Look back on 40 years of OKC's own 'Fearless Freaks' The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are celebrating their 40th anniversary with two free shows in hometown Oklahoma City.
How did they get to where they are after four decades? Here's a quick look at some major events in the evolution of the band.
1983: Led by brothers Mark and Wayne Coyne, The Flaming Lips form in Oklahoma City.
1984: First EP, "The Flaming Lips," is released.
1985: Mark Coyne leaves the band.
1986: First full-length album, "Hear It Is," is released with Wayne Coyne on vocals.
1987: Second album, "Oh My Gawd!!!…The Flaming Lips," is released.
1989: Third album, "Telepathic Surgery," is released.
1990: Band signs with Warner Bros. Records.
1991: Fan Steven Drozd joins the lineup.
1992: Major-label debut "Hit to Death in the Future Head" released.
1993: Album "Transmissions from the Satellite Heart" released.
1994: Song "She Don't Use Jelly" charts after it's on "Beavis and Butt-Head."
1995: Album "Clouds Taste Metallic" released.
1997: Experimental four-CD album "Zaireeka" released.
The road to The Flaming Lips' Grammy wins
1999: Album "The Soft Bulletin" brings a mainstream breakthrough.
2002: Album "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" released to critical acclaim.
2003: Lips win their first Grammy, for best instrumental rock performance for "Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)."
2004: Coyne debuts his signature Space Bubble at the Coachella festival.
2005: Bradley Beesley's Lips documentary "The Fearless Freaks" premieres.
2006: Album "At War with the Mystics" is released and earns three Grammy nominations.
2006: Lips perform a fall concert at OKC's Zoo Amphitheatre.
2007: Lips win two Grammys, for best rock instrumental performance and best engineered album, non-classical.
2007: First live concert film, "UFOs at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City," released.
The Flaming Lips become OKC and Oklahoma landmarks
2007: Flaming Lips Alley dedicated in downtown OKC.
2007: Lips perform at Oklahoma Centennial Spectacular alongside Toby Keith, Vince Gill, Reba McEntire and more.
2008: Special edition "At War With The Mystics 5.1" nominated for Grammy for best surround sound album.
2008: Lips' DIY indie film "Christmas on Mars" premieres.
2009: Gov. Brad Henry names "Do You Realize??" Oklahoma's official state rock song.
2009: Fan Derek Brown starts supplementing the band's live lineup.
More: 40 years of weird: The unexpected love between The Flaming Lips and their hometown
2009: First double album "Embryonic" is released.
2009: Cover album "The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon" is released.
2010: Lips perform in concert with OKC Philharmonic.
2011: Lips set out to release at least one new song a month all year, including the "Gummy Song Skull" EP and "Gummy Song Fetus" EP.
2012: Album "The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends," featuring Kesha, Nick Cave and Erykah Badu, released for Record Store Day.
2012: Lips break Jay-Z's Guinness World Record for most live concerts in 24 hours by playing eight shows June 27-28.
2013: Album "The Terror" is released.
2013: Song "Sun Blows Up Today" featured in Hyundai Super Bowl commercial.
2015: Lips play "Saturday Night Live" with Miley Cyrus.
2017: Album "Oczy Mlody" is released.
2018: Lips share in a Tony Award nomination for their contribution to “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical."
2019: "King's Mouth," the companion album to Coyne's art installation, released for Record Store Day.
2019: First official live album, "The Soft Bulletin Recorded Live at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra," released.
2020: Album "American Head" released.
2020: In response to COVID-19, Lips play a series of socially distanced "Space Bubble Concerts" at OKC's Criterion.
2021: Bassist Michael Ivins leaves the Lips, leaving Coyne as the only original member.
2022: OKC Mayor David Holt unveils giant spin painting by Coyne and artist Damien Hirst inside OKC Convention Center.
2023: Lips embark on "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" 20th anniversary tour.
2024: Lips are working on a new music and planning two free summer concerts at OKC's Zoo Amphitheatre.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Timeline: 40 years of The Flaming Lips, Grammys and Oklahoma
