The Residents
"Freak Show" CD/DVD
January 22, 2007
Mute Records
Born out of a vague and uncomfortable childhood memory of a mule faced lady at the Lousiana State Fair, The Freak Show album, originally released in 1990, is the story of a collection of freaks, each with their own all-too human failings and each with a haunting theme song worming its way into the listener's brain.
Meet Harry The Head, Herman The Human Mole, Wanda The Worm Woman, Mickey The Mumbling Midget and Jello Jack The Boneless Boy. "Come in", say The Residents, "and make your mundane lives look like the kiss of bliss".
This being The Residents, once the album was released, things weren't quite over... Whilst travelling in England they met with comic artists Brian Bolland (visual creator of Judge Dread and the "Dark Knight" Batman) and Edwin "Savage Pencil" Pouncey. Quickly the idea of a graphic novel based on the Freak Show characters took shape and ten artists including Brian Bolland, Savage Pencil and Kyle Baker came together for the Dark Horse Comics published graphic novel which followed in 1992.
Two years later saw the release of the groundbreaking and award winning CD-ROM game, taking players through an interactive trip through the three dimensional Freak Show tent and a year after that, in 1995, the premiere of the stage adaption opened in Prague.
Mute continues this journey which started over 15 years ago with the definitive edition of The Residents' Freak Show. Available on CD as a deluxe hardbook format, the release compiles the original artwork and sleevenotes alongside a bonus DVD which features animated films on Herman The Human Mole, Benny The Bouncing Bump and the Pickled Punks along with an excerpt from the Freak Show Live in Prague, the Jelly Jack video from 1992 and the original press release.
Everyone comes to the Freak Show _/ To laugh at the Freaks and the Geeks_ / Life is a lot like a Freak Show_ / But nobody laughs when they leave.
So -- step this way, folks come on in, you know you can't resist. Come in and make your mundane lives look like the kiss of bliss.
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