Home Age Conversations

Episode 8: Santa Dog '78 and Decade in Review! (Part 1)

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:30:00 -0700

WE’RE ALIVE! Yes, that’s right! And we’ve got an episode!

On this episode of Home Age Conversations, we pick up our tradition of a yearly Santa Dog review... But then get swept up in the decade that just left us a few months ago! (...Ahem.) So JOIN US as we talk about everything from Talking Light to In Between Dreams... Literally.

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And, just as a little news reminder, the North American Dog Stab tour has unfortunately been postponed. Everyone please stay safe and wash your hands!

Excerpt from "Southern Sounds #44: Howlin' Wolf and Dyin' Dog"

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0700

Hey everybody! Unfortunately we do not have a new episode of Home Age Conversations today, but we do have a fun surprise instead. Recently we were invited onto another podcast, Southern Sounds with Sweeper Dupree, to talk about the mysterious Alvin Snow (aka Dyin' Dog) and The Residents' effort to bring him back into the spotlight. We weren't planning on discussing Alvin Snow's work on its own any time soon since our focus is pretty much exclusively on The Residents, but we were really thrilled when we got invited to talk all about these uncovered demos on Southern Sounds. It was probably for the best that we got forced to talk about this stuff before The Residents' own covers of these songs come out and totally change our perception of the originals.

Although originally we were just planning on plugging this episode in our upcoming holiday bonus episode, due to creative differences between us and the Southern Sounds with Sweeper Dupree podcast, we have decided to upload this excerpt here onto our main feed and website. Hope you enjoy!

【ホームエージカンバセーションズ】第7話「The Residents in Japan (13th Anniversary Tour)」

Sat, 16 Nov 2019 17:00:00 -0700

こんにちは！ In this episode of Home Age Conversations, we delve into the history of The Residents in Japan! ...Which is to say, we take a look at the 13th Anniversary Show and its origins. This was the tour that, coming out of financial ruin, reshaped The Residents forever. Mew gives us some additional insight on the Japanese history so often obscured by language barriers. Of course, that's not all.

Listen carefully and you may even hear some interesting things in the background...

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

13th Anniversary Show - Live In The USA (Klanggalerie Digital)
The Residents featuring Snakefinger - 13th Anniversary Live In Holland 1986 (Secret Records)
(Many other releases are out there, so you'll have to go digging if you want some more "classic" 13th Anniversary show releases!)
Intermission / Census Taker Mini LP [JP] (CD Japan)

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Episode 5: The Bunny Boy (2008) Part 2 - Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 18:00:00 -0700

Huh? What?! We're finally here to bring you the second half of our two-parter on The Residents' Bunny Boy project from 2008. In this episode of Home Age Conversations, we continue hopping down the bunny trail (HA!) as we sum up the later parts of the series and our thoughts on the project as a whole. So! Join us for Part 2 as we go through the project guided by the webseries and do our best to get to the bottom of our dear friend's tale. After all, he's going to save the world... or maybe he already has?

A huge shoutout to the OTHER special guest who shows up at the beginning of the episode, as well as this episode's sponsor: The Abstract Concept of Tater Tots.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

Album Links:

New to The Residents?
The Bunny Boy on The Residents.Com Historical
Watch The Bunny Boy on Youtube: Season 1 / Season 2
Grandpa Gio's word on The Bunny Boy

News Links:

Episode 6: The Brickeaters (2018) - Spill the Tea

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 18:30:00 -0700

On this segment of Oprah's Book Club, we look into The Residents' 2018 novel The Brickeaters, a story about a young internet content screener teaming up with a career criminal who uses an oxygen bottle all told by an alcoholic narrator. We discuss our thoughts on the book and compare it to other Residents projects without spoiling too much of the story in case you haven't read it yourself. Join us for some serious monkey business!

This episode was brought to you by our sponsor PAGWAG. If you've had it with those coastal elites and with their perfect white teeth, consider joining PAGWAG today!

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

The Brickeaters (Residents.com Sale) (Until August 2nd, 2019)
The Brickeaters (Amazon)

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Episode 5: The Bunny Boy (2008) Part 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 18:00:00 -0700

On this two-part episode of Home Age Conversations, we have got a story to tell! We're going down the rabbit hole (HA!) of The Residents' Bunny Boy project from 2008. In it, they used albums, YouTube videos, eBay accounts, emails (some from THIS YEAR!), Twitch streams, tours, bunnies and boxes of Armageddon to put the story of their dear old friend, Roger, out there into the world to help him find his missing brother, named Harvey. And that's not all.

