Ever wonder how The Flaming Lips came to be? Learn about the band by way of “The Wonderfully Improbable Film” by Bradley Beesley. The Fearless Freaks (2005) is a fascinating look at the oddball band through the eyes of Wayne Coyne’s (aka “head Flaming Lip”) former neighbor and somewhat competent cinematographer who he recruited in 1991 to shoot music videos. The Fearless Freaks is a collection of interviews, home movies, live shows, and music videos.

Beesley begins his journey with The Flaming Lips in 1986 when he saw the band for the first time. The only thing he specifically recalled was that they made insanely loud music. It was five years later that he met Coyne, his neighbor and a rock star with a foul smell. The music was initially inspired by lots of drugs and experimental rock n’ roll and came together in Oklahoma City during 1983. Their initial reception was lukewarm and they boasted admittedly pitiful skills. The original lineup included Wayne Coyne (guitar), Mark Coyne (vocals), Michael Ivins (bass), and eventually drumming Richard England.

The band was self-described as amateur but loud—they were carefree and crazy and really didn’t care much what people thought. Who needs skills when you have enthusiasm? It really is fascinating to see them reminisce on their early years with a smirk and honestly realizing that this energy is what sustained them during those early lean years. In fact, bassist Ivins didn’t actually play the instrument at all. It didn’t matter in the least to the others because of the overwhelming overall lack of skill. They viewed themselves as a hillbilly-gone-punk version of The Who. The muscle-bound jock Mark was conspicuous and said he left at the right time. Wayne of course took over vocal duties. The Flaming Lips became officially too weird for even punk rock.

Wayne however was incredibly un-punk as a member of the Long John Silvers team for roughly 11 years. He rocked his eye patch, hat, and puppet loving every moment of his job. Despite enjoying his job, he did live through a robbery. He tells the story of how he thought this was the way he would die—cooking up somebody’s fish order. It’s a lovely, strange anecdote wedged between the band’s musical maturation. There is little talk of the early albums and more of a focus on the individual personalities and talents and development. Honestly it would have been easier to focus on the music, so the fact it is so personal makes The Fearless Freaks much more honest and poignant.

We as watchers are given a taste of each band member’s past and present life. We meet drummer Steven Drozd’s musical and troubled family. We see Wayne’s neighborhood (where he grew up and currently resides with his family) and his fascination with scaring the crap out of children at Halloween. The direction is somewhat haphazard and flow of consciousness. In the end the documentary is incredibly enjoyable but chaotic. The chaos, in fact, reflects the band’s chaotic and creative approach to everything. We move on to Wayne’s eldest brother Tommy who he says used to be a tortured artist but who now is just tortured. He experimented early with LSD, has spent time in jail, lives in the “hood,” and still deals with crack or crystal meth (Wayne is unsure—it really doesn’t matter anyway). The five brothers (Wayne, Tommy, Marty, Kenny and Mark) formed The Fearless Freaks in 1977, an apparent violent cult rather than a backyard football league. It mixed sports and drugs and music. Old video mixed with stories relates the times simply and beautifully. Coyne’s mother says they were lucky nobody was ever killed. This attitude is what eventually led to the formation of The Flaming Lips.

Without a record company, the band was poor. They frequented the plasma bank for money—who needs food when you have music? In the late 1980’s things became really desperate despite the touring. Ivins’ father estimates they each made just $6,000-$7,000 a year. Gas and smokes and coffee were financed by the $40-a-night earnings. Things changed when they decided to jokingly contact Warner Brothers and ask to speak to Jane’s Addiction. Nobody was serious really, but when WB called back and wanted to sign them everything changed. Unbeknownst to the band, they were being considered for a real recording contract. They landed the most unlikely of contracts despite the stage insanity—fire, water, extinguishers, and the like—inspired by their heroes the Butthole Surfers. Gibby Haynes (lead of the Butthole Surfers) is interviewed and says that The Flaming Lips stole their music, show, and spectacle.

Despite all of the great times, members came and went leaving the core of Wayne Coyne and Michael Ivins. Drozd became a permanent member of the band after Jonathan Donohue randomly left the band. He was a great fit—he could play all the things that Coyne could not. Ronald Jones also joined as guitarist during the same era. They suddenly became a sonic mix of, according to the film, Yes and The Sex Pistols. 1993’s Transmissions from the Satellite Heart was largely ignored for the first year. They toured with Candlebox (a show my husband actually saw at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit) and single She Don’t Use Jelly took off. It’s was a quirky song that people thought was about sex. Coyne says it was nothing of the kind—they don’t do that in Oklahoma! That song is what allowed the band to persist and stay on Warner Brothers. Wayne may have still been doing the same thing, but more people still may not have known who they are.

