This is a Flaming Lips survey for any fans that wish to fill out these questions. Fill out whatever you care to fill out.
I will use answers from the survey to write a paper on fandom that I am writing in a class. The questions included are meant to collect your experiences as a fan. Thank you for your responses.
If you already answered in this thread, or you want to answer in this thread then you can just ignore that link. The website in the linked survey only allows 10 questions, however.
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? ____ years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
____ happened slowly over time
____ I became friends with a fan
____ I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
____ other:
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? Y N
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
____ 2000s
____ 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert?
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
____ hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
____ other:
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert?
_________________ _________________ _________________
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)?
9. Which album is your favorite?
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy?
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one?
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day?
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
____ weekly
____ monthly
____ other:
14. What are some of your other favorite artists?
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
____ in the car
____ at work/school
____ at home after work/school
____ when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
____ while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
____ at no particular time
____ other:
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
____ find inspiration
____ have fun
____ relax
____ remember the past
____ socialize with others
____ think about life
____ work through my moods
____ other:
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
____ books
____ bootleg recordings
____ concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
____ posters
____ T-shirts
____ videos and/or movies
____ other:
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Y N
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
____ they approve
____ they think it’s strange
____ they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from?
21. What is your age?
22. You are: Male Female
23. Education completed:
____ some high school
____ high school
____ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment:
25. Marital status:
____ single
____ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)?
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add:
Last edited by Onetwo12 on 05/09/2013 20:54; edited 4 times in total
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? 3 years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
____ happened slowly over time
____ I became friends with a fan
x I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
____ other:
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? Yes
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
____ 2000s
x 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert?
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
x hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
____ other:
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert?
Crazy, Breathtaking, insane
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)? Yes
9. Which album is your favorite? The Soft Bulletin
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy? At War With the Mystics
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one? What is the Light?
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day? 3-4
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
x weekly
____ monthly
____ other:
14. What are some of your other favorite artists? Animal Collective, Mount Eerie, Grizzly Bear, Radiohead
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
x in the car
x at work/school
x at home after work/school
____ when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
____ while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
____ at no particular time
____ other:
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
x find inspiration
x have fun
x relax
____ remember the past
____ socialize with others
____ think about life
____ work through my moods
____ other:
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
____ books
____ bootleg recordings
x concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
____ posters
____ T-shirts
____ videos and/or movies
____ other:
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Yes
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
x they approve
____ they think it’s strange
____ they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from? Califorinia
21. What is your age? 17
22. You are: Male
23. Education completed:
x some high school
____ high school
____ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment: Student
25. Marital status:
x single
____ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)? No
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add:
This is a Flaming Lips survey for any fans that wish to fill out these questions. Fill out whatever you care to fill out.
I will use answers from the survey to write a paper on fandom that I am writing in a class. The questions included are meant to collect your experiences as a fan. Thank you for your responses.
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? 7 years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
____ happened slowly over time
____ I became friends with a fan
____ I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
____ other:
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? Y N
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
____ 2000s
____ 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert?
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
____ hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
____ other:
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert? (I've seen their UFO's at the zoo DVD so I'm gonna answer this)
Joyous Freaky Inspiring
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)? Yes
9. Which album is your favorite? The Soft Bulletin
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy? hmmmmm not really, I find stuff to enjoy on all of them
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one? Ego Tripping At the Gates Of Hell
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day? 3
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
____ weekly- at least every 3 days
____ monthly
____ other:
14. What are some of your other favorite artists? Bon Iver, The Beach Boys, Cut/Copy
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
____ in the car
____ at work/school
____ at home after work/school
____ when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
____ while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
____ at no particular time
____ other:
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
____ find inspiration
____ have fun
____ relax
____ remember the past
____ socialize with others
____ think about life
____ work through my moods
____ other:
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
____ books
____ bootleg recordings
____ concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
____ posters
____ T-shirts
____ videos and/or movies
____ other:
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Y N
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
____ they approve
____ they think it’s strange
____ they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from? Perth, Australia
21. What is your age? 24
22. You are: Male Female
23. Education completed:
____ some high school
____ high school
____ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment: Admin Support Officer/Student
25. Marital status:
____ single
____ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)? Sure
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add: There's no one better
Haha, I haven't seen them yet either Jhereko. I'm going on July 31 though. I did go to the Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots musical which was kinda cool, but it doesn't count.
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? 7 years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
____ happened slowly over time
__x_ I became friends with a fan
____ I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
____ other:
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? y N
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
__x_ 2000s
____ 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert? New Years Freakout
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
_x__ hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
____ other:
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert?
