See Hear 111 - Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents

Musicians, artists, actors and authors (and any other creatives I
haven’t nominated) have long taken pseudonyms. Maybe a more
exciting name will sell an image, maybe it’s to have some semblance
of privacy, maybe it’s to separate themselves from their past, …any
number of reasons. Avant garde art collective The Residents took
things beyond name change – they maintained complete anonymity.
Welcome to episode 111 of See Hear Podcast. The Residents are a
band, multimedia artists, theatrical performers….and anonymous.
Long time fans claim to be aware of their identities, but putting
that aside, the band subscribed to the Theory of Obscurity that
maintains that better art is created when the artist is anonymous
and free of audience expectations. The band has always performed
with masks and not given names….not even pseudonyms. They’ve been
creating music for over 50 years, and have released multitudes of
albums – original compositions and deconstructions of 20th century
standards from the likes of The Rolling Stones, James Brown and
George Gershwin. Trying to define what they do beyond the catch-all
tag of “avant- garde” is ridiculous. For some, it can be music that
is difficult or challenging….and for others, it can be a breath of
fresh air. For this episode of See Hear, Tim and Maurice discuss
the 2015 film “Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents”
directed by Don Hardy, its themes, the music of the Residents, and
whether there’s something actually to the theory or if it’s bunk.
The film is easily available on Kanopy, Youtube and Tubi. You can
tune into our conversation before or after watching it, but either
way, grab your top hat and cane, then tune in. We have our eye on
you. If you’ve been enjoying the show, please consider giving us a
favourable review on iTunes and let your friends know that our show
exists. If you don't enjoy the show, tell your adversaries to tune
in. We don't care who listens..... See Hear is proudly part of the
Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other
wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com. Send us
feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the
Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast
Check out the Instagram page
at www.instagram.com/seehearpodcast/?hl=en You can download
the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you
favour. Proudly Pantheon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
megaphone.fm/adchoices