The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin

What happens when a punk band sheds its underground skin to emerge as Grammy-winning innovators? We explore this fascinating transformation with the Flaming Lips' album "The Soft Bulletin" and draw parallels to the legendary impact of "Pet Sounds" on the '90s music scene. Tim and I reflect on our personal journeys with the band's music, including a missed concert experience and an unforgettable rendition of "Oki from Muskogee" with Wayne Coyne. Join us as we pay homage to the Flaming Lips' creative process, introspective lyrics, and the soundscapes that continue to mesmerize fans across the globe.

Ever wondered how humor and emotional depth can coexist in music? We tackle this intriguing duality as we dissect tracks like "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" and "The Spark That Bled," drawing unexpected connections to legends like Led Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder. Our conversation is peppered with pop culture references, from Charlie Sheen to bizarre musical techniques, creating a tapestry of sound and storytelling that's as complex as the band itself. Expect a mix of laughter and musical insight as we celebrate the eclectic nature of the Flaming Lips' artistry.

And what about those non-hit tracks that often fly under the radar? We dive into the rich themes of change, nostalgia, and the metaphorical battles embedded in the album. With a playful nod to pop culture and the band's whimsical approach to music, we rank our favorite non-hits, with "The Spark That Bled" and "Race for the Prize" earning top honors. As we wrap up, we can't resist a light-hearted reference to "Sharks with Laser Beams," ensuring you leave with both a smile and a newfound appreciation for the Flaming Lips' enduring legacy.

Chapters

• 0:22 Exploring Flaming Lips' Album
• 13:19 Analyzing Flaming Lips' Album Themes
• 45:43 Ranking Flaming Lips Songs
• 59:28 Top Flaming Lips Album Discussions

Transcript

Speaker 2 0:22

all right, thank you for listening to greatest nonest Non-Hits. I'm Chris and playing a guitar riff from the song Race for the Prize from the Flaming Lips' the Soft Bulletin is my co-host, tim, and we're going to be listening to the whole album ranking all the non-hits at the end. This is a really interesting band, rock and roll hall of famers, oklahoma city, oklahoma, natives. Super creative and interesting career from my point of view.

Speaker 2 0:58

Growing up in the 80s, being in high school, graduating from high school in the late 80s If you had any music sensibility about you, you knew at least you know there was a band called the Flaming Lips who were in this underground, the punk scene. I think they toured with the Butthole Surfers and they were kind of edgy and they kind of made their way into fame in the late 80s, your early 90s. You know songs were in some movies and 90210, that kind of thing. And uh, you know they gradually evolved and this album was made in 1999 and uh, by this time it's uh, this is when they started winning Grammys and taking their music in a way different direction. So it's interesting for me that they came from, that was their origin and in 1999, this is where they're at and this is sort of considered at times, I think, from some people the pet sounds of the 90s because, of all, the experimentation with strings, with synthesizers, all these different types of techniques of detuning, the way you detune your instruments to get a unique, filled sound.

Speaker 2 2:22

They're experimenting with reverb. There's a lot of that you hear in this one um, and also like some introspective lyrics, uh, with race for the prize. I, from my reading, uh, this wayne coin, who's the uh lead singer? Um, you know his dad, uh, it was a, you know, you know, died of cancer in 97 and a lot of that was about, um, how there's a race for a cure for cancer and, uh, a lot of metaphors there. But anyway, um, it's all good stuff. Um, really, the more we listen to it, the more we like it.

Speaker 2 3:00

Um, I haven't listened to this one that much, maybe three or four times through and it hits me differently each time, but it kind of gets better and better. So hopefully I hope I have an epiphany. It was like okay, yeah, this is where I completely get these guys, because it's really not my forte. This stuff wasn't what I was sort of tuned into at that period of time. But, um, I think tim might tell you something similar. I mean, I think, uh, well, I'll let him speak for himself. Um, but you know he's got a lot of positive things to say. Yeah, at times it can be repetitive, sometimes it's uh, and then they bring you back in, kind of a thing. I think that's what you know tim was mentioning earlier. I agree, um, I don't, you know, completely love everything, you know, but uh, there's, there's a lot to be said for such uh creative and uh interesting, uh, song creating andpsychedelia. Psychedelic pop is the thing.

Speaker 2 4:06

Well, anyway, we've been working hard. We've got all the sound clips here. We're going to listen to it. It's going to be hilarious. We're going to have a good time. Tim's excited. I'm excited, we're aroused Not in that way, but you know what I'm talking about. We're digging this. We're going to kick it. We're going to kick it old school style, you mean like flaming, no, no, no, of course not. No, no, but anyway, we're all good. So that was beautiful. Tim, all right. And what else we got going on here? Tim, he's making his way up. He's adjusting his mic. He's like how now brown cow? How now brown cow? He's like he's gotta get, it's gotta get the tape, the chair, just right. He's putting on the headphones, he's, he's here he is how you doing.

