Biography
Born in Denver, Colorado, Phil Austin grew up in Fresno, California, and gained his widest recognition through membership in the Firesign Theatre comedy ensemble. On a swimming scholarship he entered Bowdoin, the Ivy League men’s college in Maine, where he appeared in multiple stage productions, contributed articles to the campus paper and literary magazines, and presented his own program on the college radio outlet. During the early 1960s Austin directed and produced “plays by dead authors” in Los Angeles, drawing David Ossman—an actor, poet, and radio host also active in the city—into the projects. While producing, writing, and performing on KPFK’s Radio Free Oz, Austin joined Ossman, Peter Bergman, and Phil Proctor to form Firesign Theatre. Among the many roles he created with the troupe, Nick Danger Private Eye remained his favorite, an outgrowth of his longstanding fascination with hard-boiled film-noir detectives; he later revived the character both in group recordings and in independent segments aired on National Public Radio. In 1974 he issued the solo comedy album Roller Maidens from Outer Space, though the other three Firesign members also appeared on the record. The following year Austin and Ossman toured together as a comedy duo. He maintained a steady output of writing and performing for television and radio throughout subsequent decades until his death from an aneurysm in June 2015 at the age of 74.
Albums