Our music is about death, but it’s also about life. “On stage we do love to dress up and look weird and make a ridiculous moment, a celebration, optimism – there’s no limit that we won’t go to. The group's live shows invite fans on a revelrous journey, an auditory and tactile experience complete with an intricate light show, bright-coloured bouncing balls, confetti rockets, and gigantic custom-made stage props (mechanical horse, anybody?).ĭrawing influences from the likes of David Bowie and Pink Floyd, The Flaming Lips convey the heartfelt sincerity of Elliott Smith in a boisterously Beatles-esque package. But as the years go by, being a little bit famous and local, I’d get huge crowds who’d just wanna take a picture with Wayne in a costume. My house was a great, old, big, crazy house, a lot of neighbourhood kids would come around, kids who didn’t even have day care – and that was wonderful. I first moved here in the early '90s in a very low income area of Okla.
“I have to say I used to go bigger than I do now – I’ve lived in this neighbourhood for 30 years. In previous years, the big-hearted rocker would exhibit elaborate Halloween decorations for the children of his neighbourhood, displays not unlike those eccentric performance props for which The Flaming Lips have become so known and loved. Wayne himself lives in a little-known part of Oklahoma, USA.
There's more and more of that in the world now, with the Hemsworth brothers. “I'm laughing because that g'day is just so Australia! Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing that because I'm from Okla, but no one points it out. Remarking on the accent of his interviewer, the group's captain and long-standing champion Wayne Coyne giggles. This year, their classic 1999 album 'The Soft Bulletin' turns 20 and to celebrate, they're taking a one-of-a-kind live show around the world – including a visit down under this month. As for distribution, Coyne hints that the music could take the form of vinyl, or even little toys.With an almost-40-year life span and nearly 20 albums to their credit, The Flaming Lips have graciously cemented themselves as one of the most consistent powerhouses in the alternative-pop community. These videos will likely be cobbled together to make a larger film. But for The Flaming Lips, it sounds like the band wants more creative immediacy than a typical album release cycle might allow. But instead of a traditional album, singer Wayne Coyne says the band will release songs every month of the year, as soon as each is completed, while filming the creative process.Ī lot of artists have looked for ways to get music to their fans much faster. But the exuberant psychedelic rock band has even bigger plans in 2011.Īs Rolling Stone reported this morning, The Flaming Lips will jump right back into recording new material with longtime producer Dave Fridmann, as soon as January. For most other groups, that would be enough to warrant a break to relax and recharge the batteries. For New Year's Eve this year, the Lips plan to run through their seminal 1999 classic The Soft Bulletin for a home crowd in Oklahoma City. The band then did an encore performance of the album during its memorable set at this past summer's Bonnaroo.
This time last year, The Flaming Lips rang in 2010 in epic fashion by covering Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips performing live at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn.