The Flaming Lips will be celebrating 4/20 and Wayne Coyne’s new cannabis brand, Love Yer Brain, with a space bubble concert at The Criterion in Oklahoma City on April 20. In addition to the show and brand announcement, the band has also shared a new music video for “At The Movies On Qualludes,” which had been directed by Clark Duke.
“American Head, for me, is about nostalgia,” Duke said in a press statement. “For home, for childhood, for places and events and times you’ll never forget. I stumbled upon this lost, long-forgotten Super8 footage of my brother, Chandler, wandering the state of Arkansas circa 2005. When I watch this eerie, silent film, all I could think about was… The first time I heard American Head… the first time I made a music video for a band. My favorite band.”
The blue-tinted footage features Duke’s brother wandering around, stumbling into acoustic performances and grandmothers clapping in time with the music. Driving around in a ‘70s Volkswagon van, The Flaming Lips creates a crooning soundtrack that fits the adventures of the young hitchhiker. Carrying an old suitcase, he wanders down the highway as he sticks up his thumb and walks through creeks, reading books by a fire and occasionally being joined by a dog. Traversing through churches and graveyards, the slow track highlights the retro Americana aesthetic. The track itself includes whining guitar chords and psychedelic sounds, Coyne’s lyrics a soft whisper.
The performance on April 20 will see The Flaming Lips performing their album, American Head, in full for the first time. Tickets for the show will go on sale March 26 at 10 a.m. CT. Coyne’s new cannabis brand, Love Yer Brain, will also launch on April 20, and will be sponsoring the event. The brand will feature brain-shaped gummies that will be available at various Oklahoma dispensaries. The brand’s name references The Flaming Lips track “Love Yer Brain,” which had been released on their 1987 album OH MY GAWD.
The Flaming Lips have had a series of successful space bubble concerts over recent months. The band has managed to host numerous dates for their space bubbles concerts, which have so far all taken place at The Criterion in Oklahoma City. While inside the bubble, fans are not required to wear masks and are given a towel to clear off condensation and a sign that signals if they need help leaving the bubble to go the bathroom, or if it’s “too hot” and they need fresh air.
A test run of the space bubble concerts began in October, as the band shot music video for their other American Head single, “Assassins of Youth.” Prior to that, in June, The Flaming Lips had performed their single “Race for the Prize” with fans inside the space bubbles for Stephen Colbert. They announced series of space bubble “tour dates,” with tickets selling out in mere seconds. Due to rising COVID numbers, the band postponed their shows until March, adding several more dates due to popular demand.
Speaking to mxdwn about the space bubble concerts, Coyne said, “I mean, the main thing we focused on was how can we make it safe. We know the bubbles have this potential to be safe, but you still have to be in a line outside, you still have to get in the bubble, you have to get out of the bubble to go to the bathroom and all these practical things about it. As long as you’re in the bubble you’re safe, but how do you do all the other stuff?”
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