_________Magical________ _______Extravagant__________ ________Flashy_________
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)? Yes
9. Which album is your favorite? In A Priest Driven Ambulance
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy? Not really
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one? Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day? 1-4, depending on how much free time I've got.
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
____ weekly
_x__ monthly
____ other:
14. What are some of your other favorite artists? Blur, The National, Neutral Milk Hotel, Beck
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
____ in the car
____ at work/school
____ at home after work/school
____ when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
____ while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
__x_ at no particular time
____ other:
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
____ find inspiration
__x_ have fun
__x_ relax
____ remember the past
____ socialize with others
____ think about life
____ work through my moods
____ other:
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
____ books
____ bootleg recordings
____ concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
_x__ posters
_x__ T-shirts
____ videos and/or movies
____ other:
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Y N
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
____ they approve
____ they think it’s strange
__x_ they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from? Oklahoma
21. What is your age? 22
22. You are: Male Female
23. Education completed:
____ some high school
____ high school
_x__ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment: Student
25. Marital status:
____ single
_x__ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)? No
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add: go sports
This is a Flaming Lips survey for any fans that wish to fill out these questions. Fill out whatever you care to fill out.
I will use answers from the survey to write a paper on fandom that I am writing in a class. The questions included are meant to collect your experiences as a fan. Thank you for your responses.
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? _2_ years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
_X_ happened slowly over time
____ I became friends with a fan
_X_ I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
____ other:
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? N
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
____ 2000s
____ 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert?
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
____ hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
____ other:
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert?
_________________ _________________ _________________
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)? Y
9. Which album is your favorite? Clouds Taste Metallic
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy? Priest Driven Ambulance
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one? Spoonful Weighs A Ton
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day? 4-5
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
____ weekly
_X__ monthly
____ other:
14. What are some of your other favorite artists? Can, Mercury Rev, The Microphones
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
_X in the car
____ at work/school
____ at home after work/school
____ when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
_X_ while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
____ at no particular time
__X_ other: with friends
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
____ find inspiration
__x_ have fun
_x__ relax
____ remember the past
_x_ socialize with others
____ think about life
____ work through my moods
____ other:
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
____ books
____ bootleg recordings
____ concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
____ posters
____ T-shirts
____ videos and/or movies
____ other:
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Y
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
____ they approve
____ they think it’s strange
_x_ they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from? Peru
21. What is your age? 20
22. You are: Male
23. Education completed:
__x_ some high school
__x_ high school
__x_ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment:
25. Marital status:
_x__ single
____ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)? sure
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add:
This is a Flaming Lips survey for any fans that wish to fill out these questions. Fill out whatever you care to fill out.
I will use answers from the survey to write a paper on fandom that I am writing in a class. The questions included are meant to collect your experiences as a fan. Thank you for your responses.
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? 11 years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
____ happened slowly over time
____ I became friends with a fan
____ I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
_x__ other: their album cover (Yoshimi) appealed to me and I bought it out of curiosity.
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? Yes
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
_x__ 2000s
_x__ 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert? Birmingham, England 2003 / Kilkenny, Ireland 2006
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
____ hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
_x__ other: The whole experience.
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert?
euphoric, fun, crazy
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)? Yes.
9. Which album is your favorite? Clouds Taste Metallic
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy? At War with the Mystics
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one? Not really. If I had to choose, maybe 'Unconsciously Screamin''.
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day? 5/6
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
____ weekly
____ monthly
_x__ other: fortnightly, probably.
14. What are some of your other favorite artists? Bob Dylan, Wu-Tang Clan (and Ghostface Killah in particular), Prince, Burial, Blu, Roc Marciano, Pavement, Belle & Sebastian, Fela Kuti, The Fall, Orange Juice, Gregory Isaacs, Curtis Mayfield/The Impressions, Nas, Tom Waits, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, etc.
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
____ in the car
____ at work/school
____ at home after work/school
____ when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
____ while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
____ at no particular time
_x__ other: when I'm chilling out, or drinking/smoking with friends/family
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
_x__ find inspiration
_x__ have fun
_x__ relax
_x__ remember the past
_x__ socialize with others
____ think about life
____ work through my moods
_x__ other: cheer myself up
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
_x__ books
_x__ bootleg recordings
_x__ concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
_x__ posters
_x__ T-shirts
_x__ videos and/or movies
_x__ other: Boxsets and special edition reissues etc.
