The Flaming Lips clearly have discovered the secret to living without sleep. How else would you explain their upcoming 2006 releases of not only a full new album, a cd/dvd reissue of a classic, and a theatrical movie no less…all squeezed into their continued tradition of non-stop touring, popping up at every major music festival? The band consists of frontman Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, and Michael Ivins. Since 1983, The Flaming Lips have made their signature live concerts a multimedia mind-blowing experience! Their current line up has it’s roots in their inception, including having transistor radios for audience members combined with big speakers in the 90’s to the current layout which includes Wayne walking in over the audience in a huge bubble, confetti and balloons flying down from the sky on everyone against a backdrop of huge screens, and giant animals jamming on stage with the band – they are like New Years Eve every time they play!

So, fittingly, they were scheduled to headline the nation’s largest New Years Eve over-21 event at Giant Village in Los Angeles. Although the event was ultimately cancelled later that day due to rain, I had the good fortune of a New Years Eve I will never forget due to this inspiring interview with Wayne Coyne at the Sheraton Bar in downtown Los Angeles.

June: One thing that always impresses me at your concerts is that at the end of your sets you are very bold and take the step to remind the crowd that “there are some that cannot be here that might have wanted to because they have been killed in Iraq!” Reaching out to people in the height of emotion from the concert to think about what they can do about changing the ‘real world’.

Wayne: Yeah, it’s true. Actually I’m surprised every artist doesn’t say it, you know? It’s ridiculous not to realize, especially when you get so many young people together, that obviously there might be another 500 or so if they weren’t dead in Iraq.

June: It seems there was a lot more talk about the war during the elections and then it stopped.

Wayne: And that’s the worst kind of outcome. Because then they don’t only win the election, but they win doubly when people just give up and say, ‘I tried and it didn’t work, so now what do I care?’ Good for you, you don’t have a brother that’s going there. I remember the same thing happened in the sixties when Robert Kennedy got killed. I remember my brother thought he was going to get drafted but they just didn’t pull his number. Robert Kennedy was going to be their God. They all put their money on him, and when he got killed, everybody said ‘OK, it’s not our fault now!’ and just got high for ten years… and you can’t do that! You can’t just turn your back on it…because that is exactly what the Republican Party wants! They want people to give up. And you can’t just stop after the election. Elections are just one part of it. A lot of people think that is the only part of it, but you are doing things on a local level all the time. A lot of people don’t know that the Governor of Oklahoma is a Democrat! A lot of people don’t know that! A lot of people in Oklahoma don’t know that!

June: And of course everyone knows what we have in California!

Wayne: Well at least Arnold is more open about it. A lot of people in office are just as ill-equipped and at least Arnold is obvious about being an actor and just a talking head.

June: So it is the responsibility of an artist to deal with these issues…

Wayne: No, not really. I think an artist should say what they want. But a concert is such a wonderful time, when you get so many people together with the group energy, people that are happy and optimistic, a concert like this is really an exchange of love. It is just such a special time. You know the music, the concerts, this isn’t life, this is what you do on the weekends – you get a group of people together and have a good time. And for so many people that’s the end of it! Don’t get me wrong: I don’t look at music at just a motivating thing, it’s not just a reason to get people motivated for something else. But when I look at all these young people – you know the government is not going to call on me, I’m too old - but they will be calling them. But, hopefully this war will end anyway and they won’t call anybody to war. Hopefully they will all say “Hey this was a bad idea” and they all will walk away from it! Maybe it will take them a few years.

June: We just watched your biographical DVD, ‘Fearless Freaks’. It gave me some interesting dreams!

Wayne: He really did a great job for us with that movie!

June: I learned from that movie that your beautiful wife has been by your side for a long time…

Wayne: Yeah! Since 1988!

June: What part has she played in your career path and decisions?

Wayne: Having someone that’s there with you, that you know if this doesn’t work out, or if nobody likes what you are doing – you know, I always look at this like I am just having fun with my music, this isn’t something real serious. But when you know you always have your wife, your house, your brothers, your dogs – that’s a big deal! To know that you’ve got those things – it really allows you to be fearless! Because you know even though this is expelling our internal desires – people really get caught up in the money and the success so much, and you really can’t worry that much about it! Luckily having someone like Michelle, she really loves art and she really loves music, is so great. Having someone like that is what is important and this other stuff is really just extra. It’s stability. For so many bands I run into, you know if your life is too shambolic, it’s had to take risks…

June: What do you mean by shambolic?

Wayne: Well I have been with Michelle since 1988, it creates a calm center so you don’t have to worry so much. I have lived in the same house since 1992. Steven’s been in the band since 1991. You start to be secure that this stuff isn’t going to go away so it gives you some freedom there. I’ve been with Michael since 1983, we’ve been with our manager since 1990, we’ve been on Warner Bros since 1990 – so all these things go together. You have one or two of them but then they add up – it allows you to go up there and take these risks. You can go up there and be brave and do things that you’re not sure of because you know it’s not going to go away if you’re wrong! And in art, people really appreciate that, taking risks. People applaud taking risks, even if you’re wrong and lose. In art they do, not in war!

June: You mentioned ‘art rock’ in ‘Fearless Freaks’ a couple of times. What is your definition of ‘art rock’?

