Wayne Coyne

Last updated

Wayne Coyne
The Flaming Lips 2017.jpg
Coyne performing in 2017
Background information
Birth nameWayne Michael Coyne
Born (1961-01-13) January 13, 1961 (age 63)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Origin Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Genres Neo-psychedelia, psychedelic rock, alternative rock, experimental rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, theremin, percussion
Years active1983–present
Labels Warner
Member of The Flaming Lips, Electric Würms
Signature
Wayne Coyne signature, Billboard Open Letter 2016.png

Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the founder, lead vocalist, main songwriter, and only constant member of the psychedelic rock band the Flaming Lips.

Contents

Early life

Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, the son of Thomas Coyne and Dolores "Dolly" Jackson. The fifth of six children of an Irish Catholic family, [1] Coyne moved with his family from Pittsburgh's Troy Hill neighborhood to Oklahoma in early 1961. [2] Coyne grew up in Oklahoma City. Coyne preferred listening to music and playing pickup football. He, his sister, and his brothers dubbed themselves "The Fearless Freaks" for their brutal backyard football games. Tommy Coyne, Wayne's older brother, described the games as a "semi-civilized gang fight." [3]

In 1977, while in high school, Coyne began working as a fry cook for a Long John Silver's restaurant in Oklahoma City. [4] During his second year of employment, there was a rash of robberies in Oklahoma City. The restaurant was robbed and Coyne and other employees were held at gunpoint and forced to lie on the ground. Coyne was certain he was going to die. [5] The assistant manager could not open the restaurant's safe, however, and the robbers eventually fled the scene. Coyne believes "this is really how you die...one minute you're just cooking up someone's order of French fries and the next minute you're laying on the floor and they blow your brains out. There's no music, there's no significance, it's just random." [3] Coyne continued working at Long John Silver's until 1990. [4]

With the Flaming Lips

Coyne at Lollapalooza, 2006 Grant Park, Chicago Wayne Coyne Lollapalooza Giant bubble-2006-08-06.jpg
Coyne at Lollapalooza, 2006 Grant Park, Chicago

Coyne formed the Flaming Lips in 1983 with brother Mark singing lead, Michael Ivins on bass guitar, and Richard English on drums. Mark later left the band and Wayne assumed vocal duties. Wayne is the only constant member of the band since its founding. [6] According to allmusic.com Coyne "became the primary singer and songwriter" of the band. [7] According to an article in the September 16th, 1993 issue of Rolling Stone Mark and Wayne Coyne came up with the name "The Flaming Lips" as a reference to a rumor of a high school classmate who contracted genital herpes after receiving cunnilingus from a partner with active cold sores. Wayne remarked on this unsubstantiated claim:

When Mark and I were in, I think it was Junior Year in High School, there was a rumor about this girl who got herpes from this guy at a party. He went down on her with a cold sore. I don't think we knew the girl, and I'm not sure if she even existed, you know how kids just spread bullshit. But when we were thinking of band names one night over a pack of Schlitz and some left-handed cigarettes and remembered how we joked that they both had "Flaming Lips" and it just stuck. [8]

During large-crowd festival performances, Coyne makes his entrance by descending from an alien mother ship (a nod to Parliament-Funkadelic [9] ) in a bubble and floats across the audience. Coyne has also been known to pour fake blood down his face via a hidden tube during live shows. Coyne does this to pay homage to a famous picture of Miles Davis who, after a performance, had blood on his suit because a police officer had beaten him during the show.[ citation needed ]

Flaming Lips concerts also feature confetti cannons, lasers, laser pointers, images projected on to a screen, dozens of large balloons, a stage filled with dancers dressed as aliens, yetis, the gloves etc. [10] Before performing, Coyne can be seen helping the stage crew. Their performances have been likened to psychedelic experiences rather than simply music shows, a tradition that goes back to the band's formation. [3]

Experimental art

In 1996 and 1997, Coyne developed "The Parking Lot Experiments," where forty different tapes were distributed. The band instructed forty cars to start the tapes at the same time, resulting in a surround sound. Over 1,000 people gathered in a parking lot for this experiment.

