I most highly recco the 2015 film Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents. More absorbing than even the finest chamois, and a beautifully made, loving tribute.
The Residents’ Commercial DVD came out in 2004. The Residents invited many filmmakers to create vids for most of the songs on The Commercial Album, and the group made the rest themselves. It is an even more surreal experience than one would expect.
I am more than grateful I was able to see them perform twice! I caught their 13th Anniversary Tour ('85 or '86) at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor, and at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre (a much more intimate venue) when Demons Dance Alone came out in '02.
We arrived a little late to the Michigan Theatre show, and when we came in, they were playing Jailhouse Rock! The singer wore no mask for that show, and many camera flashes went off near the stage. They had a pair of excellent dancers wearing solid black bodysuits which also covered their faces, and they carried those orange plastic worklights what you can hang inside the hood/bonnet while doing car repairs. They took part in most of the show.
They had a superb dancer - encostumed like the demon on the cover - join them for Demons Dance Alone, and he was onstage several times during the show. He disappeared during one song, only to suddenly reappear in the audience. My eyes are gen’ly closed when I dance, so the dancer tapped me on the shoulder and stuck his face right up to mine. I laughed and we danced together for the rest of the song, much to the amusement of all around us. I met Hardy Fox after the show, and profusely thanked him for all the joy and weirdness of their work. I even got to hug him twice (w/permission of course) when we ran into each other at the Majestic’s bar afterwards.
It gives me great pleasure that I can say I’ve danced with a devil in the pale moonlight.
