Solid State University

(28:42)
What if computers ran colleges and nobody came to class? This 1993 mockumentry was so far ahead of its time, it's already happened. The droll documentary style would make Christopher Guest proud.

Featuring the voice of Dan ("Ask Dr. Science") Coffey, and Dave Moore (WCCO TV).

Winner of the Golden Reel Award
for Best Radio Drama of 1993,
from the NFCB, National Federation of Community Broadcasters

Available at Blackstone Audio’s Downpour site, and in the Great Northern Audio Theatre Collection.
Long after this program was finished, Phil Proctor told me he had used the name Solid State University in 1973 in one of the Firesign Theatre books of plays. I looked it up, and he's right. The name was also used in J-Men Forever, the Proctor and Bergman film (1979), and in subsequent works. And here I actually thought I adapted it from DavE Romm's invention of the Solid State Fair, which we attended on the SHOCKWAVE radio show somewhere in the 80's. Go figure. -- Jerry.

ssu-movie
(Picture from the movie, J-Men Forever, by Proctor and Bergman.)
Peter Galaxy: Interstellar Envoy

Cast

  • Dan Coffey as the virtual president and VPs
  • Dave Moore as the professor
  • Jerry Stearns as the reporter
  • Sarah Eschweiler
  • Charlie Meitzner
  • Brian Anderson
  • Kara Dalkey
  • Mark Wheat

  • Engineering and SSU Marching Theme by Chris O'Dowd
  • Artwork by Greg Mathieson.
  • Written and Produced by Jerry Stearns
  • with additional dialogue by Todd Brun.
  • © 1993 by Jerry Stearns.
  • Thanks to Film in the Cities and KFAI Community Radio.

A Great Northern Audio Double Header


Also on the CD:
  • Tumbleweed Roundup (31:00)
  • Tumbleweed Roundup Theme Song - lyrics by Brian Price, music by Mike Wheaton (3:57)
SSU - Departmental Organization Chart

Solid State University
Scientific and Natural Administration For Universities

Dept. of Admissions and Denials
Dept. of Grants and Gratuities
Dept. of Matriculation
Dept. of Obstructions
Dept. of Departments
School of Civil and Liberal Arts and Politics

Dept. of Media, Culture, History and Mythos
Dept. of Religion, Politics, Entertainment and Statistics
Dept. of Reality Constructs
Dept. of None of the Above

School of Deep Science
Institute of Fuzzy Sciences

Dept. of Slightly Fuzzy Sciences
Dept. of Moderately Fuzzy Sciences
Dept. of Extremely Fuzzy Sciences
Dept. of Paradox, Chaos and Synchronicity
Clarke Institute of Technology and Magic

Dept. of Virtual Reality and Simulations
Dept. of Ancient Wisdoms
Dept. of Medicinal Purposes
Museum of Stupid Technology

Dept. of Other