Purple Television
[July 27 2015] : music
Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents by Don Hardy
Director Don Hardy’s Theory of Obscurity: A Film About The Residents celebrates the enigma of the San Francisco band The Residents. The fascinating documentary surveys the band’s singular and momentous 42-year career. In a world of increasingly cheap celebrity, the quartet’s four decades of anonymity prove that artistic output triumphs over all. Creator of The Simpsons, long-time fan, and official biographer of the band Matt Groening hailer them as “The most influential collective in the history of 20th century pop music.” Theory of Obscurity uses rare footage from their first performances all the way up to their inclusion in MoMA’s collection, with interviews with Primus’ Les Claypool, illusionist Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller, Matt Groening, Devo’s Jerry Casale and more. In a unique opportunity for L’Étrange Festival 2015 in Paris, The Residents will be performing Shadowland, introduce a special screening of their film classics – featuring previously unreleased material – and take part in an extensive Q&A session following the French Premiere of Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents.