Speaker 4 5:04

Oh, my gosh welcome all right.

Speaker 2 5:07

What do you think of this one man?

Speaker 4 5:10

yeah, my first experience with flaming lips was when I saw the string cheese instant and they were opening up at the patriot center or the one of these um smaller venues and okay, apparently I we were late and I missed the whole opening show, so I missed Flaming Lips live. I've never really seen them live, but he did come on later with Bill Nurshy and they played one of my now favorite songs of all time. They covered Oki from Muskogee.

Speaker 2 5:44

Oh, they did cover From Merle Haggard. Okay, that makes sense, and wayne went on a tear.

Speaker 4 5:49

He went on a verbal explanation of the song. It was like a 14 minute song where he explained the logic of merle haggard and the times of the draft cards and the and you know wayne is in the lsd and all that stuff. So did you learn?

Speaker 3 6:05

something from it. Yeah, I learned all about the song and Wayne.

Speaker 4 6:13

And it was a magical experience, just that song alone. Okay so the explanation made the song more worth it.

Speaker 2 6:21

Yeah, you heard it. Instead of just you know.

Speaker 4 6:24

Yeah, you have to have context. It's a fine song and obviously, merle, you know string cheese and and Wayne did a good rendition of it, but right on, it was definitely off the rails, so to speak. Yeah, most of Wayne's logic and and well, maybe it's off the rails or on the rails for him, he's cut to his own unique jib shape. I would say, yeah, jib shape, okay, yeah.

Speaker 2 7:02

You don't have to sit. The next couple plays out for that comment. That's all right, I'll give you a little something for that.

Speaker 2 7:05

He's a wild guy. Yeah, no, know, you don't have to sit the next couple of plays out for that, that's all right, I'll give you. I'll give you a little something. He's a wild guy. Yeah, no, I believe. Yeah, and I think they, they all kind of flirted with drugs and stuff like that. I think like draws to was, like didn't get all your hair, like. One of the songs is about spider bite song. That was a infection of his arm. We read, not from a spider bite though, yeah. So I mean there's some heaviness there, there's, you know, among other things, but it doesn't mean we can't have fun with the lips, are they?

Speaker 4 7:35

uh, you mean like?

Speaker 2 7:37

flaming or right, yes, well, there's also yeah, there's, oh, it would say so the name. How did the name come up? Like there's different theories, like because it's mentioned in some movies in the 50s and the 40s, um, but then they were like well, no, it would like. I think they had a rolling stone interview in 1993 where they said it was uh, it was like a story about the prom king and queen and not the prom king and queen, but you know, like popular kids, popular kids yeah, like one of them, you know, went down, you know, like you know, did the dirty deed down.

Speaker 2 8:09

Yeah, there, you know, and so steely dan was involved steely down. Yeah, it was like. It was like an eagle steely dan kind of a situation and uh. But for you know, two high school kids and they ended up like the joke was like, oh, now they both have flaming lips and so it kind of just stuck after that Perverted high school stuff. Yeah, so anyway.

Speaker 4 8:37

So wait, should we build up a little build up? No, no, no.

Speaker 2 8:42

We can, why not? You want to do it one more time? Well, at the end of this I'll play it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's do the build-up.

Speaker 1 8:58

This band is not signing the draft card All right, all right.

Speaker 2 9:06

Okay, here we go. This is the first race for the prize A hit. Okay, here we go. This is the first race for the prize.

Speaker 5 9:18

This is the only song that won't be in the running for the top three.

Speaker 2 9:46

It's the cancer thing.

Speaker 4 9:50

So determined. This is crowd favorite.

Speaker 5 9:58

They play it every show pretty much yeah.

Speaker 4 10:06

We're scientists, keep them in mind. Okay, yeah.

Speaker 2 10:19

Just humans.

Speaker 3 10:30

With wives and children, shout out to the scientists from the Simpsons, fink.

Speaker 2 10:37

Yeah yeah, fink is his last name, professor Fink, professor.

Speaker 3 10:42

Fink, here is an ordinary square. Whoa, whoa, slow down, egghead, I don't think he's got a wife and children.

Speaker 4 10:50

No, he doesn't, but he's a scientist.

Speaker 2 10:55

I just disagree with the premise or the stereotype. It's true, yeah.

