The Residents

The Residents are an experimental music and visual arts group from Shreveport, United States, active from 1966 to the present. They are associated with art pop, art rock, avant-garde, experimental, experimental electronic and experimental rock, and are often described as an avant-garde experimental group. The group is known for treating identity as part of its artistic presentation, performing in disguise and maintaining a long-running air of mystery.

Early years and identity

The Residents begin recording in 1967, with early material remaining unreleased for many years. Recordings from around 1969 circulate through bootlegs, and the group adopts the name The Residents in 1972. Their name comes from an anonymous tape being returned with the address line interpreted as a reference to “residents”.

The group’s public image is built around anonymity. Members do not identify themselves publicly, and the act appears in costume, often with tuxedos, top hats and large eyeball masks. They also avoid media interviews. In later years, Hardy Fox identifies himself as both the anonymous primary composer and producer for the group and as the pseudonymous Charles Bobuck.

Recordings and releases

The Residents form their own label, Ralph Records, to release their debut single, Santa Dog, which appears in 1972 in a pressing of 300 copies. Their first full-length album, Meet the Residents, follows in 1974 and gains attention for its cover art, which prompts a threatened lawsuit from Capitol Records.

Also in 1974, Not Available is recorded with the intention that it should remain unreleased, but it later appears because of a contractual obligation. In 1976, the group issues The Third Reich ’N Roll, a set of oldies covers presented in a controversial sleeve showing Adolf Hitler holding a carrot. A 1977 version of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” becomes an underground hit during the punk era.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the group releases Duck Stab, Eskimo and Commercial Album. Commercial Album consists of 40 one-minute songs and is broadcast on San Francisco radio because the group plays it during the advertising time it purchases. The Residents also create the “Mole Trilogy”: Mark of the Mole (1981), The Tunes of Two Cities (1982) and The Big Bubble (1985), supported by the multimedia tour The Mole Show.

Other projects include the “American Composer” series, of which only George & James and Stars & Hank Forever appear. George & James reinterprets songs by George Gershwin and James Brown, while Stars & Hank Forever draws on John Philip Sousa and Hank Williams. After financial and corporate problems, the group creates New Ralph and issues God in Three Persons and The King and Eye, the latter reworking Elvis Presley material.

Later work

After regaining the rights to their music in 1990, The Residents reissue earlier material and release Freak Show, a work centred on circus sideshows and carnival dementia. Freak Show is later issued as a CD-ROM, marking the group’s first use of digital interactive media. Have a Bad Day follows in 1996 and includes the soundtrack to the CD-ROM game Bad Day on the Midway.

The group marks its silver anniversary in 1997 with the career overview Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses. Wormwood: Curious Stories From the Bible follows, along with Roadworms, a live version of songs from that project. They then release the DVD Icky Flix, which combines old and new soundtracks, surround sound, hidden videos and track histories, and they tour with it, featuring guest singer Molly Harvey in some performances.

Further releases include Petting Zoo, Demons Dance Alone, Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town, Animal Lover, The River of Crime: Episodes 1-5, Night of the Hunters, The Voice of Midnight and The Bunny Boy. The River of Crime is the group’s first project with Warner Music Group’s Cordless label. They also provide music for the documentary Strange Culture and launch the weekly Timmy video project on YouTube. The Bunny Boy tour begins their first North America tour since Demons Dance Alone, and later expands to Europe.

Membership and legacy

The Residents are associated with the names Hardy Fox and Randy, and the group’s representation has been linked to the Cryptic Corporation, with Jay Clem acting as spokesman. Their catalogue includes reissues, remixes and long-out-of-print recordings, alongside work across albums, stage shows, DVDs, CD-ROMs and video projects. Their release history reflects a mix of pop deconstruction, conceptual composition, multimedia performance and sustained anonymity.