The Residents have been freaking us out for about half a century now—even after the anonymous ensemble’s founding member Hardy Fox passed away a few years back. In fact, they just released their latest collection of songs this month—compiling collaborations with the late blues musician Alvin “Dyin’ Dog” Snow—with standout track “DIE! DIE! DIE!” featuring vocals from Pixies’ Black Francis.
Today the band is sharing a video for this track, which they’ve put together using footage sent to them by fans. “After working with The Residents on various projects for over 30 years, it’s clear that their proclivity for disruption and picking at the unhealed wounds of pop culture has not diminished one bit,” notes video producer John Sanborn. “After we collaborated on ‘Bury My Bone,’ they asked me to mash up the spectacularly disturbing video they created for ‘DIE! DIE! DIE!’ with submissions from their fans.
“When asking for user generated content there is usually a risk that what is offered will underwhelm, but Residents fans are truly able and inspired,” he continues. “And passionate as hell. They took to the assignment with a clear purpose, mirroring the dark, brooding nature of the song, while celebrating its message—when something is rotten, it needs to die!”
“For The Residents, this was a great way to follow up on their I AM A RESIDENT! album in which fans submitted their own versions of the group’s songs,” the group shares in a statement. “Also, in light of the current cultural climate, they really believe in the statement made by the original ‘DIE! DIE! DIE!’ video and were happy to have their fans contribute to that message. But the most satisfying thing about the video is how much weirdness it enabled in Residents’ fans.”
Watch it below.