Speaker 4 11:15

Stereotypes string and guitar at the same time. It's really good.

Speaker 6 11:25

I know the noodling light of my life, nothing of a gibberish they've got you saying it's sad and alarming.

Speaker 2 11:52

It is sad and alarming.

Speaker 4 11:54

Yeah, this is a touching song.

Speaker 5 11:59

It's a dance for his dad and yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 12:15

His voice is kind of like it kind of cracks a little bit, but in a good way right. I've heard, I've read comparisons to um neil young, but at least the style is Neil Youngish too.

Speaker 4 12:30

Yeah, he says we act like music is the biggest deal ever, but it's all soul-serving. None of it helps the world. Our generation never cared about these things. It's always about us. Like with cancer. We think someone's going to find the cure Not us, but someone and in fact it's never going to get done if we don't do it.

Analyzing Flaming Lips' Album Themes

Speaker 2 12:56

Yeah, I mean, I, I can, I can relate. My dad died of cancer 88, like right when I went to college, and yeah, they don't think I mean it's still there, no cure, and same thing in 97 for him and a bunch of other uh families who were in the same situation. That we've been in, kind of a thing.

Speaker 6 13:19

So cash grab, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 13:22

Off my soapbox.

Speaker 6 13:23

Another gibberish. They've got you saying it's sad and alarming.

Speaker 2 13:29

No, it's yeah no. Thanks for ending with that one. That was a good, nice little vignette. So this song.

Speaker 4 13:56

And though they were sad, it's definitely not punk.

Speaker 2 13:59

No, not at all. This is A Spoonful Weighs a Ton Lifted up the sun.

Speaker 5 14:08

A spoonful weighs, a ton, giving more than they had. The process had begun.

Speaker 2 14:24

Yeah, you've got to get past this voice.

Speaker 5 14:26

A million came from one Right. A million came from one. The limits now are none Right. This piece is called Lick my Love Pump.

Speaker 2 14:40

Yes, this is very Lick, my Love.

Speaker 4 14:44

Pump-y Drunk on their plan. Yeah, charlie Sheen, how you doing.

Speaker 7 14:53

I'm by winning. I win here and I win there. Now what?

Speaker 2 14:58

Nice placing. This is the cool part of the song. Is that a big bass or a synth?

Speaker 3 15:08

Oh my God, the whole goddamn thing went into a flip out. It did, it's flipping out.

Speaker 4 15:17

It's very proggy, it is proggy. Oh, mr Hand, he's got like a half falsetto going on.

Speaker 5 15:32

Privilege had been won.

Speaker 4 15:34

What is he talking about?

Speaker 7 15:52

Wow, what does that mean? Sounds Zeppelin-y.

Speaker 4 15:56

It's like Frank Sinatra in Zeppelin yeah.

Speaker 7 16:02

Oh my God, it's all my mom's fault. Shut up.

Speaker 4 16:07

Charlie, we got some. Charlie, we got some Professor Fink for you.

Speaker 2 16:13

Good pairing.

Speaker 1 16:20

You mean like flaming, don't go. Don't go. Heard louder than a gun Gunga galunga.

Speaker 5 16:36

The sound they made was loud.

Speaker 2 16:37

What kind of a gun is that? It's a gunga galunga. Fear and love. Yeah, I see the comparisons. This is Pet Sounds.

Speaker 5 16:59

Feel, feel, feel, feel, feel my heat, feel my heat. Yeah, All right, it's definitely cool. Let's lay it down.

Speaker 2 17:10

That was a Tim Pallet Cle. Thank you all. Right around the next song, uh, which is spark that bled, spark that bled.

Speaker 3 17:43

Nobody makes me bleed my own blood.

Speaker 5 17:48

I accidentally touched my head and noticed that I had been bleeding.

Speaker 2 18:01

What'd you do next For?

Speaker 5 18:04

how long I didn't know.

Speaker 4 18:09

Oh, I have a little phobia of blood.

Speaker 3 18:14

I have a phobia.

Speaker 2 18:18

You and Saul.

Speaker 3 18:24

Nobody makes me bleed my own blood.

Speaker 5 18:26

Nobody, nobody.

Speaker 2 18:38

The softest bullet ever shot. Nice harmony on shot.

Speaker 5 18:42

I'm in here with firearms. These babies can go off.

Speaker 4 18:48

Yeah, they do like a, they're going at like octaves, they're doing some legit barbershop like yeah quartet this, this part is like oh, this is cool, it's like the 70s back into, like. I like that wonder stuff like, or yellow, like with the strings, but this is definitely going to be in my top three. This is a good one.

