| Wayne Coyne | |
|---|---|
 Wayne Coyne with the Lips, La Zona Rosa in Austin, Texas in September 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wayne Michael Coyne |
| Born | January 13 1961 |
| Origin | Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, actor, director |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1983- |
| Label(s) | Warner Bros. Records |
| Associated acts |
The Flaming Lips |
| Website | http://www.flaminglips.com |
Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961[1]) is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter for the band The Flaming Lips.
Contents |
Early History
Coyne grew up in Oklahoma City and still resides there. Relatively uninterested in school, Coyne preferred music, painting, and football to his assignments. His brothers, and other friends played in a backyard football team named the "Fearless Freaks."[2] He continued making art for many years, and designed many of the early graphics for The Flaming Lips himself (in recent times, he has also provided the artwork for both Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and At War with the Mystics). Coyne worked as a fry cook at a Long John Silver's restaurant for 11 years[3], and was awarded a special badge to honor his service.[4] Although he had been toying with an acoustic guitar since he was fourteen, it was this job which enabled him to purchase an electric guitar, a Les Paul, which he did after eight months of employment. Wayne was a senior in high school at the time.[5]
With the Flaming Lips
Coyne formed the Flaming Lips in 1983 with brother Mark singing lead and Michael Ivins on bass guitar. Mark later left the band, and Wayne assumed vocal duties. During large-crowd festival performances, Wayne makes his entrance by descending from space in a bubble, and floating across the audience to the stage. Coyne has also been known to pour fake blood down his face via a hidden tube during live shows, usually during the track "The Spark that Bled" which features lyrics about cutting yourself on the head without realizing it.
Other Projects/Appearances
Recently, he has dabbled in film making and screen writing, with his debut movie, Christmas on Mars, set to be released in March 2008.
- Bradley Beesley directed a 2005 film about Coyne and the Flaming Lips, The Fearless Freaks, which features much footage of Coyne's early life, as well as his narration about his experiences in the band.
- In 2003, Coyne provided lead vocals on The Golden Path by The Chemical Brothers. This track was released on the "Singles 93-03" album (CD1, Track 13).
- In 2005, Coyne recorded "Marching the Hate Machine (Into the Sun)" with the electronic-duo Thievery Corporation on their album The Cosmic Game.
- On May 24, 2006, a video of Coyne was shown at the graduation ceremony at his old high school, the Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In the video he spoke of not being a high school graduate, working at Long John Silver's, selling pot out of his apartment, and the value of life experience.[6]
- In 2006, Coyne appeared in a Swedish music program called 'Musikministeriet'[7] ('The Ministry Of Music'). He was featured in every episode, beginning and ending each one with a few eloquent words about that particular episode's theme, and his opinions about it.
- Coyne and The Flaming Lips guest starred in an episode of the television show Charmed.
References
- ^ All Music Guide entry
- ^ The Fearless Freaks by Bradley Beesley
- ^ Creating Our Own Happiness by Wayne Coyne
- ^ Rolling Stone Issue 1004/1005, "Okies From Outer Space" by Mark Binelli
- ^ Staring at Sound by Jim DeRogatis
- ^ James Montgomery (2006-05-26). Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne Delivers Bizarre High School Graduation Address. MTV.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ Musikministeriet info on SVT
External links
- Official bio from The Flaming Lips website
- IMDB on Fearless Freaks
- 2006 OKC Classen Commencement Speech Part 1 on YouTube
- 2006 OKC Classen Commencement Speech Part 2 on YouTube
- [1] on XKCD
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Coyne, Wayne |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Coyne, Wayne Michael |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter for the band The Flaming Lips |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 13, 1961 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
