Eyeballs In The Mist: 50 Years THE RESIDENTS

15. April 2019

The Residents

Eyeballs In The Mist: 50 Jahre THE RESIDENTS

Who are The Residents? Thousands of legends entwine around the permanent avant-gardists from San Francisco, but their identity remains hidden under huge eyeballs. With the new CD "Intruders" in their luggage they went on the "In Between Dreams" tour.

Homer Flynn is a friendly, distinguished gentleman of 74, officially spokesman for Cryptic Corporation, which represents The Residents to the outside world. Insiders claim he's identical to Randy Rose, the band's fearsome singer. He himself has always denied that. As actually none of the myths that entwine around the band is confirmed. At the end of the 60s, when the San Francisco Fog emerged, many suspected the Beatles behind the four eyeballs. Also the identity of her mentor and idea giver N. Senada lies in the fog. Was he really Captain Beefheart? Or the composer Harry Partch? In an exclusive talk with eclipsed, Homer Flynn explores the history and future of the world's most enigmatic band and nourishes new myths.

eclipsed: What is the difference between the 1972 and 2019 residents?

Homer Flynn: In the first years the residents were exclusively a studio unit. There wasn't even the thought of ever performing live. In the last few years they have grown more and more into a real band. This is an important difference, which not least affects the force and physique of their performances.

eclipsed: There are a lot of myths about the band. How do the residents deal with it?

Flynn: Many of these myths were spread by the residents themselves. They were never very cautious about disinformation. They like to stay in conversation. The more disinformation there is in circulation, the better. It all adds up to this mythological world that is bigger than the universe. As soon as something is only seemingly possible and the human imagination carries it beyond the limits of reality, it makes them curious.

eclipsed: The last two records are among the best in their history. Where does the band get this creative power from?

Flynn: The residents are very curious. They look at the world through their gigantic eyeballs. In every moment an infinite number of interesting things happen in the world. All you have to do is sharpen your focus, look around and let life in.

The Residents' VoodooDoll

Read more in the current issue ...