Fans can send questions to Hardy Fox (co-founder of The Residents). He answers them in his newsletter :
Here's a sample, and no, I did not send in this question.
Q: I've always noticed various nods to Frank Zappa's music and ideas throughout The Residents' (and Bobuck's) careers. What are your favorite Frank Zappa albums, or at least the ones that had the biggest influence?
Hardy Fox : Actually neither Bobuck nor myself own any Zappa albums, but we did hear some of the early ones and I saw him live once. I know who Susie Creamcheese is. To be honest, I haven't noticed any "nods" to Zappa. I don't think there is any conscious influence other than the general influence of music floating around in the air. But the album that was most shocking to me was "Freak Out." It was so terrible and wonderful at the same time. While not owning them, I have heard and enjoyed Lumpy Gravy, and Uncle Meat. Oh, also Hot Rats. I worked with Don Preston from the Mothers, who is a speculator musician.
The question above yours is asking the same thing about the influence of Nilsson. There are maybe a hundred composer/performers we have considered amazing, and hundreds more that had their moments. But there was never anything like, "oh let's do a Moondog style tune" type of thing. Musicians do what they do as a result of a constant bombardment of culture. There is no way to escape influence, but then, there is no reason to want to escape.
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