Provocative, genius, horrific, thought-provoking, talentless, psychedelic, insulting, original, gross, sexy, acclaimed and complete shit … the list goes on. All words, at one time or another over the past 30 years, that have been used to describe the creative efforts of The Flaming Lips – Oklahoma City’s favorite sons and one of the bedrocks of alternative rock lore. Be it through their music, stage theatrics, videos, feature films or political statements, one way or another they always manage to spark conversation. Love’m or hate’m, one thing that’s certain is that they possess a level of creative bravery that few artists in any discipline dare to touch. The title of Bradley Beesley’s 2005 documentary on the band says it all: The Fearless Freaks.
Fearless they are and thankfully immune to the criticism that can tend to follow them. Where most would find pause, they instead dare to be different and to follow a path made only by them. With their new album, The Terror, they have produced somewhat of a dark offering about despair, loneliness, anxiety and depression. As is often the case, art tends to imitate life, and this is one area where the Lips certainly are not immune to. With front man Wayne Coyne recently separating from his partner of 25 years, and with musical savant Steven Drozd rumored to have again relapsed earlier this year, the music here certainly takes on a deeper meaning.
Take a look at the official video for ‘Turning Violent’ and let us know what you think.