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Thread: Who Were The Residents?

  1. #1
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Who Were The Residents?

    I used to have a bunch of Residents LPs but got tired of their self-consciously forced weirdness. Nevertheless I think "Meet The Residents" and "Not Available" and "Eskimo" might be stone cold classics.

    Did anybody ever determine who, exactly, was in the band?

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    There's a couple of guys who use the names "Homer Flynn" and "Hardy Fox", but I suspect those aren't their real names. They claim to be The Residents' managers, and they give interviews if some journalist wants to talk to the band - "Hardy Fox" talks about their music, and "Homer Flynn" talks about their visuals (The Residents themselves never talk to the press). They also claim that they are not The Residents, although "Homer Flynn" bears a strong facial resemblance to "Randy, the singer from The Residents" (or at least to what can be seen of Randy past the masks he usually wears), and his voice sounds exactly like "Randy"s.

    I should add that they consider anybody who has ever worked with The Residents to be members of the band - and by now that probably amounts to dozens or hundreds of people.

    EDIT: Here is an interview with Charles Bobuck, who appears to be "Hardy Fox". He has now retired - health issues made it difficult for him to tour, and the band rarely release new albums, so he doesn't need to compose music for them very often. http://www.oregonmusicnews.com/charl...ents-interview
    Last edited by Baribrotzer; 12-30-2017 at 07:14 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Baribrotzer View Post
    There's a couple of guys who use the names "Homer Flynn" and "Hardy Fox", but I suspect those aren't their real names. They claim to be The Residents' managers, and they give interviews if some journalist wants to talk to the band - "Hardy Fox" talks about their music, and "Homer Flynn" talks about their visuals (The Residents themselves never talk to the press). They also claim that they are not The Residents, although "Homer Flynn" bears a strong facial resemblance to "Randy, the singer from The Residents" (or at least to what can be seen of Randy past the masks he usually wears), and his voice sounds exactly like "Randy"s.

    I should add that they consider anybody who has ever worked with The Residents to be members of the band - and by now that probably amounts to dozens or hundreds of people.

    EDIT: Here is an interview with Charles Bobuck, who appears to be "Hardy Fox". He has now retired - health issues made it difficult for him to tour, and the band rarely release new albums, so he doesn't need to compose music for them very often. http://www.oregonmusicnews.com/charl...ents-interview
    The latest album is very good indeed.

    I bought a 'Charles Bobuck' album of Residents re-recordings that was... OK, and an album called 'Codgers on the Moon', which is just odd. My copy is one a weird splattered vinyl.

    I was friends with 'Charles Bobuck' on Facebook, but I think he's vanished or changed his name.

    There have been half a dozen releases over the last 10 years, mainly live albums and out-takes.

  4. #4
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    Yeah, there was an original four, but some time after their first tour in the 80s, two split leaving Homer and Hardy. This is at least my understanding.

    Some time in the 00s, the anonymity began to matter less and less too. Anonymity is part of the brand, to be sure, so no one will directly cop to it, and as a fan, I approve. But they aren't putting a lot of effort into maintaining the ruse either.
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
    Yeah, there was an original four, but some time after their first tour in the 80s, two split leaving Homer and Hardy. This is at least my understanding.
    The other two original members, apparently, are Jay Clem and John Kennedy. Clem, Kennedy, Fox and Flynn are the four names given on paperwork associated wit the founding of the Cryptic Corporation in the early 70's. Apparently, someone figured out if you check BMI's records, Flynn and Fox are listed as composers of all of the band's original material. And voiceprints have been done which suggest Flynn is indeed the group's vocalist.

    An author named William Poundstone explored this topic in one of his BIg Secrets books. He compared voiceprints of Flynn (taken from a lecture he gave at some point) against the spoken word bits in the band's catalog, and he basically says the voices are pretty much identical.

    Also, it's been said that pretty much everyone who had dealings with Ralph Records eventually figured out that the band's "representatives" were in fact the band themselves. One of the guys from Tuxedomoon says "the guy who did the graphics, and the engineer in the studio" were basically the group.

    We also have this on Wikipedia: "In October 2017, Hardy Fox identified himself as both the anonymous primary composer and producer for The Residents as well as the pseudonymous Charles Bobuck".

