Never Known Questions

Purple Side B label from the original recalled pressing of Not Available

"**Never Known Questions"** (working titles **"Anaconda Montana"** and **"O Solo Meow"**) is a suite by The Residents, largely recorded in April 1974 and later "reprocessed" for release as the fourth and penultimate track on their second album *Not Available*, belatedly issued by Ralph Records on October 9th 1978.

In the context of the *Not Available* operetta, the suite depicts a monologue delivered by The Porcupine as he emerges from a bush, shattering the tension of the operetta's climactic pistol duel between The Catbird and his rival The Enigmatic Foe.

In October 2010, the full suite was performed live for the first time at a one-off show in Olomouc, Czech Republic by The Residents' lead singer Randy Rose with Czech band Už Jsme Doma. A shortened cover version was recorded in 2014 by the group's long-time composer and keyboardist Charles Bobuck and released as a digital single.

## History

"Never Known Questions" is the fourth part of The Residents' operetta *Not Available*, which was composed, rehearsed and recorded in secrecy by the group at their Sycamore Street studio between February and September 1974.

After completing the sessions, The Residents shelved the tapes, feeling that the recordings were too personal for release, and deciding that they should not be issued until the participants had forgotten the tapes existed, in accordance with their mentor N. Senada's Theory of Obscurity. The album was eventually released by The Residents' management company The Cryptic Corporation on October 9th 1978, as a stop-gap following a delay in production on the group's "documentary" album *Eskimo*.

Like most of the tracks on the album, "Never Known Questions" is a lengthy suite comprised of smaller sections. A number of instrumental demos and alternative takes of sections of the suite were compiled on the 1974 demo tape *X is For Xtra (A Conclusion)*, including "Anaconda Montana" (the "spot the rot" section) and "O Solo Meow" (the Porcupine's monologue).

The suite depicts the conclusion of a pistol duel between the operetta's characters The Catbird and The Enigmatic Foe, who realise that the central character Edweena (the object of their mutual affection) has eloped with Uncle Remus, the operetta's hitherto objective narrator. The Porcupine emerges from a bush to interrupt the tension with a monologue that paraphrases Shakespeare.

## Legacy

An instrumental outtake, "Available Piece", appeared on the outtakes and rarities compilation *Beautiful Eyes* in 2010, and consists of instrumental takes of parts of "The Making of a Soul", "Never Known Questions", and "Epilogue". This instrumental track can be heard playing faintly in the background of "New Mexico Dream", released in 2019 on the pREServed edition of *Not Available*, which features an early vocal take of a monologue from "The Making of a Soul."

Another instrumental piece from the same sessions, "Asonarose", was included as an uncredited introduction to "Never Known Questions" on the extended reissue of *Not Available* in 2011. The extended version of the album was not featured on the pREServed reissue in 2019, however "Asonarose" was included separately on the second disc.

### Later versions

"Never Known Questions" was first performed live by The Residents' lead singer Randy Rose with Czech band Už Jsme Doma at the one-off live show Moravian Meeting in Olomouc on October 20th 2010. This version (with added drum overdubs) was first officially released on the Hardy Fox tribute album *The Godfather of Odd* in 2019. The original recording was released on the Moravian Meeting live album the following year.

Two demo versions of "Never Known Questions" were recorded in 2012 in preparation for the group's 40th Anniversary tour, The Wonder of Weird; the demos were first released as "Easter eggs" on The Residents' official website, and were later collected in the 2021 compilations *WOW Demos 1* and *WOW Demos 2*.

In 2014, the group's long-time composer Charles Bobuck recorded a shortened solo version of the song (with an appearance from guitarist Nolan Cook). It was released on the *Codgers on the Moon* website, and later included on the Bobuck compilation *THIS* in 2016. On *THIS*, the song's composition is credited to Bobuck and Rose.

## Lyrics

```
**Chorus:**
The cloud continues and the spot
Diminishes without even the
Hint of a glow.
Is glowing a continuous process
Or does the spot find its
Way out where it needs to be?
Way out where it needs to be?
Way out where it needs to be?
Way out where
Spot the rot, spot the rot,
Spot the rot we say
Spot the rot they tell the
Tot while feeding him some say.
Spot the rot, oh spot the
Rot and then you'll be okay.
Spot the rot, oh spot the
Rot, but still you'd better pray.
Spot the rot, oh, spot the rot,
Spot the rot we say
Spot the rot, they tell the
Tot, while feeding him some say.
Spot the rot, oh spot the
Rot and then you'll be okay.
Spot the rot, oh spot the
Rot, but still you'd better pray.

