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Michael Patterson, better known as Rex Ray (September 11th 1956 – February 9th 2015) was an American graphic designer and collage artist, based in San Francisco. He worked with Ralph Records and The Residents on numerous occasions.
History with The Residents[]
Rex Ray's first noted involvement with The Residents was as an arts student in 1984, when, as a homework assignment, he created a silkscreen cover artwork for the group's planned (but ultimately unfinished) Christmas single, "Santa Dog '84".[1] This artwork was later used on a fan-made (but officially sanctioned) pressing of the unfinished single in October 2021.
His first released work for Ralph Records came in 1987, when he produced the cover art for the various artists compilation Potatoes. His first publicly issued artwork for The Residents was the package design for their "Double Shot" single in 1988, which he followed with work for the group's Classic Series of CD releases.
He notably contributed significantly to the graphic design and imagery associated with the Residents fan club UWEB; the "face" of the group's founder Uncle Willie was taken by Ray from a 1959 drawing of Harry and David Holmes, the founders of the Fruit of the Month Club. Ray's use of the image was a joking reference to the then-common use of "fruit" as a derogatory slang term for gay men.[2]
Rex last worked with The Residents in 1994 on their Gingerbread Man project; his art has since been featured on the archival releases Land of Mystery in 1999, Live In The USA! 13th Anniversary Tour in 2015, and Cube-E Box in 2020.
Releases featuring art / design by Rex[]
- Potatoes (1987)
- Double Shot (1988)
- Not Available (1988)
- Commercial Album (1988)
- A Collection Of Songs Written & Produced With Snakefinger (1988)
- Meet The Residents / Santa Dog (1988)
- Mark Of The Mole / Intermission (1988)
- Santa Dog '88 (1988)
- Kaw-Liga (Housey Mix) (1989)
- The King & Eye (1989)
- The Big Bubble / Safety Is A Cootie Wootie (1989)
- Mole Show: Live In Holland (1989)
- Buckaroo Blues & Black Barry (1989)
- Manual of Errors (1990)
- Don't Be Cruel (1990)
- Cube-E: Live In Holland (1990)
- Freak Show (1990)
- Liver Music (1990)
- Stranger Than Supper (1990)
- Daydream B Liver (1991)
- Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? / The Census Taker (1991)
- The Eyes Scream: A History Of The Residents (1991)
- Philip Charles Lithman AKA Snakefinger 1949 - 1987 (1992)
- Twenty Twisted Questions (1992)
- Blowoff (1992)
- Our Finest Flowers (1992)
- Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide To The Residents (1993)
- Freak Show (1994)
- Gingerbread Man (1994)
Archival Releases
- Land of Mystery (1999)
- Live In The USA - 13th Anniversary Show (2015)
- Cube-E Box (2020)
See also[]
Resources[]
External links and references[]
- ↑ Santa Dog at RZWeb (archived via archive.org)
- ↑ Post by Kim Andrews, The Residents unofficial Facebook group, December 25th 2021