    I remember I used to know someone who was convinced that Les Claypool was the group's singer. I remember saying, "Yeah, that would make him about 5 years old when they made their first album". There was also apparently rumors that The Beatles were The Residents (this is alluded to in the 1977 Radio Special, where Jay Clem mentions that the Beatles are not The Residents, but The Beatles do appear on one of The Residents' records!).

  6. #6
    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    I remember I used to know someone who was convinced that Les Claypool was the group's singer. I remember saying, "Yeah, that would make him about 5 years old when they made their first album".
    He was very precocious.
    There was also apparently rumors that The Beatles were The Residents (this is alluded to in the 1977 Radio Special, where Jay Clem mentions that the Beatles are not The Residents, but The Beatles do appear on one of The Residents' records!).
    Maybe the Residents were really Klaatu.

  7. #7
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Hardy Fox has publically identified himself on his site as a former member of The Residents recently and he has a (not particularly good)album on BandCamp of him doing a updated Meet The Residents.

    But the main main guy is indeed Homer Flynn. And he is the only original one left.
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
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    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    "Clank Clank Clank" -- yeah no kidding. It's pretty dire.

    I didn't get the joke of the name "Charles Bobuck" until I saw his BandCamp page, where he is listed as "Chuck Chuck Bobuck" -- leaving you to fill in, "banana-fanna Fo...". Oh that's hilarious.

  9. #9
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Starting in 2010 they did a series of shows as "The Randy, Chuck and Bob Show" where Randy (Rose) did all the singing (= Homer Flynn), Chuck (Bobuck) did keyboards (= Hardy Fox) and Bob played guitar.

    Who was "Bob"? Could it have been John Kennedy (a suspicious name)? Jay Clem? Phil Lithman (aka Snakefinger -- supposedly died in 1987)?

    How much of this and this are we to believe?
    Last edited by rcarlberg; 12-30-2017 at 10:48 PM.

  10. #10
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    Believe all of it.

    With the Residents you are being asked to enter into an artistic space where normal rules and expectations are suspended so the work can properly be performed and received. This includes a storied history of myth and actual occurrence. It compels the audience towards the work, rather than the creators.

    As far as I can tell "The Residents" came from the rejection of an anonymous demo for Warner Brothers, return by mail to "Resident." This was built upon as the residents of the town Vileness Flats (the setting of the film project Vileness Fats) were each credited as contributing a song on the early Santa Dog release, but were collectively known as the Residents. They did some local shows as those characters, released a full album or two on their own dime. This, in a rather obscure way, established the name. Then, they turned the obscurity into a marketing gimmick. "You don't know who they are? Well, NOBODY knows who they are!" and name and the gimmick carried them through a few decades, as they turned out some rather good but thoroughly weird albums, and spectacularly artful touring productions.

    So just believe all of it. It is all part of the package. The mythology shifts depending on the project or the decade, because really, it is the work that matters.
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  11. #11
    There's a lot 'dents music I can either give or take, but Fingerprince remains one of my fave US albums by any ensemble.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

  12. #12
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    Chew-chew gum. Chew gum-gum, chew-chew.
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  13. #13
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Just posting this in case anyone here isn't familiar with it. It's well worth your time, IMO:


  14. #14
    Did anyone figure out who Caroliner really are?
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  15. #15
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    I'll pay tribute to this earlier thread on The Residents wherein Notallwhowander posted a publicity photo & tour dates just this last July. I wonder, is he connected with "the band"?
    Last edited by rcarlberg; 12-30-2017 at 11:36 PM.

  16. #16
    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Fixed link.
    Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
    https://michaelpdawson.bandcamp.com
    http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Starting in 2010 they did a series of shows as "The Randy, Chuck and Bob Show" where Randy (Rose) did all the singing (= Homer Flynn), Chuck (Bobuck) did keyboards (= Hardy Fox) and Bob played guitar.

    Who was "Bob"? Could it have been John Kennedy (a suspicious name)? Jay Clem? Phil Lithman (aka Snakefinger -- supposedly died in 1987)?
    According to Wikipedia, "Bob" would be one Nolan Cook, who has been working with the Residents since at least the Wormwood tour. Cook claims that talk of Fox and Flynn being members of The Residents to be completely false. Of course, as Steve Feigenbaum pointed out, Fox recently outed himself on the matter, but presumably, Cook's comments were part of the band's deliberate plan of misinformation and obfuscation, vis-a-viz "Who are the Residents?".