Speaker 5 19:20

Yeah, I just completely overlooked this in the first several listen-throughs.

Speaker 4 19:26

Yeah, I'm going to keep the yes comment here, yeah.

Speaker 5 19:32

I like it. I stood up and I said hey, yeah, yeah, Familiar with firearms.

Speaker 2 19:48

Evil woman, that's baby making music.

Speaker 5 20:02

Drums are phenomenal. Baby making music. That's what that is.

Speaker 3 20:26

Oh, Work it, work it, baby.

Speaker 5 20:28

I said yeah, I spoke up and I said hey, I stood up and I said hey, yeah.

Speaker 4 20:47

Yeah, steven, steven's, his percussion is.

Speaker 6 20:53

That's right. That's percussionist, that's right, baby.

Speaker 5 21:11

Go go and it seemed to cause a chain reaction.

Speaker 4 21:16

That sounded like Neil Young right there.

Speaker 2 21:19

It just sounds like Zeppelin, like a country western.

Speaker 4 21:26

You know, he also kind of sounds like Shannon Hune a little bit. Yes, oh yeah, kind of sounds like Shannon Hune a little bit. Yes, blind Melon, oh yeah, some pretty guitar overlay here.

Speaker 2 21:48

Yeah, yeah, there's elements of superstition from Stevie Wonder and then trampled underfoot by Zeppelin.

Speaker 4 22:02

I hear that in the song and now it's like getting all Burt Bacharach.

Speaker 2 22:05

Yeah, it's sort of Boston, carpenters-y almost yeah.

Speaker 5 22:15

I believe in fairies.

Speaker 2 22:22

Yeah, this is the whole Pet Sounds comparison.

Speaker 7 22:27

I'm a shop rogger.

Speaker 2 22:28

Yeah, that's the fifth dimension, when the moon is in the seventh house, these guys opened up for the butthole surfers, the bleeding butthole surfers, yeah.

Speaker 7 23:01

It doesn't compare. They're all different realities. You know there's great things about both, but what I'm harnessing now is absolute, you know.

Speaker 2 23:12

All right, yeah, that's a nice palate cleanser. For the next song, here's the Spider-Wide song.

Speaker 7 23:28

Harnessing now is absolute, you know focus, Focus.

Speaker 4 23:36

There's lots of focus that went into this album.

Speaker 5 23:38

When you got that spider bite on your head.

Speaker 2 23:43

By the way, shout out to the runners.

Speaker 3 23:45

Oh yeah the race.

Speaker 2 23:48

Tea drinkers. The tea drinkers, we're drinking cinnamon and spice.

Speaker 4 23:53

Don't break up the band. Don't do that, yep.

Speaker 5 24:03

I'm going to take your brain out of your head and wash it.

Speaker 2 24:11

Hey, there's the heroin thing. That's starting to make sense.

Speaker 5 24:14

I was glad that it didn't destroy you. How sad that would be.

Speaker 4 24:22

Yeah, I'd be sad the drummer has to play this song about his heroin overdose or infection or whatever.

Speaker 5 24:34

It's kind of like ironic.

Speaker 2 24:35

He's sitting here yeah drumming to a song about himself.

Speaker 3 24:39

I have a phobia.

Speaker 2 24:44

He's like in the band still.

Speaker 5 24:50

That whole thing just really seemed too bizarre dodging calls and telephone calls through the dash.

Speaker 2 25:06

So it's like you know that part when you talk about me being like a total fucking loser. How about if I do a total fucking loser? How about if I do a brrrr-do-do-do-do?

Speaker 5 25:16

after that, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 25:22

Oh my God, Whoa that part's cool.

Speaker 5 25:32

Yeah, it's more that sounds.

Speaker 7 25:51

I'm bi-winning, so devoted.

Speaker 3 25:56

Completely swept off your feet. Love is shot, braga.

Speaker 4 26:05

Do you believe in fairies? This is a fairy song.

Speaker 5 26:09

Yeah, this is but the hope that it leaves in its absence. This is a fairy song. Yeah, this is, oh Wow.

Speaker 4 26:30

What is he talking about here?

Speaker 5 26:33

What is he talking about?

Speaker 4 26:34

here. Maybe it's like the love of our band too. It's not a romantic love, it's like a brotherly, sweet love, and he's devoted to his band. He uses his feet with the drum, you know, yeah, he loves the drum, he loves the drum you know he loves the drum.

Speaker 2 26:59

We love him playing the drum you know,

Speaker 3 27:00

Oh wow, ah, that feels better.

Speaker 5 27:10

All right, boo-hoo you had me, and then you lost me.

