Band Members of The Flaming Lips: Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, and Michael Ivins
Easygoing Mystics
“See, I believe in doing things. That’s the problem with most artists: they just dream and dream and dream. You gotta do stuff.” - Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips
Coyne’s words embody the bold philosophy that has driven the Flaming Lips to produce their deliciously unique sound and hone their crazy stage antics since their inception in 1983. Ranging from noisy electronic cacophonies to sweet guitar-driven melodies, the Flaming Lips’ versatile music manages to land on the playlists of even the most pretentious music snobs while appealing widely enough to be featured on soundtracks of major motion pictures like “Wedding Crashers.”
Most U.S. listeners know the Flaming Lips for their 1993 hit, She Don’t Use Jelly - an ode to Vaseline, nose blowing, and hair dye that got copious airplay on college radio. In 1997, they embarked on a departure from “standard rock” by recording the experimental Zaireeka, an album with four discs meant to be played simultaneously on four separate CD players. Armed with stronger vocals, more philosophical lyrics, and heavier studio manipulation, they scored worldwide critical and commercial success with 1999’s The Soft Bulletin and 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Their latest album, At War With Mystics, features The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, a lighthearted summer single with an a capella intro, catchy drumbeats, and nonsensical lyrics that stay true to their bizarre creativity.
And the bizarreness of their music is just the beginning: when it comes to stage presence, nobody does it flashier than the Flaming Lips. Inspired by The Wizard of Oz, the Flaming Lips often perform their shows with balloons, puppets, and fursuits, among other colorful props that have earned the Flaming Lips a spot on Q magazine’s list of “50 Bands to See Before You Die.”
In an era dominated by material-obsessed celebrities and overproduced musical acts, it is refreshing to find that the Flaming Lips have stayed close to their humble Oklahoma City origins. As the lead Flaming Lip, Coyne funded the band’s initial endeavors in the early 80’s through his fry cook job at the local Long John Silver’s, in addition to money he earned on the side by donating blood. (To this day, he lists “giving plasma” as one of his occupations.) Despite the Flaming Lips’ enormous success since then, Coyne and his wife still live in the house they bought at an auction 14 years ago. Bassist Michael Ivins, who has been a Flaming Lip alongside Coyne from the beginning, and drummer Steven Drozd, who joined the band in 1992, also lead low-key lives in Oklahoma. Currently on a North American tour, the Flaming Lips will join the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kanye West at Lollapalooza in Chicago this August.
More…
- The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Video)
- The Flaming Lips on Wikipedia
Albums
- Hopes and Fears
- Under the Iron Sea
- Is It Any Wonder? (single)
- Crystal Ball (single)
- Live Recordings 2004
- Bedshaped, Pt. 2 (single)
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