Enter the name for this tabbed section: TALKING LIGHT TOUR
Enter the name for this tabbed section: credits
Randy Chuck and Bob
USA Crew
Light Design: C. McGregor
Lighting Director: H Fokker
Sound: K. Ink
Merchandise: M. Taber, MamaRalph (Ralph America)
Europe Crew
Light Design: C. McGregor
Lighting Director: H Fokker
Sound: G. Arts
Merchandise: M. Postma
Light Design: C. McGregor
Lighting Director: H Fokker
Sound: K. Ink
Merchandise: M. Taber, MamaRalph (Ralph America)
Europe Crew
Light Design: C. McGregor
Lighting Director: H Fokker
Sound: G. Arts
Merchandise: M. Postma
Enter the name for this tabbed section: notes
The story of the Talking Light piece is basically that of an older man who questions, not only decisions he made as a teenager, but also if the events he remembers from that time happened at all. "A dead infant clutching a ring with an inscription the teenager cannot read" is the stuff of dreams. The following stories in the show may or may not shed light on the inscription. Questions remain unanswered. The Residents study death, not as a horrific end, but as the ultimate question that we all ask while wondering if any of it is even real.
THE RESIDENTS' TALKING LIGHT
"What are ghosts" ask The Residents - spirits of those no longer inhabiting the flesh, but unable to leave their lives behind? Or could ghosts be a manifestation of something even less tangible, like loneliness, unfulfilled desire or isolation? In a world where nearly everything has become defined and categorized, how do we fill our obvious, purely human need for the fuzzy , vague and supernatural - with TV commercials?
The ghost of a morbidly obese woman haunts her lesbian lover, filling the void of death with food commercials and Dr. Phil. A man becomes obsessed by the spirit of an executed serial killer who stuffed the mouths of his victims with Pudding Roll Ups, an extinct kid's food from the 1980's. A dead boa constrictor named Leonard (after Leonard Cohen, of course) plagues the mind of its former owner, currently consuming Oscar Meyer hot dogs by the dozen. These are just a few of the "ghost stories" told through the magic of The Residents' Talking Light.
After all, even in death, will you ever forget that COCA COLA ADDS LIFE?
THE RESIDENTS' TALKING LIGHT
"What are ghosts" ask The Residents - spirits of those no longer inhabiting the flesh, but unable to leave their lives behind? Or could ghosts be a manifestation of something even less tangible, like loneliness, unfulfilled desire or isolation? In a world where nearly everything has become defined and categorized, how do we fill our obvious, purely human need for the fuzzy , vague and supernatural - with TV commercials?
The ghost of a morbidly obese woman haunts her lesbian lover, filling the void of death with food commercials and Dr. Phil. A man becomes obsessed by the spirit of an executed serial killer who stuffed the mouths of his victims with Pudding Roll Ups, an extinct kid's food from the 1980's. A dead boa constrictor named Leonard (after Leonard Cohen, of course) plagues the mind of its former owner, currently consuming Oscar Meyer hot dogs by the dozen. These are just a few of the "ghost stories" told through the magic of The Residents' Talking Light.
After all, even in death, will you ever forget that COCA COLA ADDS LIFE?
Enter the name for this tabbed section: photos
Randy
Chuck
Bob
Enter the name for this tabbed section: dates
<< USA / Canada 2010 Schedule>>
January 23 - Santa Cruz CA - Rio
January 29 - San Diego CA - Birch North Park Theater
January 30 - Los Angeles CA - Henry Fonda Theater
January 31 - Tucson AZ - Rialto Theater
February 2 - Austin TX - Stubbs
February 3 - Dallas TX - Granada
February 4 - Memphis TN - Hi Tone
February 5 - Atlanta GA - Variety
February 7 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club
February 8 - Philadelphia PA - World Cafe
February 9 - New York NY - Webster Hall
February 10 - Boston MA - Middle East
February 12 - Montreal QC - Club Soda
February 13 - Toronto Ontario - Opera House
February 15 - Chicago IL - Logan Square
February 16 - Milwaukee WI - Turner Hall
December 30 - Oakland CA - Fox Theater
<< Europe 2010 Schedule>>
April 26 - Doorinroosje Nijmegen Holland
April 27 - Le Cargo Caen France
April 28 - Ancienne Belgique Brussels Belgium
April 29 - Voxhall Aarhus Denmark
May 1 - Bergenfest, Bergen Norway
May 2 - Sentrum Oslo Norway
May 4 - Centrum Sztuki IMPART Wrozlaw Poland
May 5 - Laznia Nowa Krakow Poland
May 6 - Huxley's Berlin Germany
May 8 - ATP Festival UK
May 9 - Paard van Troje Dem Haag Holland
May 10 - Fabrik Hamburg Germany
May 11 - Das Bett Frankfurt Germany
May 12 - Deposito Giordani Pordenone Italy
May 13 - Teatro San Raffaele Rome Italy
May 14 - Estragon Bologna Italy
May 15 - Teatro Leonardo Milan Italy
