Allmusic had this to say about the Residents: "Over the course of a recording career spanning several decades, the Residents remained a riddle of Sphinx-like proportions; cloaking their lives and music in a haze of willful obscurity, the band's members never identified themselves by name, always appearing in public in disguise -- usually tuxedos, top hats and giant eyeball masks -- and refusing to grant media interviews. Drawing inspiration from the likes of fellow innovators including Harry Partch, Sun Ra, and Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, the Residents channelled the breadth of American music into their idiosyncratic, satiric vision, their mercurial blend of electronics, distortion, avant-jazz, classical symphonies and gratingly nasal vocals reinterpreting everyone from John Philip Sousa to James Brown while simultaneously expanding the boundaries of theatrical performance and multimedia interaction.
It was commonly accepted that the four-member group emigrated to San Francisco, California from Shreveport, Louisiana at some point in the early '70s. According to longtime group spokesman Jay Clem -- one member of the so-called Cryptic Corporation, the band's representative body -- they received their name when Warner Bros. mailed back their anonymous demo tape, addressed simply "for the attention of residents". Finding no takers for their oddball sounds, the Residents founded their own label, Ralph Records, for the purposes of issuing their 1972 debut "Santa Dog", released in a pressing of 300 copies which were mailed out to luminaries from Frank Zappa to President Richard Nixon. Their debut full-length, 1974's "Meet the Residents", reportedly sold fewer than 50 copies before the group was threatened with a lawsuit from Capitol Records over its cover, a twisted, dada-esque parody of the art to "Meet the Beatles".
The follow-up, 1974's neoclassical excursion "Not Available", was recorded with the intention of its music remaining unissued; locked in cold storage upon its completion, only a 1978 contractual obligation resulted in its eventual release. 1976's "The Third Reich 'N Roll" was the next official offering, a collection of pop oldies covers presented in a controversial jacket portraying Adolf Hitler clutching an enormous carrot. After a 1976 concert in Berkeley, California which cloaked the Residents behind an opaque screen, wrapped up like mummies -- the most famous of only three live performances mounted during their first decade of existence -- they issued an abrasive 1977 cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction", which became an underground hit on both sides of the Atlantic at the peak of the punk movement. As the decade drew to a close, the group released a flurry of recordings, further building upon their growing cult following; among them were 1978's "Duck Stab", 1979's "Eskimo" (purportedly a collection of native Arctic chants) and 1980's "Commercial Album", a compilation of 40 one-minute "pop songs" that aired on San Francisco radio only because the Residents played them during the advertising time they bought.
In 1981 the Residents embarked upon their "Mole Trilogy", a prog rock collection of albums -- 1981's "Mark of the Mole", 1982's "The Tunes of Two Cities" and 1985's "The Big Bubble" -- recounting an epic battle between a pair of tribes named the Moles and the Chubs; a lavish, multimedia tour, "The Mole Show", followed. In the interim, the group also mounted another ambitious project, the "American Composer" series, although only two of the projected titles -- 1984's "George & James" (a reinterpretation of songs by George Gershwin and James Brown) and 1986's "Stars & Hank Forever" (celebrating John Philip Sousa and Hank Williams) -- ever appeared. Instead, in the wake of financial and corporate difficulties which resulted in the creation of a New Ralph label, the Residents issued the one-off "God in Three Persons" (a talking blues outing), and 1989's "The King and Eye" (a reinterpretation of Elvis Presley standards).
After losing control of the Ralph label as well as their back catalog, the Residents regained the rights to their music in 1990 and began reissuing long-out-of-print material as well as the new "Freak Show", a meditation on circus sideshows and carnival dementia. Four years later, Freak Show was reissued as a CD-ROM, marking the group's first leap into the new digital interactive technology; "Have a Bad Day" followed in 1996, and included the soundtrack to the CD-ROM game "Bad Day on the Midway." In 1997, the band celebrated their silver anniversary with the release of the career-spanning overview "Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses". "Wormwood: Curious Stories From the Bible" followed the next year, with "Roadworms" (songs from Wormwood as performed in the stage show) being issued in mid-2000. They followed that up with the awesome "Icky Flix" DVD, an incredibly detailed collection of their videos that featured both old and new soundtracks, 5.1 Digital Stereo Surround sound, countless hidden videos and in-depth histories of each individual track. That was followed by another one of their rare tours, which saw them incorporate the DVD into their live act and bring out guest singer Molly Harvey for some truly creative duets. The "Petting Zoo" retrospective followed in the spring of 2002, acting as a budget sampler for new fans and giving old fans something to tide them over while several high concept projects neared completion. The first was "Demons Dance Alone", a complicated pop album that hearkened back to the catchier material from "Duck Stab" and the "Commercial Album". That was followed in 2002 by a live retrospective called "Kettles Of Fish On The Outskirts Of Town" that contained 3 cd's and a DVD, and a further look at their past via remasters and remixes put out by EuroRalph (including a remix of their previously unreleased and notorious "Warner Brothers Demo"). A DVD of the Demons Dance Alone tour came out in 2004 and another new project, "Animal Lover" was released in 2005."
