The Flaming Lips are an American rock band formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1983. After signing to Warner Brothers, they released their first record with Warner with “She Don’t Use Jelly” (1993). They then released The Soft Bulletin (1999), which was NME magazine’s Album of the Year, and later Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002). The group has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. They were placed on Q magazine’s list of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die” in 2002. (More from Wikipedia)
During the tributes to Glen Campbell at this year’s Grammy Awards and Academy Awards, it occurred to me that I am more of a country music fan than I usually let on to other people – or even to myself. Besides the June 2012 concert appearance by the Flaming Lips as part of their mini-tour to set the Guinness World Record for the largest number of concerts in a 24-hour period (and travelling by bus no less), the only live concerts that I have been to in the past four (maybe five) years are the “Queen of Rockabilly” Wanda Jackson in February 2013 and Glen Campbell in August 2011. The latter concert was at the IP Casino in Biloxi after he publicly acknowledged being afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease and was a warm-up concert for Glen Campbell’s Goodbye Tour, which extended from August 31, 2011 through November 30, 2012. Part of the intention of the Goodbye Tour was to help ease the social stigma associated with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
(February 2015)
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