live on KPFK on October 18, 1970
side two originally aired live on KPFK on December 6, 1970

Tracks - side one

  1. Columbia School Of Broadcasting
  2. Women
  3. City Of The Future
  4. Sermon
  5. "Can't Say That On The Air"
  6. Women's Shoes
  7. Steel Hat
  8. Dr. I.Q.'S Announcing School
  9. The Curbfront Shysters
  10. Pluto Water
  11. Census Taking
  12. Serman Continues
  13. A Letter Disappears
  14. Hitler's Umlaut
  15. Discipline
  16. P.B. Spills The Coffee
  17. Playback Of Spill
  18. Sermon Continued
  19. Lick-A-Boot

    Tracks - side two

  20. Negros A Go Go
  21. P.A.'S T.V. Guide
  22. Winnie The Pooh - "Eeyore's Birthday"

    Episode #9 - Dr. Memory's Laff-A-While News

Originally aired live on KPFK on January 10, 1971

Tracks - side one

  1. Good News Items
  2. News Opening
  3. Production Code
  4. Bear Story
  5. Cops Broadcasting
  6. Hippie Words
  7. Newscasters
  8. Offensive Words
  9. More Cops
  10. Old Postman
  11. Jackie Globenfelt Story
  12. Selma W. Selma Song
  13. The Morgans
  14. Gump Door
  15. Rocket
  16. Mixville
  17. Bringing Up Father
  18. Baxter Ward On Fiji
  19. Famous Speakers School
  20. Car Wash Ad
  21. Dr. Memory

    Tracks - side two

  22. Fiji Islanders
  23. Welsh Accents
  24. Prohibited Words
  25. Exercises
  26. Greaso Practice
  27. Cigarette Ads
  28. Ecology
  29. Army Recruiting
  30. Garden Club News
  31. French Mother Goose Song And Story
  32. Production Code Standards
  33. Russian Book
  34. Children's Zoo
  35. Disappearance Of Animals
  36. P.P.'S Grandfather's Letter
  37. Mixville Rocket
  38. George Put-Put News Ad
  39. Dr.Memory

    Episode #10 - All Nite Images

Originally aired live on KPFK on January 17, 1971

Tracks - side one

  1. P.B.'S Voice Prints Of The 60s Spot
  2. P.P. On Concerts
  3. Sleep Researchers
  4. Truck Stop Cafe'
  5. Cell Meeting
  6. Mental Illness Statistics
  7. Fighter Ace
  8. Dall Show
  9. Bottomless Hot Dog Stand
  10. Professional Digester
  11. Glutton's Church
  12. The Pause
  13. Trains
  14. Roman Games Trip
  15. "Doing His Thing" Bit
  16. P.P.'S Ed's Restaurant Spot
  17. Broadcaster's School
  18. Jew In Palm Springs
  19. Yale And Bimidji
  20. Business Meeting: Priests
  21. Help The Hoove Fund
  22. Dialset Story
  23. Negro Records
  24. Duke Of Madness Motors Spot

    Tracks - side two

  25. Latin-Rocket Trip
  26. First Buffalo
  27. Extinct Animals
  28. Ike Speech
  29. State Of The Union Race
  30. Big Bomb Scare
  31. "The Young Polluters"
  32. Hoove T.V. Series
  33. Sex Mailer
  34. And Dirty Pix
  35. Sex On T.V.
  36. Review Of "Trash"
  37. Homosexuals
  38. The Talking Porpoise
  39. Blind Kids Sniff Pot
  40. Lady Driver
  41. Russian Driver
  42. Kidnappers
  43. Reminisences Of T.F.T.
  44. Alchemy
  45. Summer Police & Doctors Festival
  46. Outdoor Sales
  47. Beaners
  48. Crucified TV
  49. Truck Stop Reprise