Speaker 3 27:12

Wow, ah, that feels better, all right.

Speaker 6 27:14

Boo-hoo, you had me and then you lost me, billy, all right, okay.

Speaker 2 27:18

Fair enough, Frank.

Speaker 4 27:23

It's getting buggy.

Speaker 2 27:25

A bit in a magical Christmas-y kind of a way.

Speaker 4 27:28

This is a good Christmas album actually. Really, this is kind of like Christmas music. It sounds Christmassy a little Some of it, and they've done Christmas albums before.

Speaker 2 27:48

So it's like Christmas about the heroin addict Christians.

Speaker 5 27:52

Yeah.

Speaker 2 27:53

After that wing of the faith, yeah, well, hey, I mean.

Speaker 5 28:00

Yeah.

Speaker 2 28:09

Yeah, it's called Bug.

Speaker 5 28:16

Yes, it's called Bug. Why are you going to the airport Flying somewhere? Who's playing keyboards? Keyboards, then I don't know, you can't see them. It's really Just saying let it out, give it some air man, play with it. Yeah, they buy.

Speaker 4 28:45

Yeah, they buy. I think it's Wayne or Michael, all of them played all the instruments. Yes, they all play all the instruments. That's the crazy part about this.

Speaker 5 28:56

Right. That's why I didn't say so-and-so's on this so-and-so's on that.

Speaker 2 29:01

Yeah, I think Michael Ivins is primarily bass, keyboards, backing vocals, engineering. Steve Draws is the drums primarily, but primarily plays guitar.

Speaker 4 29:13

I like the bass here and they remixed several songs from Peter Rockridge.

Speaker 5 29:18

I did a remix of a couple of them, yeah.

Speaker 2 29:53

But we're just going to listen to just the album that came out yeah, the horns yeah, light of my life fear and love.

Speaker 1 30:20

Fear is in the negative energy spectrum.

Speaker 2 30:22

Love is in the positive energy spectrum. All right, very nice. Oh, here's a little buzz buzz buzz, maybe, maybe, maybe. I wanted to do that clip, so okay, this next song. What is light?

Speaker 3 30:37

I'm gonna show you the light shout out to fat camp.

Speaker 2 30:51

What is the light?

Speaker 3 31:00

That you have Light of my life.

Speaker 2 31:09

Oh okay, Sorry about that that was a little abrupt All around you.

Speaker 4 31:21

Is it chemically derived? That's sad Chemicals.

Speaker 6 31:27

Another gibberish. They've got you saying it's called.

Speaker 5 31:34

It's natural.

Speaker 2 31:50

These are some clever metaphors. It's tolerable, it's tolerable, it is tolerable. This is a good one.

Speaker 4 32:01

It has potential.

Speaker 2 32:09

That's kind of cool. That's kind of cool. This is more. This feels like.

Speaker 4 32:17

It's like an anthem yeah, or at least this one's falling flat for me a little bit. Me too. Drummers are good, good drummer, good drummer. It's okay, it's just holding tempo here.

Speaker 2 32:45

It is.

Speaker 4 32:49

Yeah, it's holding tempo. Saul, how are you doing on this one? And my feelings are hurt. What Saul? What? What's going on Saul? We didn't really ask him to be on this one, yeah.

Speaker 2 33:00

Well, let's hear from Alice, from Eyes Wide Shut. What does she think of it? It's too hard. Okay, guys, is this going to be a dream? No, no, this is not a dream. It's too awful. Okay, guys, it's only a dream. No, no, this is not a dream. This is it's only a dream, hey, tom.

Speaker 3 33:26

Are they ill-tempered? Absolutely, it's too awful. Are they ill-tempered, perhaps?

Speaker 2 34:15

It's too awful. What is the light that you have Shining all around you? I hope we have a palate cleanser for this one. I think I need it. Okay, I think this next one. All right, that was what is the light. All right, no palate cleanser, we're going to the observer. All right, I think this one's just like an instrumental. This is 2001 space odyssey kind of a build-up. Ah, feel much better. Thank you dave.

Speaker 3 35:05

Thank you, dave. Ah, that feels, that feels better. Well, I don't think you understand something, dave. I don't, I don't want this stuff. Affirmative Dave. I read you Open the pod bay doors, val. I'm sorry, dave, I'm afraid.

Speaker 2 35:56

I can't do that, just saying let it out, give it some air, man.

Speaker 7 36:25

Play with it labels on it. They could figure all this stuff out.

Speaker 3 36:28

They can try to like normalize it normalize it boring stupid, you know, and all that shit is fucking bullshit.

