Flaming Lips Draw Inspiration From Sonic Youth
Posted Jun 13th 2008 10:00AM by
Benjy Eisen
Filed under:
News,
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The
Flaming Lips are old-school
Sonic Youth fans from back in the day. "I can tell you for certain that the first time they played here in 1985 or 1986, Thurston Moore slept on our couch -- and he was too long for our couch," Lips' frontman Wayne Coyne tells Spinner from his home in Oklahoma. "I can't tell you how overjoyed we were as a band, when they came out -- that a group like Sonic Youth exists."
As we
reported recently, Sonic Youth released a new album this week, available exclusively at select Starbucks (or online at
www.starbucksentertainment.com). Titled 'Hits are for Squares,' the limited-edition CD is intended to serve as a greatest hits compilation. However since Sonic Youth was never the chart-topping kind of band, each "hit" was chosen by a different -- and invariably famous -- Sonic Youth fan. Participants include
Eddie Vedder,
Beck,
Radiohead, writer Dave Eggers and comedian David Cross.
Coyne tells Spinner that when the Flaming Lips were tapped to choose a track, they discussed 'Death Valley '69' and 'Unmade Bed' (which the Lips used to cover), before settling on 'Expressway to Yr Skull.'
"To have a group like Sonic Youth out there -- not only did they rock, but they were beautiful and they were intelligent and they were successful and all these great things," Coyne says. "And we thought, 'F---, if they can do it, why don't we do our own version of what we think is art and punk rock?' It gave us a lot of hope."