THE RESIDENTS

The Residents are an American art collective best known for avante garde and multimedia works. The first official release under the name of "The Residents" was in 1972, and the group has since released over 60 albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, ten DVDs. They have undertaken seven major world tours and scored multiple films. Throughout the group's existence, the individual members have ostensibly attempted to operate under anonymity, preferring instead to have attention focused on their art output. Much outside speculation and rumor has focused on this aspect of the group. In public, the group appears silent and costumed, often wearing eyeball helmets, top hats and tuxedos - a long-lasting costume now recognized as their signature iconography. When MTV was in its infancy, The Residents' videos were in heavy rotation since they were among the few music videos available to broadcasters. The Residents' earliest videos are in the New York Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection and were eventually released together in 2001 on the Icky Flix DVD, which includes an optional audio track of remixes. In January 2010 the Residents began a national tour entitled “Talking Light” which featured singer "Randy" wearing an old man mask, and the other two wearing dread lock wigs and some kind of optical gear over their faces. The songs were stories about various characters' obsessions with invisible siblings, fictional serial killers, people in mirrors, among others. One of these performances was featured as part of the edition of the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival curated by Matt Groenig in May 2010 in Minehead, England.