Speaker 2 36:31

All that shit yeah, just like waiting for k Carpenter to start singing Like Lou Rawls.

Speaker 4 36:52

This is some Soul Train, outro stuff.

Speaker 1 37:00

Very what? Or the Dally?

Speaker 2 37:05

Lana himself, gunga, gunga, gunga or the Dalai Lama himself.

Speaker 4 37:12

I wonder how the spider bite's doing here.

Speaker 5 37:17

Oh, you know what this means, you little spider baby.

Speaker 4 37:28

Kramer, how do you like this one? It's tolerable. This is a great palate cleanser.

Speaker 2 37:44

This is like the palate cleanser of the album. Yeah, I mean, if you put it in perspective.

Speaker 4 37:47

Yeah, it is. It's the shaved ginger inside of your Next to your wasabi here. Yeah, I mean, it's a refresher. Yeah, it is, it's the shaved, uh, the shaved ginger side of your next year was Sabi here?

Speaker 2 37:55

Yeah, this is a long way from this. Let's remind ourselves that we used to be opening up for the butthole surfers. So this is very uh, butthole surfer, it's only a dream. I agree, tom.

Speaker 1 38:15

That's some heavy shit man.

Speaker 2 38:18

Tell me about it, cheech. There is nothing more to be added to it.

Speaker 4 38:50

Yes, thank you to it. Yes, thank you Osho. Yeah, osho likes that one.

Speaker 2 38:55

I like the two. It's all right. This is Waiting for a Superman, I think it's just. This was released as a single. Is it getting heavy? But then I realized Is it getting heavy? Pretty hot and heavy.

Speaker 3 39:41

Hot and heavy. I thought it was all ready.

Speaker 1 39:50

As heavy as can be. That's some heavy shit, man.

Speaker 5 40:09

How are you going to the airport, flying somewhere?

Speaker 4 40:22

It's so heavy. Well, I thought it was all ready, as heavy as can be.

Speaker 5 40:44

Tell everybody Way down was Superman. Everybody Waited For Superman that they should try to Hold on Best they can.

Speaker 2 41:06

He hasn't dropped them, forgot them.

Speaker 5 41:14

I don't have anything to say about this song? I don't know.

Speaker 2 41:23

I just feel like dropping. Maybe this is a good time for sponsors. Happy Fun.

Speaker 7 41:31

Ball. Happy Fun Ball Still legal in 16 states. It's happy, it's fun. It's Happy Fun Ball.

Speaker 2 41:43

Let's do another sponsor Some, laura Liddy, I'm going to hatch it.

Speaker 3 41:50

Why don't you let me fix you some of this new low-cocoa drink?

Speaker 7 41:53

All-natural cocoa beans from the upper slopes of Mount Nicaragua, no artificial sweeteners.

Speaker 4 42:05

Shouts to the weightlifters out there, yeah shouts. Super guys, guys, super women, super men and women out there.

Speaker 5 42:17

You can do it.

Speaker 4 42:24

Pump that iron One more set, drop down and give me 40. You can do it. I haven't done my planks today. I need to do some planking, just to tone it up.

Speaker 2 42:46

Shout out to the plankers Ten more seconds.

Speaker 3 43:02

Hot and heavy.

Speaker 2 43:04

Hot and heavy Shout out to the Seinfeld Watchers. Okay, superman, waiting for Superman. This one, what do we call this one?

Speaker 3 43:28

Suddenly Everything has Changed.

Speaker 5 43:30

A little noodling, put in all the vegetables away. Okay, vegetables you fought at the grocery store today.

Speaker 2 43:45

I did that earlier today. Yeah, the song is connecting with me your vegetable drawer. I've been waiting for somebody to write a song about this.

Speaker 5 43:56

What the fuck is he talking about?

Speaker 2 43:58

Hey man, when you're putting groceries away, yeah, shit from the past comes up. I get it. Yeah, it's like, how did I get here? It's like Talking heads and shit. Who grew these vegetables? How did I get here? How did I get in this kitchen? How do you get this point where putting all these vegetables away, it goes fast. I'm putting the groceries, the vegetables away.

Speaker 4 44:26

All of a sudden they're just getting eaten and you gotta buy more Kind of a thing with vegetables.

Speaker 3 44:32

I have a phobia.

Speaker 2 44:35

Yeah, nobody needs them. Are people eating them? I am?

Speaker 4 44:39

They're tolerable. It's tolerable. Put some butter and cheddar on it.

Speaker 2 44:45

Yeah, I could dress it up a little Sparingly though. Yeah, I think, yeah, I could dress it up a little Sparingly though.

