The Bunny Boy
was the 2008 project from
the Residents
, but it's much more than just an album. The album was inspired by the
Bunny Boy
Internet series (no longer available at www.residents.com), which also extended into the tour. Here's the supposed story: a friend of
' has had his brother go missing, apparently on the island of Patmos in Greece. This friend ("
Bunny
") is a (mostly) computer illiterate man who spends most of his time in his "secret room." He's got some clues: postcards from Patmos and the contents of his brother
Harvey
's computer. From the secret room, he posts video messages (the webisodes) on the Internets hoping that people will help him find his Armageddon-obsessed brother (who went to Patmos because that's where
St. John
supposedly received the Book of Revelations). But the story became more than just clues on the website.
(seemingly portrayed by
the Singing Resident
) gives out an e-mail address asking for help. In the following weeks,
responded to individual e-mails giving further clues, or not, as the case may be.
seems disturbed and confused, but is it just over his missing brother? Is
really missing? Is
dead? Is
crazy? Is
!?!?! There are certainly myriad clues, but which ones unlock the mystery? It's a brilliant multimedia story line. Musically, this is a more stripped-down effort than their recent offerings. Songs are short, and they're more "rock" than the last few albums, although they seem to get more electronic as the story progresses (a symptom of
's deteriorating mental condition?). Toward the end, they employ some cool programming and almost techno beats. The album doesn't advance the story line too much, although there appear to be further clues in the sparse lyrics and photos in the booklet. And as opposed to the last several releases,
features
almost exclusively on vocals (and mostly singing, too; not the screaming of old).
But here's the part that really had the
Residents
community buzzing: many of the objects in
's secret room seem strongly connected to
history/lore. Many of the direct questions asked of
were given answers known to coincide with views already offered by
themselves (like "What's your favorite
album?"). The addresses listed on the postcards are all previous locations of
' home/studio or
Ralph Records
.
states that he wanted to be a butcher, then in an e-mail reply states that one of
or one of
' fathers was a butcher. After the
Demons Dance Alone
tour (2003),
stated they were taking a few weeks vacation...in PATMOS! There have already been what seem to be autobiographical details released in the
Kettles of Fish
package and the re-released
Mole Trilogy
liner notes, as well as in the
live show and the stories from
River of Crime
. Is that what
is really about? Is the actual character of
really
?!?! The interactive part of this concept is supposed to expand into other media as the story progresses, and
reports that
have asked him to accompany them on the tour (an offer he eventually accepted). Are they really providing clues to their identities, or are they just messing with all of us? Ah, such is the beauty of
. The most mysterious avant-garde rock group ever remains almost as mysterious as when it appeared more than 35 years ago. Other albums will surely be more lauded in
' canon, but
may well be their crowning conceptual achievement (and that's no small statement). It will be fascinating to see where this all leads. ~ Sean Westergaard