So, I've read here and there that you are somewhat of The Residents' sound engineer?
"Not exactly" to "sorta". I have done a lot of sound work, primarily with recording gear. I call in professionals when a project requires professionalism, though. I am amused by sound. Does that count?
I suppose. Do you partake in their studio endeavors? And what's your function?
I don't have a traditional role, but lately I am really pushing for DVD development and expanded surround. But by the time this gets published I will probably be off doing something else.
You would shop around for gear, like investigate into things and suggest perhaps different technologies?
Yeah, but I can't say I'm the only one who does this because there are probably dozens of people who help The Residents with gear ideas, including lots of companies who stay in touch... in terms of what they're working on and developing.
Software and whatnot.
... software and hardware. The thing with the Residents is that they're ill-defined, and actually everything about them is ill-defined. Sort of a controlled chaos situation, I suppose. But it's also a very creative chaos. Companies wonder what the Residents will do with their products.
So with albums like Eskimo or Mark Of The Mole — in which, musically, they're more about using sound to tell the story instead of using words/lyrics — would they develop albums based off of whatever new equipment was around?
Yes, absolutely. Just like any new toy — you figure out new ways of playing, so the instrument is a new toy, the camera is a new toy — so quite often that's a new driving force, a way of coming up with new ideas. Sometimes people are new toys, too.
Certainly, and they're the most complex one. In the past fifteen years or so, [with] the advent of new accessible technologies in terms of high-quality home recording like DAWS and such, have the Residents taken refuge in the home studio scenario as opposed to the commercial recording studio? Is that a preferable thing?
They do both. But the commercial studios tend to be less formal and more like working at home... comfortable. A lot of times they'll prefer working in a professional situation. The home studio might be just for sketching or it could be for completely other reasons. But it is true, home studios can be quite sophisticated. The Residents don't just record at home... never did. It is all a mix of everything from cassette location to 24- track digital. But they prefer the time freedom of working off the clock.
I suppose even at a well built-up home studio one can create ad infinitum, but one might never meet a deadline, if one exists...
Well, not the Residents! The Residents believe the amount of time it takes to create is part of the project. They consider the amount of time that something is worth having put into it.
How does that manifest musically then?
You may think you have a really great idea, but if the time allotment for it exceeds the quality of the idea, then it's not a good idea. You just thought it was a good idea! But it might be a good idea for another time because technology makes it possible. Time is really important to the Residents.
That's right, because a lot of time has elapsed since they began making music over thirty years ago and the concept of mortality seems to be a theme throughout their music as of late. So now it's about "Let's get something done."
Right. They're aware of their ticking clocks. They have a certain amount of time to get do what has to be done. And they do believe that they have more ideas than time to complete them. Therefore, you can't spend too much time fussing over an idea.
But then there has to be a balance found over not just getting something recorded/produced just to get it done. In other words, not half- assing an idea.
Well, one has to determine how much time an idea is worth. An idea in which too much time is spent becomes a half-assed idea. It's like if you would want to have a concert on the moon, it could possibly be accomplished in time, but that becomes a very bad idea. You have to keep sort of a reference. When you start off, you don't have that reference. You start working on it, and the ideas expand, and you start to get a sense of what the requirements are. They just believe that time is an element to be factored.
Okay, you're on the scent of a trail and you have seen it come to fruition. You got the idea, you see the golden pearly gates, it's tangible, but it could take x amount of time — but you're on the trail...
The quality of the ideas go up so time allotment goes up, as you start sensing the motivation it takes to accomplish. It is not an objective science.
But has that happened?
Many times. A lot of times you have an idea but you don't realize what the idea is until you're kind of halfway through it. Then you have to calculate what it takes. You should never build a house that you won't live in long enough to actually enjoy, no matter how fantastic it's going to be. The point being that all projects have to be finished in a timely fashion unless they weren't good ideas to begin with. Once you get the feeling that it wasn't a good idea to begin with then it can just be abandoned and you accept it. It's like reading book that's no longer good but it started good. You don't have to finish reading the book just because you started it.