Speaker 4 44:51

Yeah, exactly, we got some Donnie Darko shit going on here. Yeah, driving home, the sky is accelerating, uh-oh yeah.

Speaker 5 45:16

Oh, that you're now can be. Well, I consider the past.

Speaker 2 45:19

Yeah, this is Beach Boys and the Beatles. Oh man Finkle.

Ranking Flaming Lips Songs

Speaker 3 45:31

Here is an ordinary square. Whoa, whoa, slow down egghead. What, yeah, it's absolutely Three-dimensional object, known as a cube or a frinkahedron in honor of its discoverer. Hey, hey.

Speaker 5 45:45

Everything has changed.

Speaker 6 45:54

Boo hoo, you had me and then you lost me, billy.

Speaker 2 45:59

You tell him Frank.

Speaker 4 46:16

And my now can be your now and my past can be your past. Is this falling flat? I'm kind of digging this, I'm kind of liking it what. Something's stalling out. Yeah, now you're doing laundry, right Getting this little bass line going yeah. I like this one. Yeah, I like this one.

Speaker 2 46:54

Yeah, I mean, you're folding clothes one day and you look around and you're just like something, everything's changed. Now is every bit as valid as Okay, that was From vegetables to that. Okay, that was From vegetables. To that. This is called the Gash Okay, this is this. One goes to 11.

Speaker 3 47:25

Nobody makes me bleed my own blood Nobody.

Speaker 5 47:32

Looks like a harp.

Speaker 2 47:42

Piano Guns N' Roses November.

Speaker 6 47:53

I need an adult.

Speaker 2 47:55

Chris Gritt, aka Set 3. I like how there's these little sounds in the background Da-na-na-na-na.

Speaker 4 48:24

The editing is very psychedelic in this.

Speaker 2 48:33

Yeah, it's a major raga, like a choir, like choir raga.

Speaker 5 48:51

Yeah, are the others On the gas that's still going, cause I feel like the real reason that you're quitting and admitting that you lost All the world will battle.

Speaker 1 49:18

Will the fight for our sanity Be the fight of our lives? Well, I'll tell you, stu, I did battle some humongous waves, the reasons that we thought that we had.

Speaker 2 49:42

Still the battle that we're in. Yeah, I feel like this kind of follows, like a theme. It seems Still the battle. I take head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes okay, knees and toes.

Speaker 3 50:10

Okay, you can have those. I'm standing at your broken steel until battle's on.

Speaker 1 50:31

Battle's on, battles on. Well, I'll tell you Stu I did battle some humongous waves.

Speaker 4 50:46

Whoa, it's a battle, you know.

Speaker 6 50:49

getting bread, getting lots of bread that's the guy who sidelined jimmy what? That's the guy who took the bread out of jimmy's mouth that's jimmy battling whoa, I got here bill bill you want to add?

Speaker 1 51:21

on this one done, done, done, done, done, done, done done.

Speaker 5 51:30

Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. Don't ever want to fear For even a second Without it Don't ever want to fear.

Speaker 1 52:09

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no.

Speaker 5 52:19

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no no.

Speaker 4 52:34

It's just impossible. Oh to realize we got Bill Bill from Stripes on the back Dun dun, dun, dun dun. Post post.

Speaker 1 52:44

Editing Dun dun, dun, dun dun.

Speaker 4 52:51

Do you disintegrate when you join the army?

Speaker 5 53:09

I guess.

Speaker 6 53:12

Oh, this is uplifting. I'm feeling your soul. It's a drop on you with my disintegrating pistol. I'm feeling your soul. I'm feeling your soul.

Speaker 1 53:47

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Speaker 5 54:05

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You want to take your brain out of your head and wash it in a squirt. That will make a clue.

Speaker 6 54:19

Pronto.

Speaker 7 54:36

Wow, what does that mean?

Speaker 2 54:40

He did disintegrate. Speaking of disintegrators Charlie Sheen.

Speaker 1 54:46

You mean like flaming, or I've barely seen him.

Speaker 7 54:53

You mean like flaming, or it doesn't compare. They're all different realities. You know, there's great things about both, but what I'm harnessing now is absolute, you know.

Speaker 5 55:06

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 7 55:27

Fear and love. Corner L oh my God, it's all my mom's fault. Shut up.

Speaker 5 55:34

This place is cold. I lit my lap up.

Speaker 2 55:39

It's been a hard race too.

Speaker 3 55:40

I'll let you be obvious to even the most dim-witted big wolf who holds an advanced degree in hyperbolic topology I'm bleeding.

Speaker 4 55:48

Wayne Coyne thinks of himself as a scientist actually.

