The Fearless Freaksa story of The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lipsare a psychedelic rock band, brought together in Oklahoma City,

Oklahoma in 1983.

Currently, five band members compose their hypnotic sounds:Wayne CoyneMichael IvinsSteven DrozdKliph ScurlockDerek Brown

This is their story.

They are known for intense, energetic, crowd-centered shows bursting with emotion.

“We’re gonna blow up some balloons, and we’re gonna sing happy birthday, and I’m gonna throw some blood on my head, and we’re gonna sing some

songs about death and life and love and what it means to really be alive.”- Wayne Coyne

The Flaming Lips started in 1983 with Wayne

Coyne’s brother, Mark Coyne, singing lead vocals.

This lasted for only one album before Mark departed

from the band, leaving Wayne as the lead singer.

In the early years, the band’s sound was more

disjointed and experimental, including a vocal style

unlike Wayne’s current sound. The Lips knew that

their music appealed only to those in a certain niche,

and wanted to expand their audience.

“When you suffer in other areas, you try to make up for it with show. We’re not gonna fool each other and think that we’re great, but if we can fool everybody else, maybe we can sell some records.”- Mark Coyne

In the late eighties, The Flaming Lips underwent a

metamorphosis of sound, changing the lead vocal style

to a more strained and higher voice similar to that

of Neil Young. Experiments with layered tape loops

and effects became more prominent and eventually

composed the style that is currently played. They didn’t

necessarily fall under a specific genre, spawning a unique

conglomeration of sound which received recognition by

Warner Bros. Records in 1990.

Upon being signed, the band was allowed a greater

budget which led to their music and live shows becoming

more and more exuberant.

Early shows were filled with

pyrotechnics including flaming drum

cymbals and fireworks. During their

pyromaniac stage, the band managed

to push the show to an extreme while

avoiding any mishaps -

except when bassist

Michael Ivins’s hair

caught on fire briefly

during a performance.

Early shows were filled with

pyrotechnics including flaming drum

cymbals and fireworks. During their

pyromaniac stage, the band managed

to push the show to an extreme while

avoiding any mishaps -

except when bassist

Michael Ivins’s hair

caught on fire briefly

during a performance.

The Lips were not very widely known until 1994 when their second single “She Don’t Use Jelly” became a commercial success due to persistent touring and radio play. From that point on, the band has been featured on many TV shows and magazines while climbing to the top of music charts.

The Lips were not very widely known until 1994 when their second single “She Don’t Use Jelly” became a commercial success due to persistent touring and radio play. From that point on, the band has been featured on many TV shows and magazines while climbing to the top of music charts.

“So many changes. It’s a hyperdelic

imagination that has sustained his band for

15 years, devised concerts where car stereos

or boomboxes are the instruments, released

an album that has to be played on 4 CD

players simultaneously...”

- John MulveyMusic Journalist, Uncut/Wild Mercury Sound

At the 1997 SXSW Festival in Austin, TX, The Flaming Lips put on a performance consisting of 40 cassettes. These tapes were given to audience members, each containing a different instrumental track; the crowd was then coordinated by band members to play sections of various pieces at certain times. This inspired the Lips to write their four CD album Zaireeka, which is meant to be played

simultaneously rather than in sequence.

Other than music, the band released a low budget film in 2008 called Christmas on Mars about a psychotic Santa Claus in outer space. Wayne wrote the script as it was acted out and shot primarily in his back yard with the

band, family and friends as actors.

Other than music, the band released a low budget film in 2008 called Christmas on Mars about a psychotic Santa Claus in outer space. Wayne wrote the script as it was acted out and shot primarily in his back yard with the

band, family and friends as actors.

Since Zaireeka, the creativity of The Flaming Lips exploded and they have released four wildly popular albums while winning three Grammys. Their song “Do You Realize??” was subsequently named as Oklahoma’s official rock song in March 2009.

Since Zaireeka, the creativity of The Flaming Lips exploded and they have released four wildly popular albums while winning three Grammys. Their song “Do You Realize??” was subsequently named as Oklahoma’s official rock song in March 2009.

During their downtime, many of the ideas for the innovative and lively effects of the band’s shows are born. From giant hands with lasers to animal costumes to confetti and balloons, the Lips do everything they can to make sure their audience has a unique, incredibly fun experience.

As part of the introduction to every modern live show, Wayne gets in his giant “space bubble” which resembles a human-sized hamster ball and crawls around the audience.

A very large semicircular screen serves as a backdrop for the shows. Images fed into the audience’s brains include complex patterns of color which synchronize with the music, videos of everyday life, psychedelically colored women dancing, extreme closeups of facial features, and a video feed shot from Wayne’s microphone.

As part of the introduction to every modern live show, Wayne gets in his giant “space bubble” which resembles a human-sized hamster ball and crawls around the audience.

A very large semicircular screen serves as a backdrop for the shows. Images fed into the audience’s brains include complex patterns of color which synchronize with the music, videos of everyday life, psychedelically colored women dancing, extreme closeups of facial features, and a video feed shot from Wayne’s microphone.

“If I get an idea, I will do whatever I gotta do to make it real. It doesn’t matter if it’s a song, a painting or a movie--I want to make it happen. It’s great to make money, it’s great if people love you and it’s great to be famous, but at the core, when I get a cool idea, I just want to do it. I just want to create.”

- Wayne Coyne

“If I get an idea, I will do whatever I gotta do to make it real. It doesn’t matter if it’s a song, a painting or a movie--I want to make it happen. It’s great to make money, it’s great if people love you and it’s great to be famous, but at the core, when I get a cool idea, I just want to do it. I just want to create.”

- Wayne Coyne

BOOK DESIGN BY STEVEN ALVARADO2011