Homer Flynn On The Residents’ New Music, Plans For 2019 & More
There are many things that make the art-centric collective known as The Residents different from just about any other musical group. First and foremost is that the members of The Residents remain anonymous all these years later, having formed at some point in the 1960s. Another key factor is how many great artists The Residents helped inspire, including Simpsons creator Matt Groening, comedic-illusionist Penn Jillette, and plenty of seminal bands, including Ween, Primus and Devo. Also impressive about The Residents is how prolific its members have been, not only releasing dozens of studio albums and dozens of EPs and live albums, but also plenty of films, CD-ROMs and books.
Back in August, The Residents released the much-anticipated crowd-sourced album, I AM A RESIDENT!. Earlier this month, The Brickeaters, A Novel By The Residents came out via Feral House. All the while, the Intruders full-length album also came out this year and the Dyin’ Dog “blues” album is planned for a 2019 unleashing. Simply put, those Residents show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with the band’s designated spokesperson Homer Flynn about all things Residents. More on The Residents can be found online at www.residents.com.
2018 has been a prolific year for The Residents. Do the members of the band write every day?
Homer Flynn: The days of The Residents vary quite a bit. Prolific in terms of their creativity, they always enjoy exploring various media, they have rooms full of sketchbooks, hours of unheard tapes, thousands of unseen photos and — most recently — have taken an interest in VR. There was a hi-res documentation of their latest performance at the LitQuake Book Fair in San Francisco and now they’re trying to figure what can be done with it.
Did you enjoy the crowdfunding experience? Is that something you would consider doing again with The Residents?
Homer Flynn: A statement that almost everyone agrees with is that crowdfunding projects are a lot of work and it’s true. But The Residents feel the I AM A RESIDENT! album was quite successful so they’re considering doing it again. Their next project is based on some demos from a 1970’s wannabe blues singer they found at a garage sale. They’re currently considering how those recordings might be turned into a crowdfunding project.
Intruders is the latest studio album by The Residents. Do you have a favorite song on the album?
Homer Flynn: My favorite is The Scarecrow. It’s based on a story told to one of The Residents by a black man they met at a truck stop on tour. The guy had recently seen a scarecrow dressed in robe exactly like the one worn by James Brown in a famous mug shot when the Godfather Of Soul was arrested for domestic violence in 2004. The scarecrow was covered with crows.
Will the band be playing a lot from Intruders on your upcoming tour?
Homer Flynn: No, most of the songs on the upcoming tour will be the same as they played on their most recent tour, In Between Dreams, But they are planning on playing “Voodoo Doll,” which is the first single from Intruders.
Is there something you wish more people knew about The Residents?
Homer Flynn: Personally there is nothing I wish people knew, but at times I do wish more people knew ABOUT The Residents. Their concept of self-inflicted obscurity has been so successful that most people have never heard of them, which is fine with the group, but I’d love to see them have more opportunities.
What does 2019 look like for The Residents?
Homer Flynn: So far 2019 has The Residents touring Europe in late January and early February; participating in a large-scale art installation and performance in Bourges, France in April; recording and releasing a new album; and performing a stage production of their God In 3 Persons album from 1988, details of which can’t be divulged at this time. We’re also looking for funding for Double Trouble, a Residents film project.
When not busy with The Residents, how do you like to spend your free time?
Homer Flynn: I like to cook, backpack, travel and spend time with my daughters and grandchildren.
Finally, Homer, any last words for the kids?
Homer Flynn: My only words are HEY KIDS, WAKE UP AND PISS, THE WORLD’S ON FIRE! There are a lot of crazy things going on in the world — if you don’t like it, make your voice heard. Meanwhile, corporate American and the mass media do such a good job of publicizing and marketing blandness, that many people don’t realize how much more genuinely compelling and authentic content is OUT THERE. Don’t be seduced into malaise, there’s cool stuff is available if you’re willing to look for it.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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