Part 3 of the 1977 promotional release The Residents Radio Special (as per the track separations of the 2002 CD reissue Eat Exuding Oinks!) contains the fourth, fifth and sixth parts of an interview by veteran radio presenter Sid Powell with Jay Clem of The Cryptic Corporation at the RAO Studios in Houston, Texas.
It also features a suite of excerpts from The Residents' 1972 debut EP Santa Dog, and two previously unreleased songs from the group's 1971 demo tape B.S., "King Kong" (featuring English guitarist Snakefinger) and "Kamakazi Lady" (featuring The Mysterious N. Senada).
Transcript[]
Interview (1)[]
Sid:
- Okay, we are back in the RAO Studios in Houston. This is Sid Powell with Mr. Jay Clem, representative of Ralph Records. During the next few minutes we will be hearing some of the early Residents material. The first selections will be a medley from the 1972 release, Santa Dog. Mr. Clem, can you comment on this Santa Dog?
Jay:
- Uh, sure enough, Sid, Santa Dog was The Residents' first pressed record. It represents their 1972 Christmas card, as well as being the first official Ralph Records release.
Sid:
- Well, I understand that the last few copies of this recording went for the ri-diculous price of twenty-five dollars, is this true?
Jay:
- Uh, absolutely true, Sid, in fact it was quite a deal at twenty-five. I understand if somebody wanted to buy one today, they'd have to go as high as fifty smackaroos.
Sid:
- Well, wonders never cease. Let's hear some of this Santa Dog.
[Song: "Fire"]
[Song: "Explosion" (excerpt)]
[Song: "Lightning" (excerpt)]
[Song: "Aircraft Damage" (excerpt)]
Interview (2)[]
Sid:
- Next we travel further back in time to the days of The Residents' very beginning. Now, I understand that The Residents at this time were working with and highly influenced by two figures: The Mysterious N. Senada and the British guitar player "Snakefinger" Lithman.
Jay:
- Uh, that's right, Sid, let's talk about "Snakefinger" Lithman first. Uh, Snakefinger had caught word of The Residents' experimental, uh, music and tape recording work they were doing at the time, and, uh... incidentally, Sid, these... some of these Residents tapes are said to have found their way into Germany back in the early '70s, and... and actually influenced some of the early German avant-gardists.
Sid:
- Aha!
Jay:
- Anyway, one day Snakefinger arrived in San Mateo, California, where The Residents had their studios at that time, and they began to get acquainted, and did some work, and actually produced some very interesting tapes.
Sid:
- Well, let's hear some of this Snakefinger. Now we'll have The Residents doing Frank Zappa's "King Kong" with "Snakefinger" Lithman on guitar.
[Song: "King Kong"]
Interview (3)[]
Sid:
- Now, Mr. Clem, I understand that The Mysterious N. Senada was highly influential on The Residents'... philosophic background. Now, how can this be, since he has been said to speak no English?
Jay:
- Uh, well, Sid, it is true that The Mysterious N. Senada spoke very little, if any, English. However, he did find the English language quite fascinating, and he was quite fluent, um... verbally as well as musically, employing the... the Theory of Phonetic Organization. Uh, a synthesis of the two, uh... produced very good results, uh... in this situation. It was... it was this, um... this musical implementation of the... of Phonetic Organization that was so highly influential on The Residents' music.
Sid:
- Now, wait just a minute. Perhaps we should hear just a little bit more about this Phonetic Organization.
Jay:
- Okay, Sid, I'll try to give you a little bit about that, now... it's... it's a little tough to try to explain in English, but if I actually, uh... uh... implement the Theory of... of, uh... Phonetic Organization, I can just... [backwards speech] ...like this.
Sid:
- Hmm, well perhaps we should hear it from The Mysterious N. Senada himself. Here he is, with The Residents, doing "Kamakazi Lady".
[Song: "Kamakazi Lady"]
Announcer:
- For a free catalog of The Residents' records, write to Ralph Records, 444 Grove Street, San Francisco, California, 94102. Stay tuned for more of The Residents Special.
See also[]
- The Residents Radio Special
- Santa Dog
- B.S.
- Snakefinger
- N. Senada
- Theory of Phonetic Organization
- "King Kong"
- "Kamakazi Lady"