VIA PRESS RELEASE | In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the legendary experimental music and art collective The Residents, the group is releasing their first fully authorized visual history book, The Residents: A Sight for Sore Eyes, Vol. 1. Published by Melodic Virtue, the book contains rare and unseen photos, artwork, and other ephemera. Aaron Tanner, the book’s author, has been given unprecedented access to The Cryptic Corporation’s archives to create a limited edition coffee table book covering everything from their beginnings in San Mateo, up to The Mole Show.
Constantly defying classification while remaining completely anonymous, The Residents have been regarded as icons in the world of experimental music for 50 years. In addition to their groundbreaking work in the areas of trance, world fusion, electronica, punk, industrial, and lounge music, the group has also been credited with being among the originators of performance art and the music video, with their videos included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Excerpt from The True Story of The Residents: A Brief Summary of Known Facts, Top Secrets, Hazy Details, Veiled Hints, and Blatant Lies (1979) by Matt Groening: There is no true story of The Residents. You should know that right off. The secrets of The Residents will never be revealed by anyone but The Residents themselves, and so far they aren’t saying much. This report offers some insight into The Residents and their work, but their favorite breakfast cereals will remain a mystery. Part of what The Residents are about is their camouflage, and any understanding of them must take into account both their organized sounds and their organized silence. The best this report can do is note the various statements and point out the gaps. Our knowledge is still incomplete. Anything is possible.
The book features an introduction by Les Claypool (Primus) and exclusive quotes from Danny Elfman, Paul Reubens, John Linnell (They Might Be Giants), “Weird Al” Yankovic, Andy Partridge (XTC), Penn Jillette, Eric Drew Feldman (Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band), Paul Leary (Butthole Surfers), Aaron Freeman (Ween), James McNew (Yo La Tengo), Zach Hill (Death Grips), Eric André, David J (Bauhaus), Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta), Josh Freese (The Vandals), Rob Crow (Pinback), Dan Deacon, Don Preston (The Mothers of Invention), Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), JG Thirlwell, Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon), Sam Coomes (Quasi), David Janssen and Brian Poole (Renaldo and the Loaf), and many more!
This book also contains a black vinyl 7″ record of the unreleased Not Available-era track, “Nobody’s Nos.” A deluxe edition is also available that is limited to 500 copies, signed by the band and author, and includes a picture disc of “Nobody’s Nos” along with a 24-page softcover book, Duck Stab/Buster & Glen Notebook, that contains never-before-seen notes and in-progress lyrics for the legendary album.
About the Author | For more than two decades, Aaron Tanner has been creating unconventional design work for legendary acts. He has produced authorized books on the Butthole Surfers, Ministry, Face to Face, and now The Residents. Prior to publishing, he was Ween’s resident designer for over 15 years and maintained a diverse client roster that included Pixies, Explosions in the Sky, Epitaph Records, Secretly Group, Temporary Residence Ltd., and pet celebs Lil BUB and Doug The Pug. A musician and life-long fan of music and the arts, Tanner has won numerous national awards and has been recognized by several prestigious international design publications.
About Melodic Virtue | Melodic Virtue is a small, artist-friendly independent publisher dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacies of underground bands through limited-run coffee table books. Originally founded in 2004 as a graphic design studio by Aaron Tanner, Melodic Virtue produces fully authorized books that offer an immersive, and definitive, visual history of bands outside of mainstream music culture. Each authentic and unusual story is told through compelling design, rare photographs and artwork, and gripping first-hand anecdotes from their fans and contemporaries.