So! Join us for Part 1 as we go through the project guided by the webseries and do our best to get to the bottom of our dear friend's tale. After all, he's going to save the world.

A huge shoutout to the special guest who shows up at the beginning of the episode!

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

Album Links:

New to The Residents?
The Bunny Boy on The Residents.Com Historical
Watch The Bunny Boy on Youtube: Season 1 / Season 2
Grandpa Gio's word on The Bunny Boy

News Links:

Bonus Episode E: Full Interview with Eric Drew Feldman

Fri, 24 May 2019 09:00:00 -0700

Sparky sits down to talk to the legendary Eric Drew Feldman about Intruders, aliens, and World War I. Here's the full interview with Eric Drew Feldman from our Intruders episode!

Stay tuned for Eric's newest project, which we'll link to when it exists.

Episode 4: Intruders (2018) Part 2 - It's Weird, I Know! (feat. Eric Drew Feldman)

Tue, 14 May 2019 19:00:00 -0700

Yesterday upon the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
I saw that man again today
Oh, I wish he'd go away.
- Hughes Mearns

Obsession, obsession! It's like a whirlpool--and so join us for PART 2! Of our Intruders episode.

In part 2 of our Intruders episode, we dive deeper into the album. We take a look at more tracks and how they all might match up.

This episode also features a continuation of the interview with Eric Drew Feldman started in part 1 of this episode.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

Album Links:

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Episode 4: Intruders (2018) Part 1 - I Know, It's Weird! (feat. Eric Drew Feldman)

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 19:30:00 -0700

Yesterday upon the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
I saw that man again today
Oh, I wish he'd go away.
- Hughes Mearns

Ghosts, ex-lovers, scarecrows, doppelgangers, alternate selves. Don't we all have something intruding on our minds? Inescapable sources of obsession that we can't seem to look away from? For us, it's Intruders, released back in October of 2018. After obsessing over its dark and mysterious tracks for a few months, it's finally time to talk about The Residents' most recent album (well... as of the release of this episode anyway). Join us for the first part of our episode on Intruders where we'll be discussing about a handful of tracks off of the album—as well as their own thematic doppelgangers.

And since Home Age Conversations is itself an echo of the past, this episode also features the return of the classic Residents BOGcast with our producer Sparky as he sits down to interview the wonderful Eric Drew Feldman.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

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Episode 3: River of Crime (2006) - Crime Me a River

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 11:30:00 -0700

Our lives are constantly surrounded by unseen streams. Numerous invisible rivers composed of love, power, success, pain... all that we detest and desire. Some of these we navigate with ease. Some we seek forever. And some are simply whirlpools, spinning us into oblivion. While I am not a criminal, crime has stalked me from an early age. At this point, I can only see my life as an unending collision with evil. Leaving me with but one conclusion: I ride The River of Crime.

On this episode of your favorite True Crime podcast, Home Age Conversations, we talk about The Residents' own true crime podcast from 2006, The River of Crime. Put out in a time before podcasts were fully "mainstream", this release was the first Residents release that was made for digital distribution. It not only acted as another technological leap for The Residents, but it also reestablished the concept of storytelling that can be heard in future albums, like Tweedles, The Voice of Midnight, and many more.

Of course, since we are definitely a true crime podcast ourselves, we also talk about the historical basis behind the various crimes presented in The River of Crime, which are all mostly based on true events. Check the crime collection below for pictures related the various criminals mentioned throughout the podcast.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

Album Links:

Crime Collection:

Episode 1 - The Kid Who Collected Crimes:
- Image of Topsy the elephant mid-electrocution
- Ethel and Julius Rosenberg (Kat note: "isn't ethel so cute. i've always thought she was such a cute little old lady.")
- Sadamichi Hirasawa
- PROBABLY George Mackay
- Toni Jo Henry (whose aunt lived in... SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA?!?!?!)
Episode 2 - Gator Hater:
Episode 3 - Misdelivered Mummy:
- Lancaster & Chubbie Respectively
Episode 4 - The Beards:
- Mask of Edward Paisnel (The Beast of Jersey)
- Gille De Rais
- Illustration of Bluebeard (Kat note: "i give the same look to my macaroni and cheese while i watch it heat up in the microwave")