Speaker 2 55:55

He does yeah.

Speaker 4 55:57

In what way? Well, a scientist has to be good. They can't just produce crap. You know he's a sound scientist. Oh, so he's questioning science. Yeah, he's done a lot of experiments, okay, yeah, a sound scientist of sorts. Oh so he's questioning science? Yeah, he's done a lot of experiments.

Speaker 7 56:14

I'm by winning. I win here and I win there. Now what?

Speaker 2 56:18

Yeah, exactly, that was good Bart.

Speaker 3 56:22

And my feelings are hurt.

Speaker 2 56:24

Okay, maybe not All right, so this next one is going to be this is the last song which is what's this called sleeping on the road the roof, roof, yeah it's only a dream I don't even think it's lyricless, it's another. Uh, oh, yeah. So yeah, why don't we just get into our top three? Okay, listen to this, we're gonna make this not in our top three. Okay, listen to this, we're gonna make this not in our top three. Yeah, this is.

Speaker 4 56:52

I do like this. It's sort of a moody track yeah, it's bad. It's got a lot for it and going for it and it's an experiment on itself and it's beautiful. Uh, yes, but there's other good composers here, yeah. My number three. I'm going to go Feel Yourself Disintegrate. I really did like that one. It was good. It's sort of a downer ambient track and I love the ambient stuff. So I'm going Feeling Yourself Disintegrate. What about you?

Speaker 2 57:30

Number three. Okay, I'm going to say the Gash is my number three. Oh yeah, I just thought it was very experimental. Yeah, it was like really more the music and how they just whipped out all the different instruments and it sounded something that would be on pet sounds. That was cool. So I like that.

Speaker 4 57:53

that was my number three yeah, um, okay, let's do that. Um, I'm gonna go theerver for number two. I needed something that was a little more light and something that can be just played in the background. I really like music like that, yeah, and I think that could be lumped into some of my more ambient soundtracks playlists of sorts. That's fair, yeah, so I'd listen to that one a lot, just walking around the house.

Speaker 2 58:33

It could be good mood music while you just chat with your friends in the background music at a party.

Speaker 4 58:40

Furniture, music, lounging.

Speaker 2 58:46

You can hear in the background. This is getting really cool. This is a good song for background Like this is a good background song too.

Speaker 4 58:52

Yeah, this is again a little bit nod to Space, odyssey-esque Right.

Speaker 2 58:59

What was the song that went into that really heavy bass? Spoonful Weighs a Ton. Yeah, spoonful Weighs a Ton is my number two.

Top Flaming Lips Album Discussions

Speaker 4 59:09

Yes, yeah, that's a great song, yeah. With a really low organ note yeah. Okay, that is a great song. Yeah yeah, Honorable mention for that one and I'm going to go my number one, the Spark that Bled. I think that has everything about the Flaming Lips that's good and their new sound that they're trying to experiment with, and it came off masterfully.

Speaker 2 59:40

I agree, that was my number one as well.

Speaker 4 59:42

The Spark that Bled.

Speaker 1 59:43

Yeah, it was awesome.

Speaker 2 59:45

It rocked, and I thought it was the best. I mean, Waiting for the Prize is a good song too. It's between those two. Number one and number three are the standouts for me.

Speaker 4 59:57

Race for the Prize. Yeah, yeah, I mean, that's a hit, I mean it was a good hit.

Speaker 2 1:00:00

It's a great song, but the spark that bled was yeah, yeah, race for the Prize probably would be my favorite on the album for the prize probably would be my favorite on the album. Yeah, even though it's the, the commercial hit, I guess yeah, but you know it was good for a reason you know it's out there for a reason so for sure, great album great album, great album, good times. Any last thoughts, uh?

Speaker 4 1:00:24

yeah, any last sound clips. Well, we gotta.

Speaker 2 1:00:27

I mean, let's do a thing where we like, leave on a sound clip yeah or we'll just say see you later, folks. I mean, tim is gonna do this one, I'll do it next week, we'll alternate.

Speaker 4 1:00:39

Let's get it all cued up, you know there was a song that reminded us of James Bond that we missed. I forget it might have been a song. Yeah, the song that reminded us of a James Bond song, was it the Observer? I thought.

Speaker 2 1:00:53

The Observer yes.

Speaker 4 1:00:55

So, in the honor of the Observer being up there on our list. Sharks with Laser Beams.

Speaker 3 1:01:01

Are they ill-tempered?

Speaker 2 1:01:03

Absolutely.

Speaker 3 1:01:03

That's a start.

Speaker 2 1:01:05

All right, good night, take care.