David Ossman first created the Mark Time character as a parody of Flash Gordon for a November 1970 episode of The Firesign Theatre's radio show Dear Friends. In 1972, inspired by a news story about a hypothesized tenth Planet X, he wrote a story line with the character being sent on a voyage to Planet X, for use in the radio broadcast and movie Martian Space Party, recorded on the albumNot Insane or Anything You Want To. When the Firesigns took a sabbatical from writing as a group in 1973, Ossman adapted the Planet X plot to an album which he wrote solo, but cast the other three Firesigns in important roles.
Plot
Side one: NIGHTSIDE—DECEMBER 31, 1999
Mark's Awakening Solo astronaut Mark Time, launched from Earth in 1979 on an exploratory voyage to "Planet X", returns to Earth just before midnight on New Year's Eve, 1999. Mark is awakened from hibernation by the rocket's computer system.
The Years In Your Ears with Jim & Nellie Houseafire A prerecorded history video plays to bring Mark up-to-date on the events that have taken place on Earth during the latter half of the 20th century while he was away.
Tweeny and "The Welcome Home" Mark is unable to communicate with his Earth landing site, but is greeted on landing at the abandoned launch facility by an aged caretaker robot named "Tweeny", the sole inhabitant of what is now the "President's Memorial Space Museum". Society has forgotten all about Mark; there are only holographic recordings of an Air Force general and deceased President William D. Gazatchorn left to welcome and congratulate him on accomplishing his mission. As Mark resigns himself to his imminent retirement, he is drugged unconscious by Tweeny, who is then deactivated.
Manny, "Shortstop", and Lady Ann Mark is kidnapped by Manny and Shortstop, two robotic minions of a mysterious "Mr. M", along with the holographic recordings Mark made of his voyage to Planet X.
Side two: DAYSIDE—DECEMBER 31, 1999
Consumer Instruction Section with Patsy Pending & Bruno Uvula The commercially prepared instruction header from one of Mark's holographic recording tapes is heard.
Mark, Mr. Motion, and The Memory Loops with Manny and "Shortstop" aboard the Gilda Mark awakens aboard Mr. Motion's zeppelin, to a hologram recording of his landing on Planet X. Motion tells Mark he plans to sell the 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 stories continually published by an "all news, all the time" media. Mark protests 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. Motion brings the zeppelin above the theme park, "Panoramaland 2000" that features life-sized holographic replicas 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 inhabitants of Planet X appear to cavort around the theme park. Mark escapes from the zeppelin and is interviewed by reporter Chiquita Bandana.
Emergency Program Over-Ride with Jim Dundee and W. C. Bingle Mark's interview is interrupted by an emergency bulletin by Dr. Progresso Sweetheart, who announces that a black hole is approaching the Earth.
The System vs. The Black Hole The black hole puts Mark into a time loop, and he finds himself back in his spaceship just before midnight, repeating his landing approach to Earth.
Cast
David Ossman as Mark Time
Philip Proctor as Tweeny and Freddy Burns
Peter Bergman as Mr. Motion and Dr. Progresso Sweetheart
Phil Austin as President William D. Gazatchorn
Wolfman Jack as Jim Dundee
Harry Shearer and Penny Nichols as Jim and Nellie Houseafire
Lew Irwin as W. C. Bingle
Helena Kallianiotes as Roxanne Pavemente
Jock Livingston as Gen. George "Crash" Gorgon, USAF, Ret.
Tiny as Nurse Angela and Chiquita Bandana
Richard Paul as Shortstop, Manny Grossero, and Bruno Uvula
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".
