Without exposing that final mystery, Theory of Obscurity illuminates the ethos and influence of a band whose perseverance and originality have begun to attract a whole new generation of fans. The film employs a trove of archival material alongside contemporary performances and interviews with the band’s longtime “business managers,” the Cryptic Corporation as well as a wide variety of creative minds-including Penn Jillette, Jerry Harrison, Les Claypool of Primus, Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening and members of Neurosis, Henry Cow and Ween-drawn to the group’s uncompromising focus on creative control over conventional commercial success. Don Hardy’s fast-paced documentary tells the story of the group’s start in rural North Louisiana, their artistic awakening in late-‘60s San Francisco (including some incredible archival footage of the band in what appears to be a North Beach folk club), and follows them to the present day where they are still going strong creating and performing. They have also been making some of the world’s most mind-bending music and visual artifacts for more than 40 years. A mix of the album's multitrack tapes (originally titled X is for Xtra) was released in 2019 on a deluxe edition of the album.The avant-garde music and multimedia collective known as The Residents has never revealed the identity of its members, always appearing in costume in extravagant live musical performances and filmed projects.
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The lyrics and plot of Not Available are told in a densely surrealistic manner, notably making use of a Greek chorus and a particular piano composition that is presented as a theme for one of the album's characters - the full recording was released in 2010 as "Available Piece." Ī 2011 reissue of the album extended its duration by approximately seven minutes, allegedly its original length. The album is split into four parts and an epilogue, with the Residents' characteristic use of drum machines, classical percussion, cartoonish vocals, grand piano and horns, as well as notably the use of string synthesizers. I bring this to your attention because it led. His photos have been seen on NBC, ABC and FOX.
and fairly inaccessible to the casual listener. The Residents, best known for their eyeball-with-tophat costumes produce music that is often either deconstructionist or theme-based. After all, The Residents had built a career around the concept of anonymity, never giving interviews, showing their faces or revealing their names. Don Hardy is a documentary filmmaker and award-winning photojournalist who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Theory of Obscurity is a documentary by The Residents, a music group and art collective. A story that spans 40 years and is clouded in m. When director Don Hardy initially approached The Residents about a film documenting their more than four decade existence, there was understandable skepticism within the group. Don’s an ex-NBC News cameraman, said Flynn.
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The theory adds that with no audience to consider, artists are free to create work that is true to their own vision. Theory of Obscurity does a fantastic job of showing the various facets of their art and music, and crams quite a bit into the ninety-minute runtime. Theory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective known as The Residents. Fittingly, The Residents kick off Shadowland with Don Hardy’s documentary on the band, Theory of Obscurity. According to this philosophy, artists do their purest work in obscurity, with minimum feedback from any kind of audience. Fans have theorized that the music could have been recorded at a later period. The theory, as stated in this Wired article, goes as follows.
The music on Not Available is fairly different from any other music the Residents have recorded in the time period it was supposedly conceived in, both in compositional skill and audio quality. Their fans include magician/comedian Penn Jillette and 'The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening. You may have seen photos of them wearing their trademark tuxedos and eyeball-head masks with top hats (like in the above photo). It is possible that the album was shelved not to fulfill the "Theory of Obscurity," but because it was simply too personally revealing. The Residents are an art collective known in some circles for their avant-garde music and multimedia work. It is unknown if further overdubs were added onto the album predating its release in 1978, or if the music was released as is.
While the project never took off theatrically, it was still molded into a sort of concept album, taking use of assorted musical ideas, some of them recorded for the group's unfinished film project, Vileness Fats. It is said that the lyrics and themes of Not Available arose from personal tensions within the group, and that the project began as a private psychodrama before being adapted into a possible operetta.
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