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Episode 2: Gingerbread Man (1994) Part 2 - Goddamn MTV

Sat, 26 Jan 2019 12:00:00 -0700

On this episode (part 2 of 2) of Home Age Conversations, we examine the multimedia project from 1994 known as The Gingerbread Man. A combination of CD-ROM, album, and video mediums are used to show the stories of 9 troubled individuals and their internal thoughts. Joined by our producer, Sparky, we examine both the well-known and the obscure sections of the project and take a closer look at the complexities in the characters within.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

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Episode 2: Gingerbread Man (1994) Part 1 - People In The World Might Have Anxiety

Sat, 05 Jan 2019 11:00:00 -0700

After all the holiday cheer, folks might be a little sick of all that gingerbread. Understandable, sure. But when those gingerbread men run away and escape their usual fate of yuletide consumption, what then? The Residents have some ideas about where the cookie men might go off to, and focus on one in particular. One of spirit, rather than substance. The story of prey turned predator.

On this episode (part 1 of 2) of Home Age Conversations, we examine the multimedia project from 1994 known as The Gingerbread Man. A combination of CD-ROM, album, and video mediums are used to show the stories of 9 troubled individuals and their internal thoughts. Joined by our producer, Sparky, we examine both the well-known and the obscure sections of the project and take a closer look at the complexities in the characters within.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

Album Links:

Bonus Episode B: Santa Dog (1972) - Is Snowness Even a Word?

Tue, 25 Dec 2018 11:00:00 -0700

In December of 1972, a small and strange record label named Ralph Records put out their first release: A set of two 45rpm singles titled "Santa Dog". It was presented as a sampler of some of the various artists on the Ralph label, but with hindsight we know that this release was really the first official release by The Residents. Santa Dog has been revisited many times over The Residents' career, making it not only a song that symbolizes the "birth" of The Residents, but their various "rebirths" as they evolved throughout the years and continue to evolve to this day.

In the spirit of the holidays, we talk about "Fire" from the original Santa Dog from 1972 in this short bonus episode of Home Age Conversations. We also touch on other Santa Dogs throughout the years, the history of the release, phonetic organization, and the film Legally Blonde. We hope you have a Merry Christmas (I wonder if they have Christmas on the other side?) and Happy New Year! Look forward to more hoarse and frosty words in 2019!

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

Santa Dog '17 (Psychofon Records)

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Episode 1: Eskimo (1979) - We Live in a Society

Sun, 02 Dec 2018 10:00:00 -0700

WHEN A PERSON DIES, HIS NAME IS NOT SPOKEN UNTIL IT CAN BE GIVEN TO A NEWLY BORN CHILD, OR A FAVORITE DOG.

The Residents' true fascination with cultural commentary began with their critically acclaimed 1979 album, Eskimo. On a surface level, the album seems only to consist of grunting sounds and synthesized wind. But of course, there's a bit more to it. The album is quite notable in its use of creating "soundscapes" to portray the stories told in the liner notes of the album without any English dialogue. But, if you approach Eskimo with a bit of a critical Eye (and some knowledge of vintage ad campaigns), you'll find that there's another story to it, buried underneath all that snow.

ESKIMOS HAVE WORDS FOR 40 VARIETIES OF SNOW.

In this episode of Home Age Conversations, we start with the Residents album that best recreates a "Winter Wonderland" for the month of December (our apologies to those who live in the Southern Hemisphere where it's currently summer). In the process of going over this semi-fictional world music album, we cover ground regarding the eyeballs, music, accompanying stories, the fate of the album, and last but not least, bottom text. We hope that those new to The Residents are encouraged to listen to the album, and that long time fans can enjoy our in-depth discussion (albeit sprinkled with silly jokes).

IF AN ANGAKOK IS MURDERED, IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM ITS SPIRIT, THE MURDERER CUTS OFF THE ANGAKOK'S TOES AND FINGERS AND PUTS THEM IN THE DEAD MAN'S MOUTH.

Buy or Die! (Or cry.)

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