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Yes
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
_x__ they approve
____ they think it’s strange
_x__ they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from? Birmingham, UK
21. What is your age? 22
22. You are: Male
23. Education completed:
____ some high school
_x__ high school
_x__ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment: Unemployed
25. Marital status:
____ single
_x__ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)? Yeah, why not.
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add:
lethalnezzle wrote:
It's hardly a secret that I'm a huge fan of the band, having had Clouds Taste Metallic at #1 on my chart from the day I joined this site until about a week and a half ago. I just think that they're one of the greatest pop groups of all-time, and in terms of the amount of joy an artist's music can bring/has brought me then only Wu-Tang and Bob Dylan are in the same league. The first Lips album I owned was Yoshimi, having bought it for no better reason than that I thought the cover and the title were intriguing. I had just turned 12 and I used my birthday money to buy the album, and as far as I am aware I had never previously encountered the Lips. I must've listened to that album twice a day for the next six months at least. At that point it hadn't even occurred to me to check them out further, but due to my enthusiasm towards the record I was given The Soft Bulletin that Christmas. Those two records were just the most amazing albums I'd ever heard. At this point I was listening mainly to whatever my dad listened to, liberally sprinkled with some of the more popular albums of the time (Shaggy, Jay-Z, Linkin Park, maybe The Coral and The Strokes), but The Flaming Lips were the first band that felt like they were mine. This wasn't my dad's music, and nor was it the music that my peers (or my peers' cooler older siblings, for that matter) were listening to. It was my music. Suddenly, everything had changed.
I was young and I didn't really have any reference points. I'd known the Beach Boys since I was very small, and I always saw The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi as records in their mold, though superior, but besides that there was nobody similar to The Flaming Lips. OK, that's a slight exaggeration - I'd heard parallels in some of my dad's REM records and, most notably, his copy of Mercury Rev's Deserter's Song - but on the whole they remained a pretty unique entity in the pop music I'd encountered up to that point. It was bombastic pop music, full of hope and love and an undeniable, shining faith in humanity that couldn't be quelled. Their lyrics dealt with the wider issues of the world in terms so universal that even a 12-year-old could understand perfectly, whilst their music bounced with an almost childlike enthusiasm; this was accessible music made by people with experimental tendencies. It had already become something of an obsession for me, but then came Glastonbury. For a young music nerd growing up in early-2000s Britain, the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury was a must-watch. And that year (2003) two of my favourite bands from my dad's collection were headlining; the aforementioned REM and the amazing Radiohead (who I went on to see live that year in Wolverhampton, touring Hail To The Thief - the venue only held about 2,000 people, so what they were doing playing there is anybody's guess, but that's a story for another time). But I'd also heard that Thom Yorke had specifically asked for The Flaming Lips to play before them, so they had the feted "sundown set" on the Pyramid Stage. I remember using the red button (a relatively new phenomenon at that time) to watch and record to DVD - with my dad's prized new DVD recorder, that somehow managed to record stuff in worse quality than the VHS one that we had made do with up until then - their entire set, and it's fair to say that I'd never seen anything like it. They arrived on stage surrounded by people dressed in all variety of costumes, playing from behind two guys in huge inflatable (perpetual) sun suits. They launched into a thrilling version of 'Race For The Prize' and I knew right then that my main goal in life was to see these guys play live. I still get goosebumps watching the footage back now, and nothing I had or have seen on television before or since has ever had such a profound effect on me. I hate to bandy the term "life-changing" around willy nilly, but I don't think it's hyperbole in this case; it was genuinely a moment that I'll keep with me forever, and one that completely shaped my view of what popular music was capable of.
