The residents

In the latest edition of our Underscore feature-- which covers undervalued artists and scenes from the musical past-- Marc Masters looks beyond the iconic eyeball masks to detail the distinctly weird wonders of art-rock provocateurs the Residents.

Though still steadfastly anonymous, the Residents have evolved from prime-time pop culture trash-talkers to careful, compassionate students of the human psyche. In a way, the most faceless band in rock history is finally showing signs of humanity — and mortality. This winter’s “Wonder of Weird” tour, which brings the band to the Institute of Contemporary Art next Tuesday, celebrates the group’s official 40th anniversary.

“I think that to tell this story, we should, at every point. . .try to undermine the credibility of it”

Hardy Fox, one of the creative forces behind the San Francisco art-rock band the Residents, has died. Or maybe not. In keeping with all things surrounding the infamously anonymous avant-garde pop group, that since 1972 has released more than 40 albums and two dozen multimedia projects, even the state of one of its key members’ mortality remains a mystery. On...

Friday, May 8, 1959, was a day that would soon be known by the residents of the Chavez Ravine neighborhoods as Black Friday.

These spectacular photos show the people of the indigenous Aymara nation, who live in the vast, remote plains of South America's Altiplano plateau.

The Residents

Moscow Communal Apartment a.k.a. "Kommunalka" (коммуналка) Soviet Russia - Moscow, 1983 A communal apartment was typically shared between two to seven families. Each family had its own room, which often served as a living room, dining room, and bedroom for the entire family. The hallways, kitchen (commonly known as the "communal kitchen"), bathroom and telephone (if any) were shared among all the residents. The communal apartment was the predominant districts of large Russian cities.”

Harmony Korine’s ‘Gummo’ Japanese Movie Poster