Summer of 2006 brought the internet download project, The River of Crime: Episodes 1-5. River of Crime was their first project with Warner Music Group's Cordless label. Following the success of "River of Crime", The Residents launched their weekly Timmy video project on YouTube. In 2007 they did the music for the documentary "Strange Culture" and also released a double instrumental album, "Night of the Hunters". On the Fourth of July, 2007, the planned October release of their latest project with Mute Records, The Voice of Midnight (a music theater adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann's short story Der Sandmann), was announced on their website.
On the 21st of May 2008 they announced on their website that their first North America tour since "Demons Dance Alone" for a project entitled "The Bunny Boy" is set to begin on October 9th in New York — later an earlier date was added for Santa Cruz. Soon, it was announced that the tour will also include Europe, starting November 13th. On June 3rd, the Residents.com website boasted the planned release of "The Bunny Boy" which was released on September 1st. The website had posted information in which Foxboro claimed this would be a Farewell Tour; it was later revealed that this was nothing more than a mistake by Foxboro.
In October 2017, Hardy Fox identified himself as both the anonymous primary composer and producer for The Residents as well as the pseudonymous Charles Bobuck.
Hardy Fox died on October 30, 2018.
Picnic in the Jungle
The Residents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't remember but it seems
To stay alive inside your mind
And prey upon your leisure time
It happens in an open spot
The air is sticky and it's hot
First they take away our clothes
Then they lay us down in rows
The flesh of some while others stay
Machines that look like little cars
Consume the bones and count the scars
In a place that no one knows
We are prisoners of those
That no one sees and no one hears
But everybody hates and fears
Every day they leave a tray
And take an empty one away
On the tray are chicken legs
Potato salad and some eggs
The Residents' song Picnic in the Jungle is a dark and ominous commentary on the horrors of being taken captive and subjected to experimentation. The song's opening lines describe the aftermath of an experience that is so traumatic that it feels like a dream that can't be shaken off. The vivid imagery that follows describes a group of people stripped of their clothes and arranged in rows before being subjected to a horrifying process that involves some kind of disintegration, with many being consumed and left with scars. The language used in the song creates a sense of unease and dread, with heavy emphasis placed on the sensation of being trapped and unable to escape one's captors.
The song's title is a reference to the idea of a leisurely picnic in a jungle, which presents a stark contrast to the horrific images that the lyrics evoke. The use of food in the final lines of the song can be seen as a way of further emphasizing the sense of powerlessness and confinement conveyed by the rest of the lyrics. Despite being given food, the prisoners are still completely at the mercy of their captors, with no control over their surroundings or any hope of escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Afterwards, it's like a dream
This experience will seem surreal and distant after it has happened
You can't remember but it seems
The specifics of this memory will be blurry, but the emotions will remain clear
To stay alive inside your mind
These memories will linger in your thoughts for a long time
And prey upon your leisure time
These memories will haunt you during your free time, preventing you from relaxing
It happens in an open spot
This experience takes place in a wide and visible area
The air is sticky and it's hot
The weather is humid and uncomfortable
First they take away our clothes
The captors start by stripping the prisoners naked
Then they lay us down in rows
The prisoners are arranged in lines on the ground
A cloud appears and melts away
Smoke or gas is used to daze the prisoners before they are taken away
The flesh of some while others stay
Some prisoners are killed while others are spared
Machines that look like little cars
Automated machines are used to dispose of the prisoners' bodies
Consume the bones and count the scars
The machines eat away at the bodies and record any identifying features
In a place that no one knows
This event takes place in a secret location
We are prisoners of those
The captors have complete control over the prisoners
That no one sees and no one hears
Nobody outside of the captors and prisoners are aware of what is happening
But everybody hates and fears
There is a widespread sense of dread and apprehension about this event
Every day they leave a tray
The captors provide the prisoners with food on a daily basis
And take an empty one away
The captors also take away the previous day's empty food tray
On the tray are chicken legs
The food provided includes chicken legs
Potato salad and some eggs
The meal also includes potato salad and eggs
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Scull
Yup- that was it! Thanks Snuju. It was interesting how I remembered the oven being a fireplace, lol.
waisinet
Just found that guys and already loving them!
Talloweed
Wow, really? I always thought it was about the experience of being in a hospital for an extended amount of time. Thanks for the illumination!
Capricious Capricorn
Pretty sure this is the same one I saw in late '70s on local TV station. Sis and I were so creeped out by it! I remember more color though. Pre cable TV days.
oshinataka
I have entertained a long running theory that Les Claypool is one of the members of The Residents. For their career spanning (40?) years they have maintained complete anonymity.
moribund14
Downright Spooky! Different from the Snakefinger version, but a very cool treatment.
NevvySyndrome
Finding direct meaning in stuff by the Residents is like nailing jello to a tree.
kidmongo1
They did music for 5 episodes:#201 -- Remodeling the Playhouse #209 -- Playhouse in Space #210 -- Pajama Party #302 -- The Dentist #503 -- The Playhouse Newspaper Don't leave out Mark Mothersbaugh.
William Scull
I remember a video of theirs where I think it was a little kid put into a fireplace or something by an old man. It kept looking like the old man was going to hurt the kid, but never did. Wish I could remember what it was called! Creepiest thing I ever saw!!!!
11spike7
Afterwards, it's like a dream You can't remember but it seems To stay alive inside your mind And prey upon your leisure time It happens in an open spot The air is sticky and it's hot First they take away our clothes Then they lay us down in rows A cloud appears and melts away The flesh of some while others stay Machines that look like little cars Consume the bones and count the scars