Official News Blog, December 2007

Blog header, December 2007

URL

http://www.residents.com/ (archived December 29th 2007) by archive.org

Author

Big Brother

Entries

11

Publication

December 2nd - 28th 2007

BOG chronology

Previous	Next
Official News Blog, November 2007	Official News Blog, January 2008

The Residents' Official News Blog was a news blog maintained by Big Brother of The Cryptic Corporation beginning in August 2003, previously known as the Official News BOG (or simply BOG) until April 2007.

The BOG became The Cryptics' (and thus, The Residents') main outlet for communication with their fans until the website's redesign in 2008.

This page collects posts made to this news blog in December 2007, as archived on archive.org, transcribed to this wiki by a Mysterious Spanish Lady.

Blog entries

"New" Historical

Dec/02/07 10:40 AM

Over on the right you'll notice a new link to the historical that is currently under construction. Check it out.

Favorite Residents Projects

Dec/05/07 05:06 PM

Ever wonder what people who work with Residents stuff everyday think of it. Click on the "Historical (Under Construction)" button to the right top and select "Top Ten Lists" to see what Hardy and Homer at Cryptic have to say, as well as Mute product manager, Robert Schilling, and Ralph America honcho, Dren McDonald.

You already know everyone likes different things, but this goes to prove that adage holds true all the way to the top.

Listings are in chronological order, not by favorite.

Residents with Orchestra?

Dec/08/07 08:45 AM

Q&A at the Residents video retrospective has run fairly predictably until last night when Homer Flynn dropped a one-sentence bomb about The Residents considering a show with an orchestra. I cornered him and Hardy after the screening to try to get more info but both stayed tight lipped saying that the concept is totally tied up in spreadsheets (meaning budgeting) and there isn't much to talk about until the feasibility issue is resolved. The only additional information I got was that it is associated with a festival in Europe and not a touring concept.

As you know, I'll splash any further information here as I glean it.

Feeling BLU?

Dec/10/07 02:13 PM

eL Ralpho archive has been hit again (wonder who has been digging in there) and permission has been granted for a Ralph AM limited edition of Animal Lover Instrumental. Even contains things that were not on the regular AL, but also is missing some things too.

If you are a fan of the instrumental series, this will be one of your most cherished albums. It is already on my iPod.

It will be on yours in January 2008.

"Strange Culture" on Sundance Channel

Dec/13/07 06:22 AM

THIS WEEK: STRANGE CULTURE on Sundance Channel

12/11 @ 9:35pm EST/PST *

12/13 @ 12:35am EST/PST *

12/14 @ 10:35am EST/PST * 12/16 @

3:35pm EST/PST *

STRANGE CULTURE, selected to open both the 2007 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival and the documentary section of the Berlin International Film Festival, is directed by Lynn Hershman Leeson, and features Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, Chronicles of Narnia), Peter Coyote (E.T., Erin Brochovich), Thomas Jay Ryan (Henry Fool, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, My Dinner with Andre); Original score by The Residents.

STRANGE CULTURE details the surreal legal nightmare of artist and University at Buffalo professor Dr. Steven Kurtz. Dr. Kurtz was illegally detained and accused by the U.S. government of "bioterrorism" in 2004 after police became suspicious of common science materials used in his internationally exhibited art practice. He now awaits trial on charges of "mail fraud”charges which carry the possibility of a 20-year jail term under the USA

PATRIOT Act. Since the ongoing nature of the case prevents Dr. Kurtz from discussing its details, Hershman Leeson has enlisted actors to dramatize parts of the story, skillfully interweaving dialogue with news footage, animation, interviews, testimonials, and footage of Kurtz himself.

WATCH THE TRAILER:

http://www.strangeculture.net

Orchestra Plans Tabled

Dec/13/07 04:13 PM

The Residents with orchestra idea that was recently discussed is no longer in planning. According to Hardy at Cryptic, this is a result of scheduling conflicts with the festival and the greater than expected expense of the orchestra.

Chicago MCA

Dec/13/07 05:06 PM

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is currently running a screening called:

Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967

So The Residents have a video (guess which one) as part of that. Not a big deal but the show has been so successful that it will be moving on to The Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Florida as well as The Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Québec next so if you are in those areas, watch for it in early 2008.

Top Ten Update

Dec/14/07 07:20 AM

Three more lists are now on-line in the (new) Historical: Igor (RRRoar.net), Paulie (Bach is Dead), and Sparky (BOGcast).

Winter Solstice

Dec/21/07 11:14 AM

Yes, it is (scientifically) the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one. Joyous Brumalia to one and all.

[broken image: al-cover-2400web.jpg]

Animal Lover Instrumental launches 2008 in the right manner.

Nostalgia time

Dec/24/07 08:31 AM

Remember way back in 2007? Oh that's right. It is still 2007. At this time of the year it is customary to have a flashback into what all happened in Residents World. It is quite simple to name the projects: Freak Show ultimate edition and The Voice of Midnight, from Mute; The Ralph America Best left Unspoken and Night of the Hunters releases. The surprise, The Sandman Waits. A Video Retrospective. I'll even throw in the live performance of Mr. Kite in Milan last September, a very unpublicized download-only test release of RMX, and the fact that the Historical here on BOG was completely rebuilt.

But a list like that doesn't reveal very much.

The crown of the year is worn by The Voice of Midnight. By all accounts, a major new work. Even with criticisms about the "radio-drama" rendition of the finale, no one can deny that the multi-layered music and writing perfectly captures the retelling of ETA Hoffman's, The Sandman. So while it illustrates ever growing skills at handling complex and subtle nuances and is a must own for any collection, how is it for just plain fun listening? Just as the original story is not much fun reading, this album will not be in heavy rotation just for pleasurable listening. Though certainly that is part of the calculation by The Residents. They designed it as a "play" and no one listens to a play over an over as they might a new album by, say, Amy Winehouse.

That is why The Sandman Waits is such a treat. Coming as a bonus CD with the first 500 copies of VOM sold by Ralph America, Sandman Waits is nothing but fun, the Diskomo to somber Eskimo. Swinging from atmospheric soundscapes to campy "Fly Me to the Moon," The Residents extract a whole different side to the tragic, Voice of Midnight tome.

The big story of the year could turn out to be the opening of the eL Ralpho Archives. The archive logo appears on three releases in 2007, the Best Left Unspoken instrumental series and Night of the Hunters. All indications are that Ralph America will continue to release titles from the archive in the coming years.

Mute releasing Freak Show and confirming the release of Duck Stab and Eskimo for 2008 shows that Mute is still in The Residents corner even as the overall music business quakes and music sales drop. Two big thumbs up for Mute.

In the performance arena, the brief appearance of The Residents in Milan and the talk of an orchestral performance points toward the idea of "appearances" but not "touring." But at this time we have little to go on other than rumors that suggests any appearance in 2008. Orchestral parts have been cropping up on the last few Mute releases so that might mean something connected to orchestral performances in light of the recent rumors.

The question now is what can we expect for 2008. It is only December 2007 and already three titles have been announced for 2008. Ralph America has released a vague hint that there is more up that sleeve than just the Animal Lover Instrumental due out in a couple of weeks.

And what will be the successor to The Voice of Midnight for 2008? Not a hint so far. But keep in touch with the BOG and you'll be the first to know.

Holiday Greetings to all,

Big Bro

[broken images: fsnu110web.jpg, BLU-2110web.jpg, blu3110web.jpg, nighthunters110web.jpg, VoMCover110.jpg, sphinx-cover3flat110.jpg]