You may not know who The Residents are, but you’ve heard, seen, and felt their influence on contemporary music for the majority of your life. The Residents have existed in one way or another since 1969, keeping their identities to themselves by donning masks and costumes to remain anonymous; they’re fiercely DIY, making their brand of avant-garde music that exists in lockstep with experimental visual art. You may not know who The Residents are, but no one really knows who they are.
Last week I got to sit down with Homer Flynn, the primary visual collaborator and almost but not quite a spokesperson for The Residents since 1971. His involvement with The Residents predates their first official release, and for the majority of their career he has remained one of the only unmasked components of their multimedia origination. I was able to speak with Homer because the Residents are about to embark on a 23-city tour wherein they will be playing their beloved 1979 record “Eskimo” in its entirety.
If you only have a cursory familiarity with The Residents you are probably more than familiar with them as the eyeballs wearing top hats band. “Eskimo” is the album that introduced the iconic eyeballs into their body of work. Many fans consider it one of The Residents’ greatest works, and bringing it to the stage is, in many ways, just as meaningful a statement as creating new work.
Spinning Platters: Out of everything that The Residents have done, why did you decide on Eskimo for this upcoming tour? Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Homer Flynn, collaborator of The Residents”