By 1994 grunge was of course fully in the mainstream. Clouds Taste Metallic was recorded in the midst of this time and released subsequently in 1995. Coyne provides the viewer with insight into the album’s second track, Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus With Needles. Despite choked creative juices, the album happened. It was followed by Zaireeka after Jones split in 1996. When I say “splitting” I mean disappearing on a spiritual journey of some variety. The remaining members of The Flaming Lips embarked on a new journey. The Parking Lot experiment became The Boombox Experiment while finally morphed into Zaireeka. It is an album that required four stereos playing four CDs simultaneously to appreciate. Original vision was a gathering of 100 cars each with a different tape. They were to be started at the same time—a prospect which frightened coin. The Boombox Experiment consisted of forty boomboxes each with a different tape which became an interactive entertainment piece with coordinated volume shifts. As far as Zaireeka went, Coyne seemed to think the more CDs the better. Four was what they finally settled with.

The Flaming Lips really didn’t care whether songs could be performed live. It was all about the recording process and making music not for now but two years in the future. The band and more specifically Drozd were able to exploit new technology and create textured and layered soundscapes. Each album was intended to be different than the last and this is precisely what allows The Flaming Lips to be different and new despite over twenty years of performance and recording. The Soft Bulletin (1999) touched the human existence and heart. People who love ambitious rock n’ roll will, according to Coyne’s closest relations, appreciate the Lips for years and years to come. The Soft Bulletin was a fully realized album.

In 2001, Christmas on Mars began filming. It follows a crazy, suicidal Santa Claus (portrayed by Wayne’s brother Kenny) and also features Drodz and Ivins and Wayne as various characters. Wayne is a benevolent alien, for example. It is clearly a weird bit of cinema which also features Adam Goldberg (A Beautiful Mind, Edtv, Dazed and Confused) as Mars Psychiatrist in addition to occasional appearances by family and friends. The film to date has yet to be released, but it seems according to the documentary that Wayne enjoys having large set pieces (aka scrap bits) in his back yard. He certainly is an artist based on his portrayal in this nifty documentary. Beesley paints the head Lip as an eccentric film auteur.

There is then a segway into the dark territory of Drozd’s continued heroin abuse. We see him as a creative being up until this point and even after we witness the actual use he is still talented. He speaks of Coyne’s acceptance of his illness. Coyne has never looked down on him or chastised him—all parties involves realize that nobody except Drozd can resolve the considerable problems. Continuing on, Coyne relates that so long as it doesn’t effect his work he isn’t about to judge his musical partner. Immediately following Drozd’s interview, the band returned to the studio to record Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. During the sessions, Coyne found himself angered by Drozd’s drug use. The usually decent guy hit his partner (literally and figuratively) over the head. It sunk in and Drozd was for the first time in six years drug-free.

Beesley continues on with his story, this time focusing on The Flaming Lips with their bloody stage show. We see Coyne performing live with the White Stripes on Seven Nation Army with a bloodied head. The performance is awesome, but he is practical. He goes through the process by which he must clean this off-white suit he wears nightly. It’s a human story which all originates with an old picture of Miles Davis who was beaten in the 1960’s by cops while outside smoking. It’s a homage of sorts. The story then flips to another show and interviews with fans who dub the band mind altering and whimsical among other adjectives. Jack White hits the nail on the head when he states he hears Wayne’s vocal style in so many bands today. The Flaming Lips are always being ripped off.

The story wraps up with a bevy of family, friends, and colleagues who speak about Coyne’s work ethic. He’s apparently a creative, kind, and hands-on character. He does almost everything for himself which is truly a rarity in today’s short-attention-span culture. The Flaming Lips are built on this dedication and it is this unique quality that has made the band one of the most important and excellent forces in music today. The last story Coyne relates is about his father’s illness and death in 1996. It was during this time that he realized that life is more than just about work. His father’s death helped him to better understand life and focus on the positive.

The Fearless Freaks presents The Flaming Lips honestly. All the warts, blemishes, and oddities are here in bright Technicolor. Nothing is glossed over or made pretty for the sake of the movie. The documentary is sometimes on point and other times wanders around in unpredictable territory. Wayne Coyne is clearly the centerpiece and his story while not entirely without flaw still feels like a fairy tale.

In a word, The Fearless Freaks is a must-own for fans of The Flaming Lips and rock biographies. Even better, the DVD contains over 90 minutes of bonus material including live clips, photo slide shows, outtakes, deleted scenes, and commentary. This is a lovely piece of rock history.

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Related Reviews:

The Soft Bulletin (1999)
http://www.epinions.com/content_161003835012

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD