http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/15347856.htm
Lips' Drozd gives us the biz on State Fair
BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pioneer Press
Flaming Lips
Tonight's Grandstand performance by Oklahoma psychedelic popsters the Flaming Lips won't be the first time the band has played a state fair. And, most likely, it won't be the worst, either.
"I think our least favorite was opening for Candlebox, somewhere outside of Fresno (in 1994)," said the band's guitarist, Steven Drozd, followed by an audible shudder. "Some fair shows have been better than others."
But this summer, the Flaming Lips are purposefully mixing it up with tonight's Minnesota State Fair gig, the first of several that will see the band playing for the corndogs-and-mini-doughnuts crowd.
"This year more than ever, we're fortunate to be able to pick and choose what we do," Drozd said during a phone interview last week. "We wanted to play club shows, we wanted to play jam-band festivals. And when state fairs were proposed to us, we took them."
Here's what else Drozd had to say:
On what he expects the crowd to look like: "I think it'll be a lot of people who would come to see us anywhere. We've got people who have followed us for many, many years. But we're also getting, like, our sixth wind. We've got kids 18 and 19 years old buying our records now. And we have the five- and six-year-olds who are the children of our fans."
On the fairs of his youth: "I had the county fair. And it was magical — at least until I was 12 or 13. Then it was more fun to go and look for fights."
On how the band's infamous stage show has changed for the current tour: "I think we're more of a bad-a** rock band now, but there's still that Barnum and Bailey element, too. We've got more confetti, more smoke, cooler videos, more lights. (Lead singer) Wayne (Coyne) has a space bubble he gets into. Oh, and now instead of people dressed up as animals, we've got people in Santa Claus and alien suits."
On whether or not it's tough to play music surrounded by all that hubbub: "For a while I thought it was kind of distracting. But sometimes it is fun to play guitar while I'm being smothered in confetti. Smoke bombs are especially fun. I'm serious. It enhances your performance. And whether or not it's in front of 1,000 people or 10,000 people, I think it draws people in."
On what it's like to be immortalized in the new band biography "Staring at Sound," written by Chicago rock critic Jim DeRogatis: "Jim's always been a Lips champion. He spent a lot of time on it. I think the writing is very — colorful. There are a few facts that are wrong, but I'm glad it's out there. It is interesting to read someone else's version of your life. I just hope now that with the book and the documentary ('Fearless Freaks') people don't think our career is over and it's time to pack it all up."
On whether or not it's cool to play a state fair: "Well, with Sonic Youth and the Magic Numbers, it sounds like a hell of a state fair show. If I was 16, it could be a life changer. When Sonic Youth signed on, it sweetened the deal for us. You can slag us for playing a state fair, but you can't slag Sonic Youth, too."
Pop Music Critic Ross Raihala can be reached at
rraihala@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5553. Read more about the local music scene on his blog, "The Ross Who Knew Too Much," at blogs.twincities.com/ross.
Who: The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth and the Magic Numbers
When: 7:30 tonight
Where: Minnesota State Fairgrounds, 1625 N. Snelling Ave.
Tickets: $30
Call: 651-989-5151