Danish band The William Blakes paying tribute to Wayne Coyne with debut album
The William Blakes
Pop-rockers The William Blakes, who hail from Copenhagen, Denmark, are releasing today their debut album, “Wayne Coyne.”
Yes, the album is named for the frontman of Oklahoma City-based psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips. Coyne is featured on the cover art and is apparently the subject of the title track.
In a news release, The William Blakes frontman Kristian Leth explains why the band decided to pay such a tribute to Coyne:
“The reason we chose the title ‘Wayne Coyne’ for our debut album, is that he embodies so much of that positive but potent energy that we are tapping into with this music. I always get a little awestruck when this giant in my musical pantheon does his own soundchecks immediately before the concerts, with absolutely no bravado or drama, only to absolutely blow everything up as soon as he and the band rip into ‘Race for the Prize’ or whatever. I first met Mr. Coyne at Roskilde, having my picture taken with him, and his totally down to earth openness and respect for me – a fan – was extremely inspiring. I thought, ‘I want to be like that’ and that’s something we’ve taken to heart with this band. Our music is serious business with grand aspirations and ambitions, but that doesn’t mean that we’re any kind of grand special characters. So we have more fun and put all the energy into the art. And in that regard, Mr. Coyne is a major guru, so the featuring of him on the cover is an exclamation of love and respect.”
The band’s MySpace page lists the Lips as among its influences, along with Bruce Springsteen, Talking Heads, Phil Spector, Brian Eno, Iggy And The Stooges, NEU!, Tears For Fears, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, The Informations, Arcade Fire, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Philip K. Dick and Prince. However, the three or four songs I listened to there sound more like ’80s synth-pop than the Lips’ psychedelic rock, avant-garde pop or space-jazz noisemaking.
The album “Wayne Coyne” is available digitally in North America through Speed Of Sound/Last Gang Labels.
-BAM
Halloween treat: Ghouls Gone Wild slideshow with Wayne Coyne interview
People dressed as skeletons march in the March of 1,000 Flaming Skeletons Oct. 24 during the Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween Parade in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman)
Happy Halloween! Get into the spooky spirit of the season with this NewsOK slideshow featuring last Saturday’s Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween parade in downtown Oklahoma City.
The slideshow includes audio of an interview with Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne; the Lips annually lead the March of 1,000 Flaming Skeletons in the parade.
Bryan Terry, one of The Oklahoman’s award-winning photojournalists, took the photos, captured the audio of Coyne and other parade participants and compiled it all into this interesting slideshow.
I unfortunately didn’t make it out to Ghouls Gone Wild this year, but I’m definitely going to make it a priority to at least watch the macabre march next year.
In whatever way you celebrate Halloween today, be sure to make it a safe as well as fun festivity.
- BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Oct. 24, 2009
Hundreds of torch-bearing skeletons walk in the 2008 “Ghouls Gone Wild” Halloween parade in downtown Oklahoma City. (Photo by Jaconna Aguirre/The Oklahoman Archives)
Today’s featured event:
See The Flaming Lips’ “March of 1,000 Skeletons” and other spooky spectres in the third annual “Ghouls Gone Wild” Halloween parade, which will begin at 7 p.m. today in downtown Oklahoma City.
After the parade, Stardeath and White Dwarfs will perform a free outdoor show at about 9:30 p.m. across the street from TAP Architecture, 415 N Broadway Ave.
For more information, go to www.ghoulsgonewildokc.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Weekend Warmup for Oct. 23-25, 2009
Bob Dylan (Associated Press photo)
Here is a list of events happening around Oklahoma this weekend (Oct. 23-25, 2009). For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
- TULSA — Hear legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Brady Theater, 105 W Brady Street. Information: (918) 582-7239 or www.bradytheater.com.
- Browse a vast array of antiques, collectibles, clothing and more at “An Affair of the Heart.” The arts and crafts show will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in seven buildings at State Fair Park, NW 10 and May. Information: (800) 755-5488 or www.aaoth.com.
