The Flaming Lips
Formed
Members
Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Michael Ivins (bass, keyboards, vocals, 1983-2021), Mark Coyne (vocals, 1983-85), Dave Kostka (drums, 1983-84), Richard English (drums, vocals, keyboards, 1984-89), Jonathan Donahue (guitar, vocals, 1989-91), Nathan Roberts (drums, 1989-91), Jon Mooneyham (guitar, vocals, 1991), Ronald Jones (guitar, vocals, 1991-96), Steven Drozd (drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, 1991-present), Kliph Scurlock (drums, percussion, 2002-14), Derek Brown (guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals, 2009-present), Jake Ingalls (keyboards, guitar, 2013-21), Matt Duckworth (drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals, 2014-present), Nicholas Ley (percussion, drums, samples, 2014-present)
Related Artists
Also Known As
Flaming Lips, Imagene Peise
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Album
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Live Album
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EP
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2011 • The Flaming Lips With Neon Indian
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2011 • The Flaming Lips With Lightning Bolt
Single
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Music video
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DJ Mix
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Appears On
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The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (Music from the Movie and More...) [motion picture soundtrack]
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Compilation
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V/A Compilation
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Video
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Additional release
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Tezcatlipoca
"No band has had as fascinating an evolution as The Flaming Lips, a bunch of stoned friends who jumped straight into writing original material derived in no small part from their utter incompetence when trying to play covers. Ingenuity triggered their creative arteries and the songs began pouring down, ridiculous and noisy at first, complex and tuneful a little further down the line. Even in their earliest recordings they visibly had a vaster bag of tricks than most of their peers. As myth goes, they snatched their instruments from a run-down church and began playing wherever they were allowed around the Oklahoma area. Their first singer was Mark Coyne, defined by brother Wayne as Ian Curtis meets Chris Farley. He sang on the embryonic Flaming Lips EP, then left to get married and further his insanity in different avenues. Wayne stepped up and took his place at the front. He, and his frail voice, have been there ever since. Hear It Is followed suit, refining slightly their deranged, amphetamined sound. Oh My Gawd added more layers to the cake, bringing strong hints of psychedelia to the fold, visible in the meditative 9 minutes of "One Millionth Billionth of a Millisecond on a Sunday Morning" (although shades of prog are also noticeable). Their profile, meanwhile, grew and grew. The beginning of the '90s saw them develop close ties with Mercury Rev (sometimes seen as their sister band), including some member swapping, with Jonathan Donahue joining as second guitarist. In a Priest Driven Ambulance was the next chapter, a twin guitar attack and a cover of "What a Wonderful World" leading the way. Unexpectedly, with grunge's explosion, indie bands began landing deals left and right, with the wave eventually sweeping up the Lips. Crucially, the band would take full advantage of a decent budget and having a whole sonic arsenal at their fingertips. Their compositions became both more accessible and intricate in their classic noise pop trilogy Hit to Death in the Future Head - Transmissions From the Satellite Heart - Clouds Taste Metallic. Hit to Death in the Future Head was the last album to feature the piercing guitars of Donahue while Transmissions from the Satellite Heart shockingly gave them a hit single in the form of "She Don't Use Jelly". To the point of playing it in an episode of Beverly Hills 90210, with a character from the show uttering the magic words “I don't usually like alternative music but those guys rock!” Clouds Taste Metallic was, perhaps, the highpoint of the trilogy, with the band's carousel of colours and Wayne's Wizard of Oz gone bizarre lyricism in full swing. A scattershot period followed, including outlandish tape experiments and head-scratching 4 record sets meant to be played simultaneously (Zaireeka). A series of accidents and unexpected events put their future in check but they closed ranks, put the noise to rest and released The Soft Bulletin to general acclaim. Although the proggier direction didn't please all fans it did make them exponentially more popular. Overnight the saga of the crazy indie band from Oklahoma turned into an undeniable success story, the next album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was even more successful and the band's kaleidoscopic concerts sought after like they never had been. At War with the Mystics dropped a gear yet maintained a level of recognition that finally allowed Wayne and the guys to film the long-awaited (and delayed) interplanetary extravaganza Christmas on Mars. Dream fulfillment in grand scale."
RYM Rough Guide for The Flaming Lips
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Shows
- 17 Jul 2024 Performing Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots @ Koka Booth Amphitheatre Cary
- 20 Jul 2024 The Flaming Lips @ Stage AE Pittsburgh
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