Ian Shirley

[Originally published in EST magazine, 1994]

If Kraftwerk are reclusive, then what does that make The Residents? I found this a much more interesting book [compared to Pascal Bussy's Kraftwerk - Man Machine and Music], simply on the grounds that the Residents' longer and more varied career means that there's much more to be said about them.

Again, it's a fan history rather than a serious critique, and if their influences are succinctly listed (Sun Ra, Harry Partch etc), there obviously needn't be any attempt to trace who they have influenced in turn. They've always been sufficiently unique in their musical approach to spawn very few imitators. Meet the Residents doesn't take an unduly positive approach of their very dull late-80s work, and is definitely worth reading if you admire their work.… (meer)