Synopsis

A gaunt, horse-faced figure known as Skinny drifts through a bleak, dreamlike urban landscape. The video combines stark black-and-white still photographs with brief bursts of color footage, creating the impression of a fragmented memory or a document from another world. Skinny appears isolated and strangely theatrical, moving through empty streets, industrial spaces, and surreal settings while The Residents perform the song in their trademark obscured style. The disjointed imagery turns the song's grotesque humor into an eerie portrait of alienation.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Hello Skinny" was made as a short film rather than a conventional performance video. It was connected to a larger, ultimately abandoned film project built around songs from The Residents' *Duck Stab!* material.

• The production used black-and-white photographs extensively, with only limited color footage. The contrast between the two formats gives the film its unstable, collage-like atmosphere.

• The central character was played by Brigit Terris, whose unusual presence became inseparable from the video's cult reputation. Much of the still photography was made at a San Francisco bus station shortly before Terris left the production.

• Some of the color material was originally intended for another song, but was incorporated into "Hello Skinny" when the project changed direction.

• The film circulated widely on college campuses and later appeared in home-video collections including *Video Voodoo*, *Twenty Twisted Questions*, and *Icky Flix*.

• The work is held in the Museum of Modern Art's collection. Archival listings differ on its date, with references giving either 1978 or 1980.