The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are an American neo-psychedelic band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States in 1983. Throughout their career, band members have come and gone, but currently The Flaming Lips consist of original members Wayne Coyne (lead vocals, guitars and piano) and Michael Ivins (backing vocals, bass guitar and piano), along with longtime member Steven Drozd (backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards/synthesizers and drums), Kliph Scurlock (drums), and, most recently, Derek Brown (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards). Notable former members include Jonathan Donahue (guitar), who went on to form Mercury Rev, and Ronald Jones (guitar).

The Flaming Lips are known for their lush, multi-layered arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which typically featureanimal suits, puppets, streamers, video projections and complex stage light configurations.

In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die". In 2006, Oklahoma City named a street Flaming Lips Alley in their honor.

The group recorded several albums and EPs for Restless Records in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they scored a #9 hit on the Billboard Alternative charts ( and #55 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart) in 1994 with She Don't Use Jelly. Although it would be their only hit single, the band has maintained critical respect and, to a lesser extent, commercial viability with sonically majestic albums such as 1995's Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999's The Soft Bulletin and 2002's Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. The Flaming Lips' 11th studio album, At War With The Mystics, was released by Warner Brothers on the 4th of April 2006. Embryonic was released in October of 2009. Their latest album, a complete cover of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon, was released in May 2010.

Their song "Do You Realize??" is the official State Rock Song of Oklahoma.


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