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Flaming Lips
Based On A True Story:
So there is this business traveler sprawled out on the left side of a king size bed, the side he usually sleeps on at home. It's late and the motel room is dark except for the T.V.'s glow. After spending the day meeting clients the businessman is spent but can't sleep. So with a lukewarm can of beer in one hand and the remote in the other, he aimlessly channel surfs. There's the millionth running of The Godfather and a channel that seems dedicated to playing every segment of CSI and Law and Order. His skips over the political hacks screaming at each other but can't focus on the sports guys doing essentially the same thing.
Then suddenly it's there - a genuinely disturbing image. A fellow with long but neat hair and a nicely trimmed beard is in a white suite, splattered with fake blood, singing a tortured, over the top, version of Judy Garland's classic "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." The rush of conflicting images is rejected by the businessman's cerebral cortex. He looks at his beer. What's in this stuff? But it's a national brand, usually harmless in quantities of six or less. That couldn't be the cause of this vision. He looks again at the T.V. and notices that the backing musicians are dressed like overstuffed life size animals, the kind that usually populate a six year old's bed. Is he so tired that he's begun hallucinating? No hallucination, it's Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips.
"These were not normal guys from normal families - you're talking about freaks," a one-time Flaming Lips manager famously stated. Come on, these guys are from Oklahoma. How weird could they be? Turns out, plenty.
As a group of inexperienced musicians, unencumbered by musical "rules," the Flaming Lips pulled themselves together in the early '80s playing covers, including the "Batman Theme." That seemed to be the first of several treks off the beaten path - especially since the T.V.show had premiered nearly two decades earlier. Does that matter?
Then there was the name. Flaming Lips seemed like a good idea at the time, according to Coyne. Even so, they figured they'd change it to something better later on. Sure.
The Flaming Lips are one of those groups that does what it wants. Check out the album and song titles (see below) for starters. They'll never play it straight. Probably can't. The Lips are on their own trajectory. If there is an audience at the end of it, that's fine. If not, that's O.K. too. They are probably best known for the song "She Don't Use Jelly," a nice little tune that amply illustrates the group's subversive humor.
"We're just normal guys trying to make interesting music," claims Coyne. That just begs the question, "what is normal?"
The Flaming Lips have a long and reasonably distinguished recording career. They vault from gentle acoustic arrangements to incorporating electronic noise. It's either wonderfully eclectic or maddeningly inconsistent. But whatever the style, the songs often seem built around Coyne's quirky yet conversational vocals.
While '06 release, "At War With The Mystics," containing a cool little romp, "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," and the dreamy "Vein Of Stars," is a good set the Lips really hit their stride shortly after an early '90s restructure. "Transmissions From The Satellite Heart" ('93), with the ever popular "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Chewin' The Apple Of Your Eye," "Clouds Taste Metallic" ('95) and "Yoshi Battles The Pink Robots" ('02) are the group's best.
The Lips' early work is chronicled on "A Collection Of Songs Representing An Enthusiasm For Recording... By Amateurs 1984-1990" and "Finally The Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid" (great title). The latter has a rousing Punk take on the irrepressible "Batman Theme." But the three albums listed above are really the place to start.