Michael Ivins: The Flaming Lips Unveiled
Awash in the splendor of the historic El Rey Theatre, my trusty photographer Eric and I awaited patiently for Michael Ivins, bass player extraordinaire of the Flaming Lips, to match wits with the Long Beach Union. Affable and insightful, Michael didn't blow off any of my stupid queries, opting instead to offer thoughtful, honest replies to a foolish fan-turned-inquisitor.
As much as I would have liked to go easy on him, we are the Union. We have a tradition to uphold. We ask the tough questions about fairy tales, Mr. T, and Tori Spelling.
Did an album like "The Soft Bulletin" seem possible when the Flaming Lips began?
Do you mean the very beginning?
Sure. (laughter)
No, I think it's like a lot of things we do where it's possible to wake up one day and say, "hey, let's do this," or even the stage show that we have, just wake up and say "oh, this is how we're going to do it," and sort of do it piece by piece. In the case of "The Soft Bulletin," twenty years later, sure. I don't think we could've conceived of it twenty years ago, but I think that even twenty years ago we probably wished we could make a record like "The Soft Bulletin" and just weren't capable of doing that.
In the past, the Flaming Lips had mixed melody with sonic anarchy, whereas on this album, the noise is about all gone. Was this a conscious decision, or did it happen that way?
I don't know, some of it, if you just listen to it, it's weird. Weird, noisy, maybe not loud guitars so much anymore, but there's still plenty of guitars. I think we've verged over into the "anarchy" things being, "hey, let's put bugs on the record as a rhythm track," or "let's distort the shit out of the drums and make them really loud," or something like that. Maybe it’s more focused.
Your live shows have been known to be pretty unorthodox, like the boom boxes and whatnot. Is there any temptation to just get back on stage with guitars and drums and rock?
Well, I don't think it was something that we loved so much, but had to turn our backs on it for some reason and now we're wishing for those days again. We're doing exactly what we want to do. I mean, we talked about coming out and having Steven play drums and hiring some other musicians or something, and the more we thought about it, the more we thought if it's going to be the Flaming Lips, and that's who you come to see, then it'll be the three of us here. And between Steven being on the video playing drums and on the tapes playing drums, well there he is. Because people will shout out, "hey, where's the drummer?" and he'll be sitting there playing piano saying "I'm right here, (laughter) I'm right here right in front of you playing the piano, or guitar, or steel guitar." I think in some ways this has freed us up to actually do more stuff that we're not locked into—“okay, here's the rhythm player, here's the bass player.”—I’ll actually play guitar on a couple of songs and keyboards on a song. So I think that this is the way that we've sort of arrived at. We've just sort of arrived at this way of doing things that I think really seems to work in an odd way.
So, when you were little, was there a particular fairy tale that scared the crap out of you?
You know what I saw when I was young? I don’t know why I saw it, but do you know that Salvador Dali movie? Aw, I can’t remember what it was called, it's such a really weird, surreal movie, but the one scene that everyone remembers is where a guy walks out on the balcony and looks up at the moon, and they cut to a close up of a woman’s face and take a razor… and then they cut a dead cow’s eye, but if you’re not ready for it, and I don’t even know if I was a teenager yet, and I don't know how I got to see this movie, but it gave me nightmares for the next couple years just because of the image. And I didn't know of Salvador Dali back then or anything weird and it was just freaky. It's not a fairy tale, but it scared the crap out of me! (laughter)
Do you really get your money for nothing and the chicks for free?
No, we work hard. So, I think we sure earn our money, and I'm married and very happy with my wife, so I've got all the chicks I need at home. (laughter)
Have you ever trashed your equipment?
I set my bass on fire once. I don't recommend it; I think I actually burned my hand up doing it. No, I don't think on purpose. We break stuff all the time, but not on purpose. Speakers blow up, shit's too loud.
Who's cooler: Shaft or Mr. T?
Gosh, it's been a long time since I've seen Shaft. (pause) I don't know, I think Shaft has the good theme song. It’s a much better theme song than “The A-Team” theme, so I probably have to go with Shaft.
What’s your take on the whole “boy-band” thing? Do bands like Backstreet Boys deserve to sell more records than the Flaming Lips?
I don't know if anyone deserves to sell any records, when it comes down to it. We don't sit there and go, “Aw, that sucks, I don't know why that's popular!" I mean, there's always been stuff that's been popular that, I don't know why it's popular, but gosh the kids seem to like it. I mean, can ten, twenty million people be wrong? I don't know.
They steal a lot of the screaming girls away from the Flaming Lips crowd.
Well, I don't know about that. If we went head to head, I'm sure we'd probably still be playing here and they'd be playing down, at the Staples Center. (chuckles)
Is there really only one way to rock?
No, we've found out there's a lot of ways to rock. It just depends on the timing, really, because sometimes I can rock out to Beethoven's 9th Symphony just as easily as 'Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog."
This is just for my own personal edification, but did Tori Spelling ever hit on you?
No. Which one's Tori Spelling? Oh, right, right. Did she replace someone? I think when we [played on "90210"]... Steven actually has the story where he went up to the new one, whoever she was and said, "hey, where's Tori Spelling?" And she said "what, I'm not good enough for you?" and stormed off. So, no, none of the cast hit on anyone.
What's your favorite part of being a Flaming Lip?
Making the records. I think that's really what we've come down to. We like to make records. I mean, we like to come out and do this sort of thing and try and put on trippy shows and all that stuff, but I think when we're in the studio we're the most happy.
What's the most important item to take on tour?
Well, I don't know. I think we, and me personally, since we're so hands-on and take care of so much stuff, like I take care of the finances and have become sort of the press liaison. I just bought a Palm Pilot, so I'd say my Palm Pilot is the most important thing right now. (laughter)
Who's more annoying on the tour bus: Wayne or Steven?
Actually, they're both fine. I mean not to be wishy-washy. Actually, I've tried to ask to drive because we don't actually take buses out when we're in America, and usually I just end up in the back, doing the books or figuring out our press schedule and I'll say, "hey, do you need a driver?" and it's just "no."
What's in your CD player right now (asked by my spunky ward, Eric)?
I just bought a Natalie Merchant CD with some good songs on it, and I've got some mp3's that I burned at home and made a tape out of with an ABC song on it and Tarkus [?] on it and some Bee Gees—just all, kinds of stuff.
Finally, if you could go back in time, would you have performed on "90210" or "Melrose Place?"
Oh, "90210." I mean, when they asked, it took three seconds. Even though I’d never really seen the show, it seemed that it was kind of the original show that started all of that stuff. I don't know who would have turned it down, but it just seemed so absurd that we would even have the chance to do it that of course we said yes.
By Casey Lombardo with Eric Villicana
Long Beach Union
Originally printed 4.10.00 in tandem with the Flaming Lips Concert Review
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