Not too long after that Glastonbury set, my family were due to embark on a holiday to the West Coast of America. We'd arrive and do a week in San Francisco (something of a pilgrimage for my father, who is an out and proud Deadhead), then spend a week travelling around and taking in Las Vegas (which I fucking hated, even as a 12-year-old), the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, and then go and spend a week with some friends in San Diego. My overriding memory of the trip, aside from the stunning Grand Canyon which I vowed to return to one day with children of my own, was of all the great record stores we visited. I'd gathered from my time there that America did everything we did except BIGGER, and nowhere was that more evident than in its record stores. I remember Amoeba and Aquarius and, most of all, Lou's Records in Encinatas. I picked up all sorts whilst I was over there, from my first Joy Division CD (the Substance compilation), to Guru's Jazzmatazz, to some strange Babes In Toyland B-sides and outtakes collection of dubious legality. But the most important thing I did was to all but complete The Flaming Lips' discography (I bought all the Warner albums bar Zaireeka, plus two Rhino compilations - a 3-disc set entitled Finally The Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid and a 2-disc set called The Day They Shot A Hole In The Jesus Egg - that covered everything prior to the Warner years). At first some of the records did nothing for me - the earliest stuff from Finally The Punk Rockers... just sounded like noise, whilst nothing from Transmissions or Hit To Death caught me in quite the same way Yoshimi or The Soft Bulletin had (at that point, anyway). But those imperfections made me love the band more, if anything. Through their discography I could see their growth, and see their willingness to change with each record. I loved all their crazy song titles, and the endearing homemade quality of their album artwork. And I love Clouds Taste Metallic and In A Priest Driven Ambulance. I think an early love of Nirvana had lead me to be quite accepting of pretty fuzzy rock, and these two albums appealed to that side of me, whilst also featuring their knack for an immediate melody that was so prominent on the two albums I'd discovered first. I hadn't known what to expect from their earlier work - heck, I wasn't even sure how many albums they'd even released - but it surpassed everything I'd dared to hope for. If The Flaming Lips weren't the greatest band to ever walk the face of the earth then I didn't know who was.
So I arrived back in England with a head full of memories and a bag full of Lips CDs. In the comfort of my bedroom I pored over each of them (though I admittedly had less time for the sloppy, tuneless Hear It Is and the rather forgettable Transmissions From The Satellite Heart), and spent that summer immersing myself in the various guises of this incredible band. There were things I loved about all of their records, but the one I found myself going back to more and more was their 1995 masterpiece Clouds Taste Metallic. It was the perfect record, one filled to brim with ideas and all of them executed perfectly. The trebly guitar noodling that pervaded throughout; the surreal lyrics that recalled the energetic innocence of Roald Dahl or the nonsensical verse of T.S. Eliot that we had recently been studying in English class; the sincerity of Wayne's Neil Young-on-happy-pills voice that creaked and croaked its way through every song, reaching for each note as though his life depended on it; everything about that record is so beautiful that I'm ashamed to even highlight a few aspects - there is not a bum note on the whole thing. Every time I heard Wayne assure me that "all (my) bad days will end" during the pounding crescendo of the album's final track I totally believed him, despite the naivety inherent in that belief. In fact, whenever I hear the record now I still do believe it, if only for that brief moment, and despite knowing better. That album just takes me to a place that very few other albums can, and there's a part of me that wishes it could last forever.
Anyway, news arrived that The Flaming Lips would be touring the UK in the October/November of that year, and that they'd be coming to my hometown, Birmingham, on Halloween. It was at the Academy, a venue I've come to know all too well over the years, but one which at the time was some magical place where the cool older brothers and sisters of my friends would go and watch bands and come back and regale us with tales of who they'd seen and what it was like. I would be thirteen by the time the gig rolled around, and a young looking thirteen at that, which meant that by the venue's rules I'd have to be accompanied by an adult. I begged my dad to get me a ticket (which meant dragging him along too), and each request was met with a teasing "maybe" or "we'll see". I remember, about a week before my 13th birthday - and about a month and a half before the concert - seeing that the gig had sold out whilst checking online (I was checking daily at this point). I went downstairs to tell my dad and to ask if he'd got me a ticket. He said, "no", to which I retreated to my room literally fighting back tears. When I got to my bed, I put on Yoshimi on this shitty little tinny all-in-one CD/cassette-player that I had on my bedside table and exploded into fits of tears. I know, I know, almost thirteen and crying because my parents didn't buy me exactly what I wanted, boo-fucking-hoo, first world problems, yadda yadda yadda. But to a thirteen-year-old me, who didn't really understand the concept that there'd be other chances to see them and that virtually no thirteen-year-olds went to concerts anyway, it was the end of the world. I'd missed the chance to see the greatest band of all-time in my hometown. Anyway, I'm sure you can guess where this is going. My dad must've sensed something was up and had come upstairs to check on me. He told me that I was being stupid, and that I should stop crying because obviously he'd bought the fucking tickets and the only reason he hadn't told me was because he'd planned to put them in my birthday card which I'd receive a week later. He then went and fetched the tickets and gave them to me then and there, and quite reasonably told me not to expect anything else on my birthday (which literally couldn't have mattered less to me). I just remember looking at the tickets for hours, they were thin lime green tickets with a purple border (I'd soon come to learn that all Birmingham Academy tickets looked like this, although the colour scheme would change over the years) with "THE FLAMING LIPS, 31ST OCTOBER 2003" printed in big black letters across the middle. I felt like Charlie Bucket finding that last Golden Ticket, and me and my dad would play the parts of him and Grandpa Joe, going to visit Wayne Coyne's psych-pop factory come Halloween.
