The Cryptic Corporation

The Residents
An eyeball helmet used by The Residents in concert
Background information
Origin	Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Avant-garde, experimental, multimedia art, outsider music, avant-pop
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Ralph, Pre, Charisma, Cordless, Mute
Associated acts	Snakefinger Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers Renaldo and the Loaf Tuxedomoon Henry Cow Fred Frith Yello Už Jsme Doma Helios Creed
Website	www.residents.com

The Residents are an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents (1974), the group has released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs. They have undertaken seven major world tours and scored multiple films. Pioneers in exploring the potential of CD-ROM and similar technologies, the Residents have won several awards for their multimedia projects. Ralph Records, a record label focusing on avant-garde music, was started by the band.

Throughout the group's existence, the individual members have ostensibly attempted to operate under anonymity, preferring instead to have attention focused on their art output. Much outside speculation and rumor has focused on this aspect of the group. In public, the group appears silent and costumed, often wearing eyeball helmets, top hats and tails—a long-lasting costume now recognized as its signature iconography.

Its albums generally fall into two categories: deconstructions of Western popular music, and complex conceptual pieces composed around a theme, theory, or plot. The group is noted for surrealistic lyrics and sound, disregard for conventional music composition, and the over-the-top theatrical spectacle of their live performances.

Although they have provided some biographical information to the press over the years, the Residents' penchant for anonymity means that many details about their early lives are essentially unverifiable. Like all information pertaining to the early days of the band, the following precis of their early years is based on press releases provided by the band's management team, The Cryptic Corporation, and has not been independently verified.

The Residents hail from Shreveport, Louisiana, where they met in high school in the 1960s. In 1966 the members headed west for San Francisco, but after their truck broke down in San Mateo, California, they decided to remain there.