    You have to hand it to them, though. For a band who make such uncompromisingly uncommercial music, they managed to rise up to a relatively high degree of visibility. I remember MTV News doing a segment on them back in the early 90's, and they even appear, albeit very briefly (as in, blink and you'll miss it, literally), in a Jefferson Starship video. There was also a Night Flight piece on them, though I think it was just some of their videos strung together, no interviews or anything of that sort. And I'm sure Rolling Stone (and every other major music magazine) must have done at least a few pieces on them (certainly they must have reviewed the albums, if not done actual articles on them).

    And if you look around on Youtube, there may still be that clip of their appearance on Much Music back in 86 or whenever it was, with I think Flynn being interviewed (of course he identifies himself as a "Ralph Records representative"), whilst "the Residents" (or at least four or five people dressed in white tuxes, and the eyeball masks, who knows if any one of them were actual band members) roam around the studio, signing autographs, and doing just about everything you're not supposed to do when appearing on a TV show (one of them even goes into the control room and starts playing with the console).

    That's a fair amount of mainstream exposure for a group who were never ever gonna be awarded a gold disc by the RIAA or win a Grammy or whatever. And, for the most part, they did it all pretty much without "the public" knowing who they were. Hell, even Gene Simmons couldn't pull that off.

  18. #18
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Nobody asked but here’s my personal take on their recorded legacy (never saw them so I can’t comment on that aspect).

    Their earliest recordings are brilliant specifically because- I THINK - they had nearly no budget and no technology; all their ideas had to be realized through a lot of painstaking trial and error.

    As they got bigger budgets and as technology improved, they didn’t have to work as hard, and while the ideas and concepts remain intriguing (they ALWAYS were about ideas), the final productions were technically greatly improved, but not nearly as great.

    All imo.

    I also notice that just as Hardy has outed himself, with the above statement, I seem to have outed myself as Skullhead!

    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  19. #19
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve F. View Post
    I seem to have outed myself as Skullhead!


    <sig out of order>

  20. #20
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    IF anyone is an Amazon Prime member there is a pretty cool documentary in Amazon's video section. I don't know if it is still on their or not but I saw it probably about 5 or 6 months ago, well worth checking out IMO.

    Dave

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve F. View Post
    Nobody asked but here’s my personal take on their recorded legacy (never saw them so I can’t comment on that aspect).

    Their earliest recordings are brilliant specifically because- I THINK - they had nearly no budget and no technology; all their ideas had to be realized through a lot of painstaking trial and error.

    As they got bigger budgets and as technology improved, they didn’t have to work as hard, and while the ideas and concepts remain intriguing (they ALWAYS were about ideas), the final productions were technically greatly improved, but not nearly as great.

    All imo.

    I also notice that just as Hardy has outed himself, with the above statement, I seem to have outed myself as Skullhead!

    Who or what is Skullhead?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skullhead

  22. #22
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    I'll pay tribute to this earlier thread on The Residents wherein Notallwhowander posted a publicity photo & tour dates just this last July. I wonder, is he connected with "the band"?
    That question really made me happy. If only.

    I have to admit, I'm in a pretty good position for it. But really, I'm just a fan. I figured that the good people here would like a band that dressed up in costumes to perform high-concept art-rock live. The Residents have fascinated e since I saw their videos in the '80s. I taped their Night Flight segment, and watched it numerous times. There was an interview, but it was one guy talking to a person in an eyeball costume who answered in mute gesticulations. I remember him putting the palms of his hands together and bowing his head at the mention of James Brown before the screened this:

    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  23. #23
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by regenerativemusic View Post
    Who or what is Skullhead?
    See Death Of Rock thread
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  24. #24
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    For a band who make such uncompromisingly uncommercial music, they managed to rise up to a relatively high degree of visibility.
    There's even at least one album of other artists covering Residents songs.

  25. #25
    Member Since: 3/27/2002 MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER's Avatar
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    I saw them in NYC in 83 or 84 with the eyeball costumes. It was quite the experience
    Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?

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