- Hear Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers at 8 tonight at the Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E Sheridan. Or listen to Jackson Taylor with Back Porch Mary at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Wormy Dog. Information: www.wormydog.com.
Emily Skinner (Mrs. Lovett) and Jeff McCarthy ( Sweeney Todd) head the cast of the Lyric at the Plaza production of “ Sweeney Todd.” (Photo by Wendy Mutz)
- Watch Lyric Theatre open its 2009-10 season with “Sweeney Todd” at 8 tonight, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Lyric at the Plaza, 1725 NW 16. Information: 524-9312 or www.lyrictheatreokc.com.
- Listen to … And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead with Future Of The Left and Callupsie at 8 tonight at The Conservatory, 8911 N Western. Information: Information: www.conservatoryokc.com.
- NORMAN — Venture into the world of Sasquatch when forensic artist Harvey Pratt participates in a lecture, book signing and art exhibit opening reception titled “They Walk Among Us — Bigfoot: Bewitched and Bedeviled” from 7 to 10 tonight at Tribes 131 Gallery, 131 24 Ave. NW. Information: 329-4442.
- MIAMI – Hear Jack Ingram at 7 tonight at Buffalo Run Casino. Information: www.buffalorun.com.
Alfonso Martin and Karina Gonzalez head the cast of the Tulsa Ballet production of “ Dracula.”
- See the Tulsa Ballet’s performances of “Dracula” at 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: (918) 749-6030 or www.tulsaballet.com.
- Listen to Built to Spill with Dinosaur Jr. and Lou Barlow & the Missing Men at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern Ave. Information: www.diamondballroom.net.
- Celebrate Halloween with “light not fright” at the annual Magic Lantern Celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday in the Paseo Arts District, between NW 28 and Walker and NW 30 and Dewey. The family event includes costume making, a costume parade, live music and dancing. It is free but donations will be accepted. Information: 525-2688 or www.thepaseo.com.
Hundreds of torch-bearing skeletons walk in the 2008 “Ghouls Gone Wild” Halloween parade in downtown Oklahoma City. (Photo by Jaconna Aguirre/The Oklahoman Archives)
- See The Flaming Lips’ “March of 1,000 Skeletons” and other spooky spectres in the third annual “Ghouls Gone Wild” Halloween parade, which will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday in downtown. After the parade, Stardeath and White Dwarfs will perform a free outdoor show at about 9:30 p.m. across the street from TAP Architecture, 415 N Broadway Ave. Information: www.ghoulsgonewildokc.com.
- TULSA – Catch Drive-By Truckers with James McMurtry in concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main. Or hear Mute Math with Tall as Lions at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cain’s. (Mute Math and Tall as Lions will play the Diamond Ballroom in OKC on Tuesday as well.) Information: www.cainsballroom.com.
- EL RENO - Hear Stone Temple Pilots at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Lucky Star Casino Concho, 7777 N Highway 81, El Reno. Information: www.luckystarcasino.org.
- Take in ’50s-inspired music and fashion at the “Rockabilly Weekend,” which begins tonight at the Oklahoma History Center, 2401 N Laird Ave., as part of an ongoing series of events recognizing the state’s rock ‘n’ roll roots. Doors open at 7 tonight. Performances will begin with The Beltline and then the Stark Weather Boys, who also will perform with headliner Clyde Stacy. A ’50s fashion show will be presented by The Velvet Monkey Salon. At 10 a.m. Saturday, a classic car show will take place outdoors, and games for children such as hula hoops, jump rope and bubble-blowing will be offered inside. People who want to register a car can call the center and get a free ticket for tonight’s concert. Information: 522-0780.
-BAM
Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne talks “Embryonic,” late-night entertainment
Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne (Photo by Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman Archives)
Wayne Coyne, frontman of Oklahoma City-based psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips, recently chatted with The Oklahoman Entertainment Editor Gene Triplett to talk about the Lips’ new album, “Embryonic.”
