Avant-gardecollectief The Residents bezocht eerder het Muziekgebouw. De musici (gemaskerde zonderlingen uit San Francisco) zijn briljant in hun collage-achtige deconstructies van de Amerikaanse muziekgeschiedenis. Bizarre combinaties van bijvoorbeeld George Gershwin tot James Brown en Hank Williams. Hun recente album The Ghost of Hope bestaat uit composities gewijd aan grote Amerikaanse treinrampen.
Droegen ze eerst iconische oogbal-maskers, inmiddels zijn het gigantische snavels. Maar wie achter The Residents schuilgaan is eigenlijk niet zo belangrijk. Het draait om hun muziek én hun (digitale) mediakunst. De vroegere videoclips van deze pioniers nam het Museum of Modern Art in New York zelfs op in hun collectie. 'Pioniers in de traditie van Raymond Scott, Frank Zappa, Charles Ives, and Harry Partch', aldus de East Bay Express.
English
Naïveté, atonal innocence and playful pretence remain guiding principles for the mysterious avant-garde collective The Residents, which has been running for an impressive 45 years. The masked freaks from San Francisco have been hailed for their collage-esque deconstructions of American music history. Bizarre combinations of George Gershwin and James Brown, or John Philip Sousa and Hank Williams, alternated with unsettling concept albums with unforgettable titles such as The Third Reich ’n Roll. Their recent album, The Ghost of Hope, lives up to that reputation, with songs dedicated to American railroad disasters.
Their iconic eyeball masks have made way for oversized bird-like beaks, but the matter of who’s identity is concealed by the masks isn’t that important; what makes these avant-garde dissidents unique is the manner in which they play with identity and appearance. The visual aspect of their performance is as interesting as the music itself, as evidenced by the fact that The Residents have been recognised as pioneers of media art—their early music videos are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