Wayne: There are all kinds of art. Even commercial music sometimes has a lot of art going on there. But I guess ‘art rock’ doesn’t really have any boundary of style. If you want to be instrumental, or want to roll along with it…when I think of a ‘pop’ group, you have a guy that has a guitar, a guy who plays drums, they have a certain sound. But in an art group we might have a guy with a guitar and a guy with a drum but we might have a guy with a xylophone, and we all are making a creative expression. I like a lot of art rock and I like a lot of rock that isn’t considered art.

Sometimes pure freedom of expression can be boring as well. I mean I like to be entertained! A lot more people go to rock concerts than go to museums. I love museums as well but they are very different! Rock music has so much going for it. Rock music is a real vehicle for expression and so exciting. I love all the things about it, even those that are so cliché! I love that it’s about taking drugs, sex, being rebellious, all those stupid things…I love all those things too! It’s about the individual. You don’t know if the world is going to agree with you, but rock and roll empowers you to be an individual.

June: The first time we saw you was at Coachella 2004. You were right before the Cure. I remember the Cure had the essence of being an 80’s band reliving the glory of the 80’s and in contrast, you guys seemed somehow more fresh and alive. How have you managed to keep that fresh essence, having been together since 1983?

Wayne: Well, I like the Cure, I think they’re great! But each show is different. On that night, we had THE perfect position. The sun was just going down, we had the bubble - timing is a lot. Right as the sun is setting is the best moment! After that time people start to get drunk and tired. All the elements worked together. And the Cure are so well known for what they did in the 80’s. We are not as known for any one period, maybe that is working in our favor now, I don’t know… We really are just 100% in the moment. We want to be right there with the crowd.

You know, it’s funny. So many people ask, doesn’t the music scene suck now? I don’t think it does at all! I think it’s wonderful! The internet has created so much great opportunity. A band can make an album, and put it out there, you don’t even have to wait to be signed. You put it out there, and you don’t know, one person can hear it, or millions! For music, these are the best times that have ever existed! You can sit on your computer, you can see pictures of the musicians. Even on ‘Fearless Freaks’, we did a lot of the editing on the computer ourselves. We live in great times!

June: You just came back from performing in Brazil, the Claro festival in Rio and Sao Palo. How did that work for you? Did you know their language? Or did they know English or your work?

Wayne: Yeah! They really responded to us! I’m always talking to journalists down there and they are always asking “When are you going to come down here?” There have been rumors since 3 or 4 years ago that we would be playing this festival! Each year goes by and we haven’t played. Somehow there seems to be enough of a following especially with the cool music people – maybe from the internet. But when we played it was crazy! You get into these big festivals, and people want to rock! We had a great spot again…when the sun had just come down, we played Bohemian Rhapsody (that was on a Queen tribute album) and you’d have to be a pretty dumb kid to not get that! The Stooges were playing, Sonic Youth was playing, …so if you were there, you weren’t going to hate us! They were familiar with American alternative music. Rio de Janeiro is a wonderful place. It was a great adventure. When we tour, we love to eat the foods, go to the museums with my family, see the sites. That’s one of the perks of being in a rock band…what’s not to like!

June: Speaking of traveling all over the world, how did you choose to settle down in Oklahoma?

Wayne: Well, I was born in Oklahoma, it chose me! Oklahoma is so much a part of who I am and what people like about us! I was surprised to find that out. We never knew this until we read what people had written about this. You know the Oklahoma slogan is “work conquers all” and in a way that sounds kind of like a totalitarian and oppressive thing to say! But I don’t really look at it that way. In a way that describes The Flaming Lips! It rings true when you get up in the morning and the work you do is something you love and really means something to you.

I saw early on that even though we are weirdos, what really makes us weird is that we are from Oklahoma! And there is this image about Oklahoma that contrasts with the image we have that is something people want to talk about and wonder about. We never thought “hey, let’s try to get famous so we can move out of here!” Then again, I have my wife’s family, my brother’s family all just a few blocks away from me. You see that in ‘Fearless Freaks’. I am so lucky to be able to travel and to be able to come home to this.

Sure there are things about London and about Brazil that are different from Oklahoma. But, if you are really paying attention you will see the beauty in wherever you are at. Wherever you are right now can be the best place in the world!

June: Well, Happy New Year, here’s to a great 2006!

The Flaming Lips Upcoming 2006 Releases:
‘At War with the Mystics’ new full album
‘The Soft Bulletin’ reissue cd/dvd due January 31, 2006
‘Christmas on Mars’ theatrical movie about a family spending Christmas on Mars with multimedia experience in the theater
Information and updates: www.flaminglips.com

The Flaming Lips will also be included in the ‘Coachella’ documentary movie in theatres on January 24, 2006 only.
Information: www.coachella.com



-June Caldwell
 

June Caldwell lives amidst drawers stuffed with an array of earplugs, clipped wristbands, and notes scrawled on ticket stubs… splitting her time between concert reviews, and doing radio airplay promotions for Indie bands at Bryan Farrish Radio Promotions. She covers the LA music scene for artrocker.com, the largest bi-weekly new music publication in the UK, and www.fly.co.uk with her shutterbug hubby Roger.

June’s always interested in Indie bands looking for promotion, and can be contacted at: junejer@gmail.com.