Would the Residents accord similar respect to Lady Gaga?
They've seen her on television and were very touched with her very strong sense of visuals. But they would point out that she could be anonymous, too: If it says "Lady Gaga" on it ... [laughs]
The Residents: "There's really no right or wrong in music."
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The Residents have pursued their alternative-to-all-alternatives music and art for 40 years, from '60s hippie counterculture through '70s-'80s-'90s DIY counter-countercultures, up into the Internet 2000s. So how do they keep up? How do they stay savvy, trendy and very, very popular?
The Residents work and think by observing, so they feel like they have to be tuned in to where the culture is. Even if they're not trying to imitate what's current musically, they're always influenced by what's going on musically, as well as any other art form. And they're always very interested in technology, and they keep on top of it: What is this? What's the impact on the culture? How does it change who we are?
The Residents have done a series of podcasts called River of Crime. That seems like a natural medium for the group.
That's an area they're exploring, providing the story by music: How do you combine them and get interesting new ideas that work? They're very impressed by the iPad; they're trying to figure out how that can be turned into an instrument for supplying media, just like a radio. Ultimately, the Residents want to create a whole new medium itself, and that's what they're looking for down the road.
Who are the Residents for?
In every school across the world you'll find those pockets of people who don't really relate to mainstream culture and who want something — who need something — different. Because they are different. And those are your lonely teenagers.
The Residents perform at El Rey Theatre on Sat., April 9, at 8 p.m.