```

```
**Porcupine:**
When Edweena made me mushrooms,
She ate the grate and ground the groom;
My mother made me eat boysenberries,
But my gracious sakes just ate me first.
Calling cards and polling wards are just too many, see?
Oh, oh, calling cards and winking bards are just a way to see.
Calling cards and winking bards are just the way to be?
Falling guards and winking bards are just a need today.
Falling guards and winking bards are just my needs. Okay? Okay?
Okay? Okay? Okay?
Okay! Okay! Okay!
Okay! Okay! Okay! Okay!
Okay okay! Okay okay! Okay okay!
To show or to
To be shown is
A question never
Even not known by many to exist.
To show or to
Be shown
A question never, never known not even by many to exist.
To show or to
Be shown
A question never, never known not even by many to exist.
To show or to
Be shown
A question never, never known not even by many to exist.
To show or to
Be shown
A question never, never known not even by many to exist.
To show or to
Be shown
Is a question never, never known not even by many to exist.
To exist,
To exist,
Not even by many to exist.

```

## List of releases

* *Not Available* (1978)
* *Please Do Not Steal It!* (1979)
* *Nibbles* (1979)
* *Beautiful Eyes* (2010)
* *Not Available* expanded edition (2011)
* "The Sycamore Street Studio (1974-77 Embracing Obscurity)" (2014)
* "Never Known Questions" by Charles Bobuck (2014)
* *THIS* by Charles Bobuck (2016)
* *Not Available* pREServed edition (2018)
* *The Godfather Of Odd - A Hardy Fox Tribute* (2019)
* *Moravian Meeting* (2020)
* *WOW Demos 1* (2021)
* *WOW Demos 2* (2022)

### List of versions

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 El Ralpho studio recording, April 1974 ("reprocessed" album mix, 7:03)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 El Ralpho studio recording, April 1974 (excerpt, 2:17)
3. ↑ El Ralpho instrumental studio demo recording, April 1974 ("Available Piece", 1:18)
4. ↑ El Ralpho studio recording, April 1974 (extended album mix with "Asonarose", 8:54)
5. ↑ El Ralpho studio recording, April 1974 (excerpt, 0:37)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Charles Bobuck studio recording, 2014 (3:08)
7. ↑ El Ralpho studio demo recording, April 1974 ("New Mexico Dream", 5:09)
8. ↑ El Ralpho studio demo recording, April 1974 ("Anaconda Montana", 2:53)
9. ↑ El Ralpho studio demo recording, April 1974 ("O Solo Meow", 3:35)
10. ↑  Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live recording, Olomouc, Czech Republic, October 20th 2010 (with drum overdubs, 7:59)
11. ↑  Randy Rose and Už Jsme Doma live recording, Olomouc, Czech Republic, October 20th 2010 (8:03)
12. ↑  The Wonder of Weird studio demo recording, 2012 (version #1, 3:12)
13. ↑  The Wonder of Weird studio demo recording, 2012 (version #2, 3:10)

## See also

* *Not Available*
* The Porcupine
* *X Is For Xtra (A Conclusion)*
* "Asonarose"
* *Vileness Fats*
* Moravian Meeting
* Randy Rose
* Charles Bobuck
* "Never Known Questions" (Bobuck single)

## External links and references

* *Not Available* at The Residents Historical
* *Not Available* at RZWeb (archived via archive.org)
* *Not Available* at Discogs
* "Never Known Questions" lyrics at Genius

1. ↑ *Please Do Not Steal It!* liner notes, 1979
2. ↑ Ima Buddy, *Ima Buddy's Totally Impartial Companion to Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated BIG MAMAS*, 1992

**Side A**
Part One: "Edweena" · Part Two: "The Making Of A Soul"
**Side B**
Part Three: "Ship's A'Going Down" · Part Four: "**Never Known Questions**""Epilogue"
**Characters**
Edweena · Porcupine · The Catbird · Uncle Remus · The Enigmatic Foe · ~~Nobody~~
**Personnel**
The Residents · Sally Lewis · Reed Paulsen
**Related works**
"Russian Love Song" · *Vileness Fats* · *X Is For Xtra* · "Available Piece" · "Available Nonsensical" · *Fingerprince* · Shadowland ·"Nobody's Nos" (song) · *Not Available (Work in Progress)*
**Related articles**
N. Senada (Theory of Obscurity) · Residents, Uninc. · Sycamore St. studio · Ralph Records · The Cryptic Corporation · Pore-Know Graphics · *Eskimo*