Needless to say, the gig was incendiary. They were simply amazing, playing a selection of songs from their previous two albums, filling the stage with their trademark costumed supporters, and filling the room with confetti, huge balloons of all colours and, most importantly, with love. I've seen them another seven times since, but nothing will ever match up to that first time.
I could go on and tell you about my experiences with the Lips since then (seeing them support Dylan at an outdoor festival in Ireland; finally getting to hear Zaireeka and realising what I'd been missing; bonding with people and finding new friends at university, thanks in part to a shared love of the band; my disappointment with At War With The Mystics and subsequent elation at how great Embryonic was; the whole birthday/Christmas present thing coming full circle when I received Heady Nuggs, a boxset containing their first five Warner albums - bar Zaireeka, again - on vinyl, this Christmas just gone) but it all seems pretty insignificant when compared to that initial 12-month fling. From buying Yoshimi not long after my 12th birthday, to seeing them live for the very first time not long after my 13th, I have never loved a band so much, and in all likelihood never will again. I could never thank the band enough for sparking in me a love for music, and a desire to check out newer and weirder music, that will stay with me for life. I'm listening to The Terror as I type this, on the day of its official release, and I must say that it's great, and is just another reminder of why I adore the band so much.
So, here's to The Flaming Lips. Thanks for everything.
This is a Flaming Lips survey for any fans that wish to fill out these questions. Fill out whatever you care to fill out.
I will use answers from the survey to write a paper on fandom that I am writing in a class. The questions included are meant to collect your experiences as a fan. Thank you for your responses.
1. How long have you been a Flaming Lips fan? 1 years
2. How did you become a Flaming Lips fan?
____ friends/relatives introduced me to the music
____ happened slowly over time
____ I became friends with a fan
x I enjoyed a particular Flaming Lips album
____ I saw the Flaming Lips perform
____ I saw/heard/read about them in the media
____ other:
3. Have you seen the Flaming Lips in concert? Y N (but I'm going to see them in two weeks actually)
4. If yes, when did you see them? (Check all that apply):
____ 1980s
____ 1990s
____ 2000s
____ 2010s
5. What was your favorite Flaming Lips concert?
6. What is most important to you when attending a Flaming Lips concert?
____ seeing the band
____ hearing the music live
____ being with other fans
____ have a psychedelic experience
____ other:
7. What three adjectives would you use to describe a Flaming Lips concert?
_________________ _________________ _________________
8. Have you listened to all of the Flaming Lip’s official albums in their discography (starting from Hear It Is up until The Terror)? Not yet.
9. Which album is your favorite? Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots.
10. Is there a particular album that you do not enjoy? Embryonic.
11. Do you have a favorite song? Which one? Do You Realize?? Yeah, I know, not very original.
12. On average, how many hours do you listen to music each day? 4 or 5.
13. How often do you listen to the Flaming Lips?
____ daily
x weekly
____ monthly
____ other:
14. What are some of your other favorite artists? The Kinks, Talking Heads, The Doors, Built To Spill, Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, in rough order.
15. When do you listen to the Flaming Lips? (Check all that apply):
____ in the car
____ at work/school
x at home after work/school
x when I’m getting ready to go out
____ before I go to sleep
x while doing an activity (cooking, cleaning, running, reading, etc)
____ at no particular time
____ other:
16. Complete the following: “In general, I use the Flaming Lip’s music to” (Check all that apply):
____ find inspiration
x have fun
x relax
____ remember the past
x socialize with others
____ think about life
x work through my moods
____ other:
17. What Flaming Lips related items do you own, if any? (Check all that apply):
____ books
____ bootleg recordings
____ concert ticket stubs
____ photographs
____ posters
____ T-shirts
____ videos and/or movies
____ other:
18. Do you know other Flaming Lips fans personally? Y N Sadly :-/ I haven't succeeded in convincing my friends to go to their concert...
19. How do nonfans (such as family members, friends, and coworkers) view your fandom in general?
____ they approve
____ they think it’s strange
x they don’t care
____ they aren’t interested but understand
20. Where are you from? France.
21. What is your age? 19.
22. You are: Male Female
23. Education completed:
____ some high school
x high school
____ some college
____ college degree
24. Present employment: student.
25. Marital status:
x single
____ not married, but in a relationship
____ married
____ divorced
26. Would you be willing to talk about your interest in the Flaming Lips at some point in the next week (through messaging)? Yes, of course, if it can help.
27. Feel free to add anything else you would like to add:
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
