Lonely Teenager

***Lonely Teenager*** is the 35th studio album by The Residents. It is based in part on their 2010 touring show, *Talking Light,* featuring both studio recordings of arrangements created for that show, as well as studio recordings of songs written for the show ("The Unseen Sister" and "Talking Light") as well as arrangements rejected from the show ("Lizard Lady," and "Boxes of Armageddon.")

Like *Meet The Residents* and *The Big Bubble*, *Lonely Teenager* features The Residents individually credited under pseudonyms; in this case, Randy, Chuck and Bob, names and characters created for the Talking Light show representing the then three Residents. The album is also notably the first Residents studio album released through Ralph Records in 25 years.

## Background

After their *Bunny Boy* multi-media project was concluded in 2009, The Residents began developing a live show themed around ghosts. The show would feature several Residents classics, as well as a selection of songs written exclusively for the tour; these became known as 'ghost stories.' every show would feature at least three ghost stories performed, one of which was chosen at random out of eight alternative ghost stories, with "Talking Light" and "The Unseen Sister" being performed at every show. The show also featured monologues from Randy Rose, a fictionalised version of The Singing Resident, who stood between Chuck and Bob. In May of 2009, The Residents teased this project, with a digital download entitled *Things to Come*, which featured a single track, titled "*Talking Light*." In November of 2009, they released the rarities album *Ten Little Piggies*, which featured four recently recorded tracks, re-recordings of Duck Stab songs, "Semolina," "Laughing Song" as well as early versions of "The Unseen Sister" and "Talking Light."

The tour began on January 23rd, 2010, and was notably not in support of any album; it didn't even feature any material from their most recent output, The Bunny Boy. And so, 'after 40 or so performances,' The Residents began to contemplate what the Talking Light album might have sounded like. They selected six songs from the setlist, as well as two songs they had considered but rejected for the tour. They recorded them in the studio as Lonely Teenager. Concurrently, The Residents were also working on a re-recording of their 1978 album, *Duck Stab! / Buster & Glen* and decided to include the finished "Lizard Lady" recording from those sessions on the album.

### Release

The album was announced on January 26th, 2011, with a March release date. They released their digital exclusive studio album, *Chuck's Ghost Music*, that same week. The album was ultimately released on February 23rd, 2011, available to purchase as a CD-R through the Ralph Records CreateSpace store; this was the first new Residents album on Ralph since 1989's *Buckaroo Blues & Black Barry*, and their first studio album on Ralph since 1986's *Stars and Hank Forever*; notably, both feature covers of Hank William's "Six More Miles." It was the first Residents studio album given a wide release since 2008's The Bunny Boy.

On March 15th, The Residents began the fourth and final leg of the Talking Light tour, playing across Northern America. On the tour, a unique version of the CD-R was sold, featuring a single bonus track: an October 2009 rehearsal recording of "The Unseen Sister." On June 7th, MVD Audio released the album on CD. Despite not including the bonus track, the liner notes still refer to it. Said tour was somewhat influenced by the album, as "Lizard Lady," was introduced to the setlist.

### Legacy

The re-recording of "Lizard Lady" found on this album appeared on the 2012 compilation album *D\*ck S\*ab,* and "Sleepwalker" appeared on the 2013 compilation *Ten Two Times*. A re-recording of "Talking Light," as well as the single version, was included on the album *Night Train To Nowhere!*.

## Reception

Initial reactions to the album were mixed to positive, with a positive RateYourMusic review from shortly after the CD-R release of the album saying that 'the music fine, but the production is off-putting to my ears,' saying it sounded like a rehearsal, and suggested the listener check out the *Talking Light (Live)* series instead. Another positive review on the ProgArchives described the album as one of The Residents' best albums, though not an essential one. The reviewer praised its 'spooky ambiance,' sound, arrangements, and 'respectful' use of tension chords. The review however said it wasn't an essential, saying that it wasn't representative of The Residents' work, and was best appreciated with an existing knowledge of The Residents' work. It also critiqued the pacing of the album.

### Retrospective

The album continued to receive a lukewarm reception as it aged. 'Historian9' reviewing the album for ProgArchives in February of 2012, was far from overjoyed with the album, stating that, having not seen the live show the album was based on, the atmosphere was had to grasp. They stated that the re-arrangement of "My Window" 'made it lose some of its magic.' The reviewer praised "Six More Miles" as 'beautiful' and described "The Sleepwalker" as a highlight. Another ProgArchives review from that same time, with the same star rating, describing it as ' one of the most disconcerting Residents albums, unabashedly oddball from beginning to end and experimental to the extreme. The creepy atmospheres may be too much for some but it is certainly compelling and generates some weird imagery in the subconscious. Definitely one of the more scary albums from The Residents, though not as good as their earlier material.' Sean Westergaard, writing for AllMusic.com said that the album was 'a bit dark and creepy at times, but on the whole Lonely Teenager is one of The Residents' more gentle recordings,' and praised the re-arranged tracks as 'great.'

Bic, reviewing the album on Amazon said that it was "further evidence of their greatness" but that "they have produced slightly "better" / more crucial examples," despite this, their review is overwhelmingly positive, praising the originality of the arrangements and production.

Richard Anderson, reviewing the album for KittySneezes.com mentioned that the album featured was "worth the price of admission" for the "six interesting reinterpretations of Residents classics" Rev. Syung Myung Me said that it was 'A pretty good souvenir of the Talking Light tour,' but Aila was much more scathing, stating that "not only does *Lonely Teenager* not offer anything of importance, the Residents themselves seem to have finally reached the point of an almost complete creative bankruptcy." Kevin Gold Finger, reviewing the album for Sputnik Music described it more favourably, calling it "great" and "possibly the most unsettling album you'll ever hear."