The parking lot experiments led to the experimental album Zaireeka , which is made up of four stereo tracks, each on four different CDs. The four CDs are meant to be played simultaneously in order to hear the complete tracks. Coyne believes Zaireeka embraces "...a kind of anarchy in art. It was like an art happening – you have to bring four sound systems together. Sometimes you get great synchronicity; other times, it sounds haphazard. You get to hear music in a whole new way." [11]

At the New Year's Eve Freakout [ citation needed ] in Oklahoma City on January 1, 2010, Coyne instructed the audience to set their cell phone alarms for 12:55 a.m. When the alarms went off, the alarm sounds were drowned out by cheering. Coyne remarked that "someone has a loud fucking iPhone."

In October 2010, Coyne created a screen print using his own blood. The poster commemorated The Flaming Lips' appearance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It has a picture of a skull drawn in a Wes Wilson style. Coyne printed it using his blood collected in a vial. The frontman stated, "We thought it would be silly to use chicken blood or something, they don't need to sacrifice their vital fluids any more than I need to" [12]

In February 2017, Coyne debuted an art exhibit at the Waterloo Center for the Arts in Waterloo, Iowa called "Works by Wayne Coyne". The exhibit featured The King's Mouth, a 14-minute light attraction to enter and enjoy. [13]

Directorial debut

Coyne began making his science fiction film, Christmas on Mars , in 2001. It was a low budget project and principal photography was shot on a set in his backyard. The different parts of the spaceship set were built by Coyne. [3]

The film tells the story of the first Christmas on a colonized Mars. In the film, Coyne plays a super-being who is curious about a baby being born on Mars.

Christmas on Mars was shown for the first time at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in a circus tent. The Flaming Lips took the tent on tour, showing the movie after each performance. "The concept was to come up with another one of those midnight movies, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show that I went to see as a teenager, all toked up, before the days of cable." [11]

Other projects and appearances

Wayne Coyne in Brighton Centre, UK in 2003 Wayne Coyne Brighton Centre-2003-11-02.jpg
Wayne Coyne in Brighton Centre, UK in 2003

Personal life

Coyne lives on a compound of four houses in the same neighborhood in which he grew up. Each Halloween, Coyne dresses up to scare trick-or-treaters who come to his home. He feels that it is good to scare children, because when they grow older, there are things "that are horribly scary . . . you can't just run away from them or turn on a light and it runs away." [3] Though an atheist, Coyne states: "I wish I did believe in God. It would be a great relief to think, 'God'll take care of it. God'll put gas in the car tomorrow.'" [19]

In 2012 Coyne separated from his common-law wife, J. Michelle Martin-Coyne. In September 2013, Martin-Coyne filed for divorce on the grounds of "irreconcilable incompatibility." The two had no children together and disagree on how long they lived together (Martin-Coyne claiming since 1989, Coyne since 2004). [20]

Coyne began dating Katy Weaver in 2012. The two got engaged in September 2018 [21] and in November 2018 announced they were expecting their first child together. [22] They got married January 5, 2019, in downtown Oklahoma City. [23] In June 2019, Coyne and Weaver welcomed their first child, a son, named Bloom Bobby Coyne. On March 13, 2022, the Coynes announced the arrival of a second son named Rex Roses Coyne.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Flaming Lips</span> American rock band

The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Derek Brown, Matt Duckworth Kirksey and Tommy McKenzie (bass). Coyne and Drozd have remained the band's only consistent members since 1991, with Coyne being the only remaining founding member following the departure of bassist and keyboardist Michael Ivins in 2021.

<i>Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots</i> 2002 studio album by the Flaming Lips

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporating acoustic guitars and rhythms influenced by hip hop and top 40 music. The album was well-received critically and commercially, helping the band break into popularity, and was adapted into a musical in 2012. In 2022, the band announced a 20th anniversary box set version of the album and that they would perform the album in full twice in early 2023.

