Monday, August 10, 2009

THE RESIDENTS - THE MOLE SHOW


  • the residents: mole show
    (2009, dvd bag set, usa, ralpho) - limited edition of 400 copies

includes
- 12 postcards (5.5" x8.5") with backdrop drawings from the show
- a miniature shovel
- a chipboard digipak featuring
--- a CD with the Australian radio special (70 minutes)
--- a single camera DVD of the uninterrupted live MOLESHOW, filmed at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco.

Frankly speaking, I'm not too impressed by the artwork. It's nice, but it's not something that makes me go "Wow"...
The music however is very interesting. The documentary is not the best audio recording, yet it's very funny and interesting at the same time.
The video recording might be one-camera shot and not of the best quality, but it is of historical value.
Here's what the Reziblog says:

"The first performance was a warm-up at The House in Santa Monica on April 10th, 1982, in front of an audience of sixty. It was a music-only performance -- no dancers, narrator, or sets -- to make sure that the Emulators were up to the task. The official opening was on October 26th at the Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco. The band had two sold-out shows there, then moved on for four shows in Los Angeles and one in Pasadena.

The shows were well received, though the audiences didn't always know what to make of them. Everyone on stage wore Groucho Marx glasses -- except Penn Jillette, who would take pot-shots at the show during his narration, poking fun at the primitive special effects and the strange story. Towards the end of the show he would (apparently) lose his temper, yelling at the performers and storming off stage. After a brief pause, Penn would be brought back on stage gagged, tied to a wheelchair, and wearing Groucho glasses. "

Limited and expensive. Available from Ralphamerica.

1 comment:

  1. one of the reasons I lost interest in Ralph America....ridiculously overpriced for a cd, a dvd and a set of postcards.
    For 10 years, Ralph America released some really good material, but seemed to have contempt for their buyers. With access to amazing artwork, they chose to release one cd with a cover photo od someone's nostrils. The original Ralph Records was such a labor of love and the items released were very creative. The company changed hands over the years.
    Not surprisingly, Ralph America closed in August of 2010. Ralph is now back in the hands of the Residents and we have high hopes for the return to great art/product.

    ReplyDelete