    Episode #11 - Welcome To Microorganism State Park

Originally aired live on KPFK on January 24, 1971

Tracks - side one

  1. Jiver Intro
  2. Melon Mtn. Opening
  3. Technical Breakdown
  4. Popularization Of Art
  5. Saigon Yale Club
  6. Jewish Times Story
  7. Kung Fu Ad
  8. Dr. Dog As Brickbreaker
  9. Pet Pills At Fair
  10. Kid Roundup
  11. Kids In The Street
  12. Gravity On Reds
  13. Merc. In Fish
  14. Pres. Punter & Color T.V.S
  15. Rabbit Pellets
  16. Beaners Scoring Weed
  17. Cow Trip
  18. Dr. Whiplash Show
  19. Bazerko Lounge Spot
  20. Dear Nominee Set
  21. P.B. In Holiday Inns
  22. Sheep
  23. 4th Record - Jim & Spade Nixon
  24. Dr. Memory Set

    Tracks - side two

  25. Jefferson And The Mason
  26. P.P. On Sheep
  27. D.O.'S Ecology Pitch
  28. Tenner's Guide
  29. Whiskey Law
  30. Voices, Forest Growing
  31. Witches Brew
  32. Conquistador Club
  33. Animals You Won't See
  34. Earthworms
#
  1. Forest Fire Stories
  2. "We'll Never Forget"
  3. Clock Striking
  4. Rent Parties
  5. Chinese-Spades
  6. Robert Kelly Reading
  7. Talk About The Poem
  8. Dirty Words
  9. Marijuana Scare - Replay
  10. 5 Min Light
  11. Hollow Trees
  12. Where Trees Come From & What They Are Made Of
  13. Russian Poem To Sleep
  14. Dr. Memory Tag

    Episode #12 - Is This The Machine That Answers No "N" Yes?

Side one originally aired live on KPFK on February 3, 1971 and October 18, 1970.
Side two originally aired live on KPFK on February 17, 1971.

Tracks - side one

  1. "Dead Air"
  2. P.B.'S Mick Jagger Story – 1:20
  3. Fanfare
  4. Old Men-Vegetables
  5. Rain Falling & Plants Growing
  6. Judgement Of The Birds
  7. Arm Band Plays "Rudolph"
  8. Ascap Financial Report
  9. Agnew
  10. Plastique
  11. "La Condicion Humaine"
  12. Propane Car
  13. Bing Crosby On Teens
  14. Youth-Sex Games On Parade
  15. "Paranoia" Piece
  16. P.B.'S Andalusion Dog Poem
  17. P.P.'S Statement Of Principals
  18. P.A.'S Monte Cristo
  19. D.O.'S Swing Music
  20. Station Break

    Tracks - side two

  21. "Rainin" Music Out
  22. Cabin Rest. Spot
  23. Yes and No Machine
  24. Quotes And Questions
  25. Ben Hur
  26. Women In Wwii
  27. New Money
  28. Monastery In White House
  29. Elkheart Trains
  30. Laugh Track
  31. Stanford Train Trip
  32. Computors On Acid
  33. Subway Tour Guide
  34. "Mr. Prominent"
  35. Bundles
  36. Forward Into The Past
  37. Termites Eat Steel
  38. US Seal
  39. Old Cars
  40. Statistics
  41. Earthquake Farewell

    Issues and reissues

These shows were distributed to radio stations on 12 inch, white label LPs.
Selected parts of these shows were released by the group on the Columbia Records label as the double album Dear Friends in 1972.
Other parts were released — without mention of their origin — as parts of the group's Just Folks... A Firesign Chat album on Butterfly Records in 1977.
Between June 15 and September 28, 2010, New York radio station WFMU aired a 16-week series of archival shows which included all but episodes 1, 8, 10, and 12 of the syndicated Dear Friends in chronological order along with an unsyndicated Dear Friends episode broadcast on September 16, 1970 and episodes of their other KPFK series, The Firesign Theatre Radio Hour Hour and Let's Eat. As of October 2010, the individual programs from this run are available for streaming via the WFMU website, and a selection of the shows rebroadcast by the station are also available via iTunes.