May 16 - Nuits Sonores Festival Lyon France
Nov 3 - The Lindenberg Nijmegen Holland
Nov 5 - Kulturhuset Bølgen Larvik Norway
Nov 6 - Union Scene Drammen Norway
Nov 7 - Byscenen Trondheim Norway
Nov 9 - Vega Copenhagen Denmark
Nov 10 - Centre Pompidou Paris France
Nov 11 - Centre Pompidou Paris France
Nov 12 - KZ MIR Moscow Russia
Nov 14 - Zal Ojidaniya Club St Petersburg Russia
Nov 16 - De Kreun Kortijk Belgium
Nov 17 - ZAKK Dusseldorf Germany
Nov 19 - Archa Prague Czech Republic
Nov 20 - Dampfzentrale, Saint Ghetto Festival Bern Switzerland
Nov 21 - El LokAl Zurich Switzerland
<< North America 2011 Schedule>>
March 15 - Lunario del Auditorio Nacional - Mexico City
March 17 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland OR
March 18 - Neumos - Seattle WA
March 19 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver BC
March 21 - Myer Horowitz Theater - Edmondton AB
March 22 - The Gateway - Calgary AB
March 24 - West End Cultural Center - Winnipeg MB
March 25 - The Cedar - Minneapolis MN
March 26 - Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago IL (2 shows)
March 28 - The Opera House - Toronto ON
March 29 - Club Soda - Montreal QC
March 30 - Somerville Theater - Boston MA
March 31 - Highline Ballroom - New York NY
April 1 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia PA
April 4 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta GA
April 6 - Mohawk - Austin TX
April 9 - El Rey - Los Angeles CA
April 15-16 - Bimbo's - San Francisco CA
January 23 - Santa Cruz CA - Rio
January 29 - San Diego CA - Birch North Park Theater
January 30 - Los Angeles CA - Henry Fonda Theater
January 31 - Tucson AZ - Rialto Theater
February 2 - Austin TX - Stubbs
February 3 - Dallas TX - Granada
February 4 - Memphis TN - Hi Tone
February 5 - Atlanta GA - Variety
February 7 - Washington DC - 9:30 Club
February 8 - Philadelphia PA - World Cafe
February 9 - New York NY - Webster Hall
February 10 - Boston MA - Middle East
February 12 - Montreal QC - Club Soda
February 13 - Toronto Ontario - Opera House
February 15 - Chicago IL - Logan Square
February 16 - Milwaukee WI - Turner Hall
December 30 - Oakland CA - Fox Theater
<< Europe 2010 Schedule>>
April 26 - Doorinroosje Nijmegen Holland
April 27 - Le Cargo Caen France
April 28 - Ancienne Belgique Brussels Belgium
April 29 - Voxhall Aarhus Denmark
May 1 - Bergenfest, Bergen Norway
May 2 - Sentrum Oslo Norway
May 4 - Centrum Sztuki IMPART Wrozlaw Poland
May 5 - Laznia Nowa Krakow Poland
May 6 - Huxley's Berlin Germany
May 8 - ATP Festival UK
May 9 - Paard van Troje Dem Haag Holland
May 10 - Fabrik Hamburg Germany
May 11 - Das Bett Frankfurt Germany
May 12 - Deposito Giordani Pordenone Italy
May 13 - Teatro San Raffaele Rome Italy
May 14 - Estragon Bologna Italy
May 15 - Teatro Leonardo Milan Italy
May 16 - Nuits Sonores Festival Lyon France
Nov 3 - The Lindenberg Nijmegen Holland
Nov 5 - Kulturhuset Bølgen Larvik Norway
Nov 6 - Union Scene Drammen Norway
Nov 7 - Byscenen Trondheim Norway
Nov 9 - Vega Copenhagen Denmark
Nov 10 - Centre Pompidou Paris France
Nov 11 - Centre Pompidou Paris France
Nov 12 - KZ MIR Moscow Russia
Nov 14 - Zal Ojidaniya Club St Petersburg Russia
Nov 16 - De Kreun Kortijk Belgium
Nov 17 - ZAKK Dusseldorf Germany
Nov 19 - Archa Prague Czech Republic
Nov 20 - Dampfzentrale, Saint Ghetto Festival Bern Switzerland
Nov 21 - El LokAl Zurich Switzerland
<< North America 2011 Schedule>>
March 15 - Lunario del Auditorio Nacional - Mexico City
March 17 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland OR
March 18 - Neumos - Seattle WA
March 19 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver BC
March 21 - Myer Horowitz Theater - Edmondton AB
March 22 - The Gateway - Calgary AB
March 24 - West End Cultural Center - Winnipeg MB
March 25 - The Cedar - Minneapolis MN
March 26 - Museum of Contemporary Art - Chicago IL (2 shows)
March 28 - The Opera House - Toronto ON
March 29 - Club Soda - Montreal QC
March 30 - Somerville Theater - Boston MA
March 31 - Highline Ballroom - New York NY
April 1 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia PA
April 4 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta GA
April 6 - Mohawk - Austin TX
April 9 - El Rey - Los Angeles CA
April 15-16 - Bimbo's - San Francisco CA
Enter the name for this tabbed section: opinion
After years of finely crafted shows, The Residents have decided to almost literally give the public a view into how they work and what they actually sound like removed from the studio. The homey fireplace and sofa set is exactly what they say it is, an attempt at opening their world to an audience. The performers are not some mysterious entities but just some good natured dudes named Randy, Chuck and Bob who like to get together to make noise once in a while. But is that yet another illusion?
