Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents

Description

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. They have also been making some of the world’s most mind-bending music and visual artifacts for more than 40 years. 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. 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. 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. —Cory Sklar

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