<i>Christmas on Mars</i> 2008 film by Wayne Coyne

Christmas on Mars is a 2008 independent psychological science fiction film from the alternative rock band the Flaming Lips, written and directed by the band's frontman, Wayne Coyne, and featuring the entire band in the cast, as well as many of their associates, including Steve Burns, Adam Goldberg, and Fred Armisen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Goldberg</span> American actor

Adam Goldberg is an American actor. Known for his supporting roles in film and television, Goldberg has appeared in films such as Dazed and Confused, Saving Private Ryan, A Beautiful Mind and Zodiac. He has also played leading roles in independent films such as The Hebrew Hammer and 2 Days in Paris. His TV appearances include the shows Law & Order: Criminal Intent, My Name Is Earl, Friends, Entourage, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Unusuals and his role as hitman Grady Numbers in the first season of Fargo. Since 2021 he has starred opposite Queen Latifah on CBS' The Equalizer.

<i>Embryonic</i> (album) 2009 studio album by the Flaming Lips

Embryonic is the twelfth studio album by experimental rock band the Flaming Lips released on October 13, 2009, on Warner Bros. The band's first double album, it was released to generally positive reviews and became their most successful album in the US, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Zaireeka</i> 1997 studio album by the Flaming Lips

Zaireeka is the eighth studio album by the American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on October 28, 1997, by Warner Bros. Records. It consists of four CDs designed so that when played simultaneously on four separate audio systems, they would produce a harmonic or juxtaposed sound; the discs could also be played in different combinations, omitting one, two or three discs. Each of its eight songs consists of four stereo tracks, one from each CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Ivins</span> Musical artist

Michael Lee Ivins is the former bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and founding member of The Flaming Lips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Drozd</span> American musician

Steven Gregory Drozd is an American musician. He is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the Flaming Lips, Electric Würms, and other projects.

<i>Clouds Taste Metallic</i> 1995 studio album by The Flaming Lips

Clouds Taste Metallic is the seventh studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on September 19, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. It was the last album to feature guitarist Ronald Jones. The album's recording is heavily featured in the Fearless Freaks documentary.

Fearless Freaks is a 2005 documentary directed by Bradley Beesley and edited by JoLynn Garnes, chronicling the alternative rock band The Flaming Lips. While the film features cameo appearances by such actors as Adam Goldberg and Christina Ricci, most of the screen time is taken up by interviews with the band members and their families interspersed with clips of the band's recording sessions and live performances. Wayne Coyne's mother and several of his brothers are prominently featured, as are members of Steven Drozd's family, while Michael Ivins' family receives comparatively little screen time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Realize??</span> 2002 single by the Flaming Lips

"Do You Realize??" is a song by the Flaming Lips, and was released as the first single from their 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. It is one of the group's most accessible and popular songs, having reached No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart. It was adopted as the Official Rock Song of Oklahoma from 2009 to April 2013 and was ranked No. 31 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of the 2000s. It is also the band's most popular live song, and has rarely been excluded from setlists since its inception into their live shows in 2002.

<i>20 Years of Weird: Flaming Lips 1986–2006</i> 2006 compilation album by The Flaming Lips

20 Years of Weird: Flaming Lips 1986–2006 is an updated version of the free compilation CD given away at the SXSW Film premier of The Flaming Lips documentary "The Fearless Freaks", a film by Bradley Beesley. It is a predominantly live compilation, recorded throughout the career of the Flaming Lips, though the first three tracks are recorded in the studio. These are: the introduction by Wayne Coyne, "Free Radicals" from the current album At War with the Mystics and "Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear", a previously unavailable track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kliph Scurlock</span> American drummer

Clifton Thomas "Kliph" Scurlock is an American musician. He was the drummer and percussionist for alternative rock band The Flaming Lips from 2002 to 2014.

Bradley Beesley is an American Independent film and video director, producer and cinematographer. Born in Oklahoma and based in Austin, Texas, he "has made a cinematic career documenting oddball Americana, strange sub-cultures and homegrown rock stars."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Race for the Prize</span> 1999 single by The Flaming Lips

"Race for the Prize", is a song by The Flaming Lips, released as the first single taken from their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin, and reaching #39 in the UK Singles Chart as the highest-charting single from the album. In 2010 Pitchfork Media included the song at number 30 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s. The song is also played live frequently, and is usually featured as a set opener for many of their concerts.

George E. Salisbury is a film and music video director and graphic designer based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

<i>The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends</i> 2012 studio album by the Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is the first album in the "Fwends" series by the American rock band the Flaming Lips in collaboration with a variety of guests.