The single most important sentence spoken during the show is so casually tossed off that many people probably miss it entirely… " The mirror has two sides." That fabulous mirror, the looking glass through with we all view the world.
Randy is telling the audience in only slightly coded words that The Residents reflect the audience but they also reflect themselves. The show is a duality for them, a battlefront/coalition between the audience and the performer. The mirror changes who The Residents are. The audience also has to change as Randy holds the mirror out toward them.
What about the actors in this subtle drama? Bob, we know. He has appeared before in Demons Dance Alone as he tells the story of "Tongue." Bob is quiet, internal. Chuck? Cutting and chucking, the god of editing. Randy, frivolously sexual with his phallic nose, strutting about in his underwear as though advertising his wares for any taker. And retired Carlos, the irresistible Hispanic stud. Star of Tweedles? Randy pretends to be sad about Carlos' leaving but ultimately derides his drumming taste and ultimately comes clean with a big "fuck Carlos." We are left wondering if Carlos retired on his own or was forced out. The loss of Carlos is treated with great humor. But is the fourth guy really gone? Was Carlos even ever there? The Residents resonate with ideas and will go to great lengths to assure the viewer that it is the idea that is the pot of gold and that the rest is only the rainbow pointing there. We are forced to accept the results without comprehending the path they used to get there. We can truly never separate the theatrics from the realities.
These are characters though, not to be confused with The Residents. The Residents is not a musical trio but a group of specialized talents that revolve around a concept. The performing characters are painted as a series of archetypes. Each is master of a domain as truly as left, center, and right can be.
What is Talking Light about? Some say it is about growing old and dying. Some say it is because The Residents are getting old and recognize their mortality. The Residents are no more getting old than we all are. Aging and death is one of the true universal experiences. The line that separates the living and the dying is not age, it is found in the power we exert in our daly life. The Residents while toying with the ideas of age and death prove by their presence on the stage that they are not close to death at all. In fact there is a sense of "fuck you" about the performance that defies the dramatic and tragic idea of death.
I think Talking Light is about living, not dying. The "Talking Light" story concerns the death of a child, not an old man. The ring with the incomplete message acknowledges the circle of life and the missing parts of the inscription that might make sense if only we could tell what it says. But we can't make sense of it, because we are not supposed to understand for the simple reason that we are alive, in the moment.
What does the future hold for this group? I find it hard to imagine that The Residents are just going back to business as usual. One Resident is gone, only three remain. With that loss, the remaining artists forsake the anonymity of earlier times offering names, personalities, and specific responsibilities. This is almost a reversal of their previous stance. The door opens for a wider presence. Do I dare to suggest solo projects? How far are we from the made-for-TV movie? Will they host SNL? And at the same time, even if they do these things, will it be real or just another facade, another piece of social satire on American life, only bolder and more confusing than ever?
The Residents are on the prowl again. Do not try to dismiss them as old people at the end of their creative lives. If anything, this latest reinvention only suggests that they are indeed trying for the golden anniversary that is only twelve years away. This is not the guys in eyeballs. They are more approachable than that, but at the same time a bit more frightening. It is like they have seen through the eyeballs and are in possession of newly found wisdom. The hidden boldness now changes into an open introspection. Two sides of the mirror. The people in the back are safe, but I'm not so sure about you and I who are sitting in the front.
- Big Brother - February 20, 2010
The single most important sentence spoken during the show is so casually tossed off that many people probably miss it entirely… " The mirror has two sides." That fabulous mirror, the looking glass through with we all view the world.
Randy is telling the audience in only slightly coded words that The Residents reflect the audience but they also reflect themselves. The show is a duality for them, a battlefront/coalition between the audience and the performer. The mirror changes who The Residents are. The audience also has to change as Randy holds the mirror out toward them.