Released Tuesday, “Embryonic” features 18 tracks that depart from their more recent lushly beautiful albums to the kind of “acid-damaged noise-pop,” as Gene calls it, they did 20 years ago.
The always-intriguing Coyne told Gene he wasn’t worried that “Embryonic’s” experimentation is going to turn off fans of the band’s more conventional (by Lips standards) recent music, such as the new Oklahoma state rock song, “Do You Realize??”
“I would feel more nervous if I felt as though we had played it safe,” he said.
Coyne also told Gene that inspiration from “Embryonic” came from a couple of divergent sources of late-night home entertainment: repeated spins of Miles Davis albums from the jazz great’s 1960s experimental electric period and repeated laser disc viewings of Liliana Cavani’s “The Night Porter,” an “artfully sleazy” 1974 Italian film about a sado-masochistic affair between an ex-Nazi (Dirk Bogarde) and a woman (Charlotte Rampling) he used to abuse sexually in Auschwitz.
“I was singing about the dimensions of this movie that kind of shocked me or that I liked or were interesting or whatever, and I started to sing about the nature of evil and the nature of pleasure and the nature of submission and dominating, and all these things that I thought the music was kind of hinting at,” Coyne told Gene.
To read more of Gene’s fascinating feature on Coyne by clicking here.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Flaming Lips on Conan
Oklahoma City-based freakout rockers The Flaming Lips released their new album “Embryonic” Tuesday and capped their big day by performing the song “Watching the Planets” on “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”
I stayed up late to watch the performance and it was definitely worth a little missed sleep. You should definitely view the YouTube clip posted above. After seeing it, I’m convinced I need to get a gong for home use. Since I have two kids and am considering purchasing a percussion instrument with that much noise-making potential, you know it’s a life-changing performance.
As a bonus, check out this YouTube video of the Lips playing “SpongeBob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy,” their contribution to “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie” soundtrack, on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” back in 2004. Many thanks to former The Oklahoman intern Nathan Poppe for sharing this video clip.
-BAM
Video Spotlight: The Flaming Lips
As we wrap up Flaming Lips Day here on BAM’s Blog, let’s take a look at some of the band’s amazing music videos, including the first one from new album “Embryonic”:
The Flaming Lips "I Can Be A Frog"
The Flaming Lips | MySpace Music Videos
-BAM
Flaming Lips to host yearly March of 1,000 Skeletons at Oklahoma City’s Ghouls Gone Wild
The Flaming Lips will again host their March of 1,000 Skeletons Oct. 24 at the Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween Parade.
The parade, organized by the Oklahoma Gazette, will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 in downtown Oklahoma City at 11 and Walker.
Rockabilly pioneers The Collins Kids will be the parade grand marshals and will perform. Lips proteges Stardeath and White Dwarfs also will perform.
For more information on the parade, go to www.ghoulsgonewildokc.com.
If you’re interested in joining the Lips’ March of 1,000 Skeletons, click here for instructions.
-BAM
New releases for Oct. 13, 2009
Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips (Photo by John Clanton/The Oklahoman Archives)
Oklahoma City-based psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips release today their first-ever double-album “Embryonic,” which promises to make the world a little more weird – but in a good way.
Brandon Jenkins
Also, red dirt rocker Brandon Jenkins, who grew up in Tulsa but now lives in Austin, Texas, releases his new album, “Brothers of the Dirt,” which as the title suggests, features collaborations with fellow red dirt artists, including Cody Canada, Stoney LaRue and Mike McClure.
“Drag Me to Hell,” Sam Raimi’s (the “Spider-Man” movies) return to the horror genre, is among the new films on DVD this week.
In books, Irish author Eoin Colfer (”Artemis Fowl”) picks up where the late, great Douglas Adams left off with “And Another Thing…,” a sixth book in the legendary “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series.
