The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock group from Oklahoma City, formed in 1983. Their line-up changes over time, but Wayne Coyne remains the frontman and founding member. Other members associated with the group include Derek Brown, Matt Duckworth Kirksey, Tommy McKenzie and Adam Judd “AJ” Slaughter. Long-standing members include bassist Michael Ivins and multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd, while former members include Mark Coyne, Richard English, Nathan Roberts, Jonathan Donahue, Ronald Jones and Kliph Scurlock. The group’s broader membership also includes Dave Kostka, Nicholas Ley and Jake Ingalls.

The Flaming Lips work in alternative rock, indie rock, experimental rock, neo-psychedelia, noise pop and noise rock. Their music is known for layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and unusual song titles. Their live shows are also known for elaborate staging, including animal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex lighting.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the band records several albums and EPs for Restless Records. After signing to Warner Brothers, they achieve their only major charting single with “She Don’t Use Jelly” in 1994, which reaches number 9 on the Billboard Alternative chart and number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100. They continue to receive critical respect through albums including Clouds Taste Metallic, The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and At War with the Mystics.

Later releases include Embryonic, a cover version of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, and The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends, a collaborative album featuring Ke$ha, Bon Iver, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu. Their song “Do You Realize??” is the official state rock song of Oklahoma. The group also receives recognition from Q magazine’s list of 50 bands to see before you die, and Oklahoma City names a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honour.