Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Resident Putin

The Residents are not who you think they are — wait, who do you think they are?

Who are those guys? Well, that’s Randy, Chuck, Bob, and Homer — The (unknown) Residents. They take the stage at Belly Up Sunday.
Who are those guys? Well, that’s Randy, Chuck, Bob, and Homer — The (unknown) Residents. They take the stage at Belly Up Sunday.

Two key points about the Residents: nobody knows who they are after 40-plus years (though they’ve taken to calling the three people on stage “Randy, Chuck, and Bob”), and they always employ masks, costumes, and multimedia to fascinating ends. They conquer the Belly Up on May 8. Spokesman Homer Flynn took some email questions.

What are the Residents’ memories of playing San Diego — good, bad, twisted?

Video:

"Constantinople"

...by the Residents

...by the Residents

“At the beginning of the Talking Light tour, from what I remember Randy had a throat problem immediately after the show, then lost his voice completely — and Randy without his voice is like a hairless Donald Trump. Then, after two voiceless days and a soul-searching sojourn in Van Horn, Texas, Randy’s voice miraculously reappeared just before their next show in Austin.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“I think this will be the third time at the Belly Up. Solana Beach seems like a typical beach town — like Santa Cruz, which is definitely not San Francisco. But a couple of their tours ended there, and the places where Residents’ tours often end are special because that’s where the pressure and stress of touring comes off and they start to relax.”

How many band members can we expect to see onstage and with what visuals?

“The primary visual will be video projections on a large weather balloon. The characters in the projections are delivering short monologues based on the theme of the show — birth, rebirth, reincarnation, and near-death experiences.”

How has the band’s conceptual thinking changed over the years?

“I guess the primary difference at this point is that the group doesn’t project itself as far into the future as it once did, which is a pretty normal byproduct of aging. But the Residents remain ambitious with a new album and a puppet show based on their 1988 album, God in 3 Persons, in the works.”

Do the Residents ever get sick and tired of people trying to out them? Will they unmask, so to speak, on their own tombstones?

“The Residents would rather be talked about than ignored and forgotten, so they’re fine with people saying whatever. At this point, it’s all been said, although I don’t think anyone is yet to claim that the Residents are Vladimir Putin, Melissa McCarthy, Pat Boone, and Chico Rodriguez. If that group was playing at the Belly Up, I’d be there for sure.”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Who are those guys? Well, that’s Randy, Chuck, Bob, and Homer — The (unknown) Residents. They take the stage at Belly Up Sunday.
Who are those guys? Well, that’s Randy, Chuck, Bob, and Homer — The (unknown) Residents. They take the stage at Belly Up Sunday.

Two key points about the Residents: nobody knows who they are after 40-plus years (though they’ve taken to calling the three people on stage “Randy, Chuck, and Bob”), and they always employ masks, costumes, and multimedia to fascinating ends. They conquer the Belly Up on May 8. Spokesman Homer Flynn took some email questions.

What are the Residents’ memories of playing San Diego — good, bad, twisted?

Video:

"Constantinople"

...by the Residents

...by the Residents

“At the beginning of the Talking Light tour, from what I remember Randy had a throat problem immediately after the show, then lost his voice completely — and Randy without his voice is like a hairless Donald Trump. Then, after two voiceless days and a soul-searching sojourn in Van Horn, Texas, Randy’s voice miraculously reappeared just before their next show in Austin.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“I think this will be the third time at the Belly Up. Solana Beach seems like a typical beach town — like Santa Cruz, which is definitely not San Francisco. But a couple of their tours ended there, and the places where Residents’ tours often end are special because that’s where the pressure and stress of touring comes off and they start to relax.”

How many band members can we expect to see onstage and with what visuals?

“The primary visual will be video projections on a large weather balloon. The characters in the projections are delivering short monologues based on the theme of the show — birth, rebirth, reincarnation, and near-death experiences.”

How has the band’s conceptual thinking changed over the years?

“I guess the primary difference at this point is that the group doesn’t project itself as far into the future as it once did, which is a pretty normal byproduct of aging. But the Residents remain ambitious with a new album and a puppet show based on their 1988 album, God in 3 Persons, in the works.”

Do the Residents ever get sick and tired of people trying to out them? Will they unmask, so to speak, on their own tombstones?

“The Residents would rather be talked about than ignored and forgotten, so they’re fine with people saying whatever. At this point, it’s all been said, although I don’t think anyone is yet to claim that the Residents are Vladimir Putin, Melissa McCarthy, Pat Boone, and Chico Rodriguez. If that group was playing at the Belly Up, I’d be there for sure.”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader