N. Senada
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N. Senada (which may be a play on "Ensenada", or "en se nada", meaning "in himself nothing."; N. may stand for "Nigel") was a Bavarian composer and music theorist who formulated the "Theory of Obscurity" and the "Theory of Phonetic Organization". There is a debate as to whether or not he existed, or was simply an invention of The Residents. Supposedly born in 1907 and dying in 1993 at the age of 86, Senada was one of The Residents' earliest collaborators, having arrived in San Mateo, California, with Philip Lithman. It is frequently speculated that, if real, N. Senada may have been famous avant-garde composer and instrument-designer Harry Partch, the influence of whose work may be heard in Residents compositions such as "Six Things To A Cycle"; his passing is also referenced in the song "Death In Barstow".
Another rumor speculates that N. Senada may have been Captain Beefheart because in the late 60s Beefheart and his "Magic Band" lived in a residence on Ensenada Drive in Woodland Hills, CA[1] while recording Trout Mask Replica and Safe as Milk; Beefheart influence can also be heard in early Residents works. The Residents also sent an early demo tape to Warner Brothers executive Hal Halverstadt who had signed Beefheart.
N. Senada is said to have appeared in The Residents' largely unreleased film project, Vileness Fats, as the lead singer of the nightclub band in the "Eloise" musical interlude (released as a music video in the 1970s, and featured in the Whatever Happened To Vileness Fats? home video and the condensed, remastered version featured on the Icky Flix DVD). This puts the Captain Beefheart rumors to rest as the N. Senada featured in Vileness Fats is clearly not Beefheart.
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[edit] Music
According to Residents' lore, in 1937, N. Senada premiered his masterpiece, "Pollex Christi", which means either Big Toe of Christ or Big Thumb of Christ. This work mainly consisted of borrowed pieces from other composers, namely Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, among others. He also left large holes in the work so that the performers could insert music of their choosing, thus "becoming composers themselves". Senada justified his work with "house" analogies claiming that he didn't make the "bricks" but "cemented them together"; he wasn't the "architect", just the "builder".
Senada allegedly collaborated with The Residents on their pre-Santa Dog work, and then disappeared. He resurfaced in the mid-1970s, returning from an Arctic expedition and bearing a sealed bottle of pure Arctic air; this served as inspiration for the Eskimo project.
The Residents performed "Pollex Christi" as a tribute to Senada on what would have been his 90th birthday. The holes in the piece were filled with a variety of works, such as the television theme from Star Trek. The recording was distributed in two editions of 400 before being deleted.
The Residents are not the only band to pay their respects to N. Senada. The Essex based band Free Beer After 11 have a song named after him. The Track opens with a jazz melody before climaxing with a punk riff with Mysterious N. Senada chants over the top.
[edit] "Theory of Obscurity"
Senada's "Theory of Obscurity" states that an artist can only produce pure art when the expectations and influences of the outside world are not taken into consideration. Senada and his theory are referred to almost exclusively in connection with avant garde musical group The Residents.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- "Twin Peaks Meets SimCity", WIRED article on The Residents, page on the "Theory"