A more recent review, from 2020, simply called it "Another great album by The Residents," and oddly, the *Faceless Forever* entry on the album seems critical of its existence.

## Track Listing

*All Songs Written by The Residents Except Where Noted.*

1. Six More Miles (Williams) (8:38)
2. My Window (4:19)
3. The Unseen Sister (7:56)
4. The Lizard Lady (3:05)
5. The Sleepwalker (3:34)
6. The Old Woman (6:45)
7. Boxes of Armageddon (3:34)
8. Talking Light (9:50)

**Tour Exclusive version**

1. Six More Miles (Williams) (8:38)
2. My Window (4:19)
3. The Unseen Sister (7:56)
4. The Lizard Lady (3:05)
5. The Sleepwalker (3:34)
6. The Old Woman (6:45)
7. Boxes of Armageddon (3:34)
8. Talking Light (9:50)
9. The Unseen Sister (2009 rehearsal) (3:54)

## Liner Notes

"The normal business cycle calls for a band to record an album, then to tour in support of it. But if nothing else, The Residents love to experiment, often perversely defying convention. Consequently, during a time when little interest is being paid to CDs, the idea of developing a touring show without the restriction of promoting an album made perfect sense. This time the group could just play whatever they wanted instead of a predetermined show. It would be fun - and it was.

But after forty or so performances, The Residents started wondering: what would the album that "might have been" sound like? ...and they begin to imagine the fictitious album they would be supporting - had they actually recorded one. As usual with Randy, Chuck & Bob, imagination quickly leads to action, and, in a short time, this action produced the curious, **Lonely Teenager**.

Featuring pieces that were performed in the show as well as others that were considered but ultimately rejected, Lonely Teenager is "the studio album that might have been." Benefiting hugely from the Talking Light tour, the CD also includes additional tunes featuring new arrangements of Lizard Lady (from Duck Stab Re-Imagined sessions) and The Bunny Boy's Boxes of Armageddon." - Ralph Records

## Credits

* **As Performed By** Randy, Chuck & Bob
* **Written & Performed By** The Residents,
* **Except "*Six More Miles*"** Williams
* **With Guests**: N. Cook & G. Lawlor
* **Location Recording:** S. Thomas, El Lokal
* Pale Pachyderm Publishing (BMI)
* **Produced By**: The Cryptic Corporation

## See also

* Talking Light
* Randy's Ghost Stories

## External links and references

* *Lonely Teenager*at The Residents Historical
* *Lonely Teenager*at Discogs
* *Lonely Teenager*at Wikipedia

**Ralph Records (1972 - 1987)**
*Meet The Residents* (1974) · *The Third Reich 'n Roll* (1976) · *Fingerprince* (1977) · *Duck Stab!/Buster & Glen* (1978)*Not Available* (1978) · *Eskimo* (1979) · *Commercial Album* (1980) · *Mark of the Mole* (1981) *The Tunes of Two Cities* (1982) · *George & James* (1984) · *The Big Bubble* (1985) · *Stars & Hank Forever!* (1986)
**Ryko and Enigma (1988 - 1989)**
*God In Three Persons* (1988) · *The King & Eye* (1989)
**East Side Digital (1990 - 2002)**
*Freak Show* (1990) · *Our Finest Flowers* (1992) · *Gingerbread Man* (1994) · *Have A Bad Day* (1996) *Wormwood* (1998) · *Demons Dance Alone* (2002)
**Mute Records (2004 - 2007)** *Animal Lover* (2005) · *Tweedles!* (2006) · *The Voice of Midnight* (2007)
**MVD Audio (2008 - 2015)**
*The Bunny Boy* (2008) · ***Lonely Teenager*** (2011) · *Mush-Room* (2013)
**MVD Audio and Cherry Red (2016 - present)** *The Ghost of Hope* (2017) · *Intruders* (2018) · *Metal, Meat & Bone* (2020)

**Fan club / off-label albums**
*Buckaroo Blues* (1989) · *The 12 Days of Brumalia* (2004) · *Night of the Hunters* (2007)*Hades* (2009) · *Dollar General* (2010) · *Night Train To Nowhere!* (2012)
**Soundtrack albums**
*Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats?* (1984) · *The Census Taker* (1985) · *Hunters* (1995) · *Icky Flix* (2001) *I Murdered Mommy!* (2004) · *Postcards From Patmos* (2008) ·  *Strange Culture/Haeckel's Tale* (2010)*Chuck's Ghost Music* (2011) · *Theory of Obscurity Soundtrack* (2014) · *Sculpt* (2016) · *Music to Eat Bricks By* (2019) · *Triple Trouble* (2022)
**Collaborative albums**
*Title In Limbo* with Renaldo & The Loaf (1983) · *I Am A Resident!* with You? (2018)
**Live in the studio**
*Assorted Secrets* (1984) · *Roadworms: The Berlin Sessions* (2000) · *Talking Light Live In Rehearsal, Santa Cruz, California* (2010)*Mole Dance 82* (2021) · *Duck Stab! Alive!* (2021)
**Related articles**
The Residents discography (W.E.I.R.D., 1979) · Ralph Records discography

1. ↑ The Residents - The Residents' Talking Light presents "Lonely Teenager". | Facebook
2. ↑ Lonely Teenager by The Residents (Album, Experimental Rock) | RateYourMusic
3. ↑ THE RESIDENTS Lonely Teenager music review by The\_Jester | Prog Archives
4. ↑ THE RESIDENTS Lonely Teengaer Reviews | ProgArchives
5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120629080121/https://www.allmusic.com/album/lonely-teenager-mw0002130808
6. ↑ https://kittysneezes.com/review-lonely-teenager/