What about the actors in this subtle drama? Bob, we know. He has appeared before in Demons Dance Alone as he tells the story of "Tongue." Bob is quiet, internal. Chuck? Cutting and chucking, the god of editing. Randy, frivolously sexual with his phallic nose, strutting about in his underwear as though advertising his wares for any taker. And retired Carlos, the irresistible Hispanic stud. Star of Tweedles? Randy pretends to be sad about Carlos' leaving but ultimately derides his drumming taste and ultimately comes clean with a big "fuck Carlos." We are left wondering if Carlos retired on his own or was forced out. The loss of Carlos is treated with great humor. But is the fourth guy really gone? Was Carlos even ever there? The Residents resonate with ideas and will go to great lengths to assure the viewer that it is the idea that is the pot of gold and that the rest is only the rainbow pointing there. We are forced to accept the results without comprehending the path they used to get there. We can truly never separate the theatrics from the realities.
These are characters though, not to be confused with The Residents. The Residents is not a musical trio but a group of specialized talents that revolve around a concept. The performing characters are painted as a series of archetypes. Each is master of a domain as truly as left, center, and right can be.
What is Talking Light about? Some say it is about growing old and dying. Some say it is because The Residents are getting old and recognize their mortality. The Residents are no more getting old than we all are. Aging and death is one of the true universal experiences. The line that separates the living and the dying is not age, it is found in the power we exert in our daly life. The Residents while toying with the ideas of age and death prove by their presence on the stage that they are not close to death at all. In fact there is a sense of "fuck you" about the performance that defies the dramatic and tragic idea of death.
I think Talking Light is about living, not dying. The "Talking Light" story concerns the death of a child, not an old man. The ring with the incomplete message acknowledges the circle of life and the missing parts of the inscription that might make sense if only we could tell what it says. But we can't make sense of it, because we are not supposed to understand for the simple reason that we are alive, in the moment.
What does the future hold for this group? I find it hard to imagine that The Residents are just going back to business as usual. One Resident is gone, only three remain. With that loss, the remaining artists forsake the anonymity of earlier times offering names, personalities, and specific responsibilities. This is almost a reversal of their previous stance. The door opens for a wider presence. Do I dare to suggest solo projects? How far are we from the made-for-TV movie? Will they host SNL? And at the same time, even if they do these things, will it be real or just another facade, another piece of social satire on American life, only bolder and more confusing than ever?
The Residents are on the prowl again. Do not try to dismiss them as old people at the end of their creative lives. If anything, this latest reinvention only suggests that they are indeed trying for the golden anniversary that is only twelve years away. This is not the guys in eyeballs. They are more approachable than that, but at the same time a bit more frightening. It is like they have seen through the eyeballs and are in possession of newly found wisdom. The hidden boldness now changes into an open introspection. Two sides of the mirror. The people in the back are safe, but I'm not so sure about you and I who are sitting in the front.
- Big Brother - February 20, 2010
Enter the name for this tabbed section: Comments
Add a Comment
Comments (6)
Jon Daniel Stephenson July 19, 2011 2:31 pm
I saw the 2nd show in Chicago, making a special trip from Kentucky with my father who had never heard of the Residents until about two weeks before the show. Even then, he never had listened to them after having heard of them. We arrived at the show and I experienced one of the most phenomenal happenings of my life. Occasionally I looked over to my father and each time I did, there was a smile of wonderment conquering his countenance. The Residents have given me and him one of our most memorable and cherished moments. Thank you.
Jon Daniel Stephenson September 18, 2011 10:15 pm
I'll say it here so the thought is preserved, because I shouldn't have just complimented the band. Seeing The Residents that night in Chicago changed how I appreciated The Residents. I remember having heard them once, and that night in Chicago was the second time I had heard them. I was once in love with the mystery and intrigue of the band, all the superficial that causes one to take interest in some thing. It was infatuation, there is no doubt. But, the affection didn't fade so much as change over time. It bubbled inside me, uncertain of what to do, and then I made the trip and had that night in Chicago. Gone is the mystique and uncertainty, gone is the admiration of horizontal activity. I love The Residents now; they loved me. I no longer choose to listen to The Residents - I cannot stop hearing them wherever I go, I cannot stop seeing them where I look, and, when I am in the dark and am alone, they remind me that I am not. A beautiful talking light from the core of my soul.
ABC February 10, 2012 5:24 pm
Well said Jon. I was at both shows in Chicago. Life changing.
Zacharias Zaunkoenig September 10, 2012 5:55 pm
Sadly I've not seen them Residents live but only the DVD, but it surely is one of the best concerts I've ever seen.
Germaine SCALP December 12, 2012 3:02 pm
I saw the show in Lyon, it was the most memorable event I ever seen.
Residentesque as we say in France.
Thank you Randy Chuck and Bob
Fuck Carlos
talking light at the el rey was complete musical perfection