The truth of the matter, I feel obliged to relate, is that I was a fairly late-comer to the table reserved for Folks What Dig The Flaming Lips Somethin' Savage. I could yack on about how it was The Duke and The Duke alone who pushed She Don't Use Jelly in the direction of all that MTV rotation, but no, I'd be talking out my arsehole, and worse, probably using some sort of comedy accent nobody could ever hope to understand.
The horrible facts of the case are that, in the final analysis, it would appear that it took until well after the release and subsequent critical adoration of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots before I bothered to give them a second of my time. What happened was I picked up Yoshimi and the album that preceded it, The Soft Bulletin, on the very same day, and I have to say, man, it weren't no divine revelation flooding The Duke upon commencing the ol' press-play / sit-back, 1-2 combo.
I thought it was very smart, for sure. I imagined students probably dug the hell out of it. Intelligent, I mused, but that's enough of that.
The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi… were filed away, and who could even begin to imagine whether or not The Duke would ever reach for them ever again in the here or hereafter?
Until!
One day, one day when a fella was basking in the light of The Libertines, I got a curious craving in the midst of the gut-paste.
Mother of fuck, I announced to no one in particular, I simply must put on those records again, those records about Pink Bulletins or Soft Robots or whatever the hell. Something tells me these records are just about set for to blow The Duke's balls out the back of his head.
That right there, it would appear, is pretty much what occurred. Three weeks later I was still pickin' testicle out from behind my ears.
I can only assume that the period of hibernation, all those months spent curled up next to The Finger and The Fall in the CD cupboard, it had somehow rejuvenated these compact CD's. Some glorious metamorphism had taken place, this oh-so-clever "student music" had somehow, via means I can only assume to have included plenty voodoo and pixie-dust, become the most spellbinding, life-affirming music I had heard since back in the day when the girl with the eyes like fire used to lull me to sleep by singing softly bout sweets.
Article comments
1 - Lisa McKay
For the last month, this DVD has been sitting in the ever-expanding pile of to-be-devoured books and films that threatens to overtake my living room. I need to carve out some time this weekend to take this in. I love the Lips, and like you, Duke, I got to know them around the time that Yoshimi was released, and very shortly thereafter, I saw them in concert, and from that moment, I was hooked. Thanks for the review - if I needed a little push to remind me that this film requires my attention, you've provided it.
2 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Thanks Lisa! an i know what you mean about those oppressive piles of flicks and books and the like. I picked up stuff at least two years ago that i still haven't got round to seeing. Dogville, for example, i ain't laid eyes on since its been here.
but yes, you'll love this flick, i'd wager. It truly is gorgeous.