Guide Note

The Residents are an experimental rock, avant-garde and visual arts group. They are best-known for their tuxedos, top hats and over-sized eyeball masks. Over their career of nearly four decades, the identities of the group's members have never been disclosed.

The group itself has never spoken to the media. All publicly known information about the group has come from their spokesmen, The Cryptic Corporation. The Cryptic Corporation was formed by John Kennedy, Jay Clem, Hardy Fox and Homer Flynn in 1976.

The group is believed to have formed in the mid-1960s. Between 1966 and 1972, the group experimented with a wide variety of art mediums. In 1972, they released their first "official" album, Santa Dog.

After The Cryptic Corporation formed, they reinvented the group's now defunct label, Ralph Records. In addition to frequently releasing albums, the group began performing live shows in 1981. By 1982, Cryptic Corp. had transitioned from a record company to the group's full-time managers.

During this period, the group released three different "multimedia experiences" on CD-ROMs: Freak Show, Gingerbread Man and Bad Day on the Midway.

Over the last decade, the group has released ten DVDs. They have also experimented with various internet video projects. The group's latest album, Voice of Midnight, was released at the end of 2007.

Fast Facts

1. Years Active: 1969-Present
2. Record Label: Mute Records
3. The group has released over sixty albums and completed six world tours
4. In the book Big Secrets, William Poundstone claimed Homer Flynn and Hardy Fox are likely the group's leaders
5. Discography

Quotes

1. "I don't know if it's The Residents or the audience that's changing, but their appeal seems to be broadening. At this point I think The Residents have something of value to offer that either wasn't there or maybe wasn't needed in the past."—Homer Flynn
2. "The Residents' best work is consumable, if that is the right word, as both an aesthetic experience and an object of reflection."—Daniel Mee, Houston Press
3. "When the faceless Residents make an appearance, it's not a concert, it's an art form."—MTV.com