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The Mole Show, Frankfurt, May 28th 1983

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On May 28th 1983, The Residents performed the fifth show of the European leg of their first tour, The Mole Show, at Volksbildungsheim in Frankfurt, Germany. This was the group's fifth performance outside America.

The show was plagued with disasters; according to one Resident's tour diary, The Residents' van was "wrecked", a backdrop stand "crashed", the tour manager got sick, and the show's emcee Penn Jillette was attacked onstage by an audience member while handcuffed to a wheelchair.[1]

German punk photographer Richard Gleim "staked out the Bahnhof" following this performance, in an attempt to catch the band members on their way to their next show in Dusseldorf. Gleim captured a photo of a group of four commuters who he claimed were speaking English "in very broad American accents", concluding that these were The Residents,[2] however none of the men pictured have been recognized as members of The Residents or their entourage.

For their part, The Residents are said to have enjoyed "a beautifully quiet train ride along the Rhine, its swollen overflowing currents framed by storm clouds that somehow oddly reflected the shifting moods of the tour so far."[1]

A bootleg recording of this performance was traded among fans for some years following the performance, and has had limited circulation among the online file-sharing community.

Set list

Bootleg recording

Four American commuters photographed by German photographer Richard Gleim at the train station in Frankfurt, following The Residents' performance on May 28th 1983

A bootleg recording of The Residents' performance in Frankfurt on May 28th 1983, running just over one hour in duration, has been traded among fans for a number of years; the bootleg has had limited circulation online in recent years under the title Frankfurt, Germany.

Track listing

  1. Voices of the Air
  2. The Secret Seed
  3. Narration 1
  4. The Ultimate Disaster
  5. Narration 2
  6. God of Darkness
  7. Narration 3
  8. Migration
  9. Intermission - Narration (Fire Eater)
  10. Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)
  11. Narration 4
  12. Another Land
  13. Narration 5
  14. The New Machine
  15. Narration 6
  16. Song of the Wild
  17. Final Confrontation
  18. Narration 7
  19. Satisfaction
  20. Happy Home

See also

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Uncle Willie, Uncle Willie's Highly Opinionated Guide to The Residents, 1993
  2. ↑ Post by Pat Blashill, The Residents unofficial Facebook group, December 8th 2025
The Mole Show
(1982-1983)

Set list
"Voices of the Air" · "The Secret Seed" · "The Ultimate Disaster" · "God of Darkness" · "Migration"
"Smack Your Lips (Clap Your Teeth)" · "Another Land" · "The New Machine" · "Song of the Wild" · "Final Confrontation" · "Satisfaction" · "Happy Home"

Dates
Preview performance
Santa Monica, April 10th 1982
America (October - April 1982)
San Francisco, October 26th 1982 · San Francisco, October 27th 1982 · Los Angeles, October 29th 1982 · Los Angeles, October 30th 1982 · Pasadena, October 31st 1982
Europe (May - July 1983)
Hannover, May 23rd 1983 · Vienna, May 25th 1983 · Vienna, May 26th 1983 · Munich, May 27th 1983 · Frankfurt, May 28th 1983 · Dusseldorf, May 29th 1983 · Berlin, May 30th 1983 · Copenhagen, June 1st 1983 · Hamburg, June 2nd 1983 · Bochum, June 3rd 1983 · Utrecht, June 4th 1983 · Brussels, June 5th 1983 · Paris, June 7th 1983 · Lyon, June 8th 1983 · Bologna, June 12th 1983 · Milan, June 13th 1983 · Firenze, June 14th 1983 · Barcelona, June 17th 1983 · Valencia, June 18th 1983 · Madrid, June 19th 1983 · Madrid, June 20th 1983 · Madrid, June 21st 1983 · Bordeaux, June 23rd 1983 · Poitiers, June 24th 1983 · Birmingham, June 27th 1983 · London, June 28th 1983 · Liverpool, June 29th 1983 · Edinburgh, June 30th 1983 · Leicester, May 28th 1983
The Uncle Sam Mole Show
Washington, D.C., October 7th 1983 (press conference)

Personnel
The Residents · Penn Jillette · Kathleen French · Carol LeMaitre · Sarah McLennan · Chris Van Ralte · Nessie Lessons · Scott Fraser · Philip Perkins · Dan Gillham · Laurence Campling · Raoul N.D Seimbote · Eric Knorr · Leigh Barbier · Sheenah Spece · Paul Young · Mara Mikialian · Bill Gerber · Evan Medow · Tom Timony · Diane Flynn · Sally Lewis

Related releases
Mark of the Mole · The Tunes of Two Cities · Intermission EP · Mole Show (Live at the Roxy) · Mole Show VHS · Assorted Secrets · PAL TV LP · Set Designs from The Mole Show portfolio · Mole Show: Live In Holland · Mole Show DVD bag set · Mole Box: The Complete Mole Trilogy pREServed · Mole Dance 82

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