<i>Innocents</i> (Moby album) 2013 studio album by Moby

Innocents is the eleventh studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released in October 2013 by record labels Little Idiot and Mute. The album features collaborations on seven of the album's twelve tracks.

<i>Strobo Trip</i> 2011 EP by The Flaming Lips

Strobo Trip - Light & Audio Phase Illusions Toy is a toy box containing a stroboscope light and a memory stick with three tracks of music composed by the band The Flaming Lips.

<i>American Head</i> 2020 studio album by the Flaming Lips

American Head is the sixteenth studio album by experimental rock band the Flaming Lips, released on September 11, 2020, on Warner Records in the US and Bella Union in the UK. Produced by Dave Fridmann and Scott Booker, alongside the band itself, the album represents a return to the band's American roots. It is the final studio album to feature founding bass guitarist Michael Ivins and keyboardist Jake Ingalls, who both departed from the band in 2021, as well as drummer Nicholas Ley who departed in 2023. It is subsequently the final album featuring the expanded seven person line-up of the group that began with 2017's Oczy Mlody.

References

  1. ↑ The Flaming Lips: 'We tried to give Prince some of our CDs. He gave ... https://www.independent.co.uk  › Culture › Music › Features Jul 17, 2019 - laughs Wayne Coyne when I ask him to describe the home state of The Flaming Lips. ... “This place has done so much for us,” he says. ... Born in 1961, Coyne was the second youngest child of a large, Irish Catholic family. ... My older brothers brought a lot of drugs, motorbikes and music into the house.
  2. ↑ Mervis, Scott (April 29, 2010). "Ex-'Burghers in the news: Michaels, MGMT, Flaming Lips". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 The Fearless Freaks. Dir. Beesely, Bradley. Perfs. Wayne Coyne. Shout Factory, 2005.
  4. 1 2 "The Colbert Report: THe Flaming Lips – Interview, August 16, 2012" . Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Wikipedia Files: The Flaming Lips on Chicago Public Radio Blog, July 20, 2009". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  6. ↑ Richardson, Mark (December 24, 2009). "Flaming Lips and Drugs as Metaphor". Flaming Lips' Zaireeka. Bloomsbury. ISBN   9781441111838 . Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  7. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Artist Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ Darzin, Daina (September 16, 1993). "Butthole Surfers, Stone Temple Pilots, Flaming Lips Invade New York". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  9. ↑ Joan Anderman, Globe Staff. . "The Flaming Lips: as honest as they are quirky: [THIRD Edition]. " Boston Globe [Boston, Mass.] Sep. 8, 2006, C.16.
  10. ↑ Jon Niccum. "Space Case: Wayne Coyne transports the Flaming Lips' extraterrestrial sounds back to Wakarusa." McClatchy – Tribune Business News June 6, 2008
  11. 1 2 Jonathan Takiff. . "All about the Flaming Lips, straight from the psychedelic mouth of Wayne Coyne. " McClatchy – Tribune Business News May 23, 2008
  12. ↑ Livemusic.fm
  13. ↑ "This Waterloo exhibit takes you inside one of rock's most prolific minds". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ James Montgomery (May 26, 2006). "Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne Delivers Bizarre High School Graduation Address". MTV.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2007.
  15. ↑ Archived September 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Minsker, Evan (March 13, 2013). "Watch: Wayne Coyne Stars in Extremely Weird Virgin Mobile Commercial". PitchforkMedia. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  17. ↑ "innocents - new album from moby - moby.com". moby.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  18. ↑ Edgar, Sean (July 16, 2013). "Flaming Lips Frontman Wayne Coyne Embraces the Absurd, Endearing in "The Sun is Sick" Comic". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  19. ↑ McCormick, Neil (March 23, 2006). "I'm 45 and I'm going insane". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
  20. ↑ "When Rock Stars Divorce: The Flaming Lips Posted: Tuesday". The Law Blog of Oklahoma. Law Firm of Oklahoma. May 6, 2014. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Wayne Coyne on Instagram". Instagram . September 24, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Wayne Coyne on Instagram". Instagram . November 12, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  23. ↑ Schatz, Lake (January 7, 2019). "The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne got married inside a giant plastic bubble". Consequence.net . Retrieved January 7, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.