Questions
Who are The Flaming Lips and when did they form?
They are an experimental rock band that formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The original lineup was Wayne Coyne on guitar, his brother Mark on vocals, Michael Ivins on bass, and Dave Kostka on drums.
Where did the band name come from?
According to Wayne Coyne, the name came from a high school rumor. He reportedly said it stemmed from a rumor about a girl who got herpes from a guy at a party.
What is their most famous song?
"Do You Realize??" is a signature track, and it became Oklahoma’s official rock song in 2009. Their 1993 single "She Don’t Use Jelly" was the one that first broke them into the mainstream.
How did "She Don’t Use Jelly" blow up?
The 1993 single led to their mainstream breakthrough, and the band was featured on four popular TV series thanks to it: Beverly Hills, 90210, Late Show with David Letterman, Charmed, and Beavis and Butt-head.
Have they won any Grammy Awards?
Yes, the band has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (in 2003 and 2006).
What is the deal with the album Zaireeka?
Released in 1997, Zaireeka is a four-CD album meant to be heard by playing all four CDs in four separate CD players simultaneously.
Did they really set a Guinness World Record?
Yes. On June 27 and 28, 2012, they performed 9 concerts in 24 hours, breaking Jay-Z’s previous record of 8.
What are the space bubble concerts?
During the COVID-19 era in 2020 and 2021, they performed shows where both the band and the audience were encased in inflatable human-sized bubbles.
What were the Parking Lot and Boombox Experiments?
These were early experiments where up to 40 volunteers with modified boombox-type tape players (or car stereos) were conducted to vary volume, speed, or tone, creating a collective sound experience.
How did they get signed to a major label?
The Flaming Lips signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1990, reportedly after a label representative witnessed a pyrotechnics-heavy show.
What is their most acclaimed album?
The Soft Bulletin (1999) was named NME’s Album of the Year, and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002) was their first critical and commercial success.
Did the band make a movie?
Yes, a low-budget indie film called Christmas on Mars. They began filming in 2001, wrapped in late September 2005, and it premiered on May 25, 2008, at the Sasquatch! Music Festival.
What was the seven-pound gummy skull release?
In April 2011, they released the "Gummy Song Skull" EP, a seven-pound skull made of gummy bear material with a gummy brain that contained a flashdrive holding four songs.
Who is still in the band from the original lineup?
Wayne Coyne remains the only remaining founding member as of 2021. Bassist Michael Ivins departed in 2021, and Steven Drozd, a longtime co-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from 1991, parted ways with the band in 2024.
What collaborations are they known for?
They recorded the 23-track album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz with Miley Cyrus in 2015, worked with Yoko Ono, and covered Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon in 2009 with Stardeath and White Dwarfs.