Stephenie Meyer (Associated Press photo)
And as the anticipation for the movie sequel “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” builds, “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer releases a collector’s edition of “New Moon” and her “Twilight Saga Journals.”
The soundtrack for “New Moon” will be released on Friday.
Here is a list of this week’s new CDs, DVDs and books from Amazon.com, VideoETA.com and BarnesandNoble.com:
CDs
The Flaming Lips, “Embryonic.”
Brandon Jenkins, “Brothers of the Dirt.”
Bob Dylan, “Christmas in the Heart.”
David Archuleta, “Christmas From the Heart.”
Neil Diamond, “A Cherry Cherry Christmas.”
Barry Manilow, “In The Swing of Christmas.”
Five For Fighting, “Slice.”
Jack Bruce, “Seven Moons Live.”
Various artists, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack” – releasing Friday.
DVDs
American Violet
Drag Me to Hell
The Haunted Airman
Jackass: The Lost Tapes
Land of the Lost
Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season
Married… With Children: Complete Eleventh Season
Natural Born Killers
The Proposal
Books
“Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series No. 4)” by Jeff Kinney
“And Another Thing… (Hitchhiker’s Guide Series No. 6)” by Eoin Colfer
“Chronic City” by Jonathan Lethem
“Deep Kiss of Winter” by Kresley Cole
“Dracula: The Un-Dead” by Dacre Stoker
“Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters” by Chesley B. Sullenberger
“Jamie’s Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals” by Jamie Oliver
“Moon River and Me: A Memoir” by Andy Williams
“New Moon: Collector’s Edition” by Stephenie Meyer
“Nine Dragons” by Michael Connelly
“Pursuit of Honor” by Vince Flynn
“Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul: How to Create a New You” by Deepak Chopra
“Twilight Saga Journals” by Stephenie Meyer
-BAM
Flaming Lips to open pop-up store, do MySpace Secret Show in L.A.
Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne performs at the 2008-09 New Year’s Eve Freakout in Oklahoma City. (Photo by John Clanton/The Oklahoman Archives)
Warner Bros. Records is celebrating today’s release of The Flaming Lips’ new, long-awaited album “Embryonic” with special events in Los Angeles.
On Thursday, for one day only in Los Angeles, The Flaming Lips Pop-up Store will open at the Nike/Ricardo Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine St. in Hollywood, according to a news release. The store will be open from noon to midnight local time.
Not only will fans have the opportunity to get their hands on unique artifacts available on this day and location only, but the Oklahoma City-based psychedelic rockers have planned a very special, intimate MySpace Secret Show performance just for tickets winners at this small venue guaranteed to blow the minds of the lucky few.
According to the release, this might be the only opportunity to see the band in full-blown, maximum hysteria in a minimal space ever again. You won’t get the change to see the LIPS live again until 2010!
Tickets for the event will be made available on a first come, first served basis at the opening on Thursday. Additional tickets will be available at Amoeba records with purchase of the Lips CD today. KCRW 89.9 FM and the LA Weekly will also participate in ticket give-a-ways so play close attention.
Ticket holders are not guaranteed seating. All ticket holders will need to be in the venue by 7:30 p.m. L.A. time. Theater doors will be open 6:30.
The Flaming Lips Pop-up Store will house unique, limited edition, one-of-a-kind merchandise, CD’s and much more. Among the exclusive goodies will be the special direct-to-consumer “Furry Package,” currently available only via FlamingLips.com and a very limited, one-time only vinyl pressing that will only be sold at the store.
While the news release implies that this will be the last chance to see the Lips live until 2010, that isn’t true for Oklahoma fans. The Lips are planning their March of 1,000 Skeletons later this month in OKC.
And for the third year, the band will perform a New Year’s Eve show at Oklahoma City’s Cox Convention Center. For more information or tickets, go to www.coxconventioncenter.com.
-BAM
