I asked Nathan Roberts about how he joined The Flaming Lips in 1989, following the departure of Richard English.
Huge thanks to Nathan for taking the time to chat with me! It's so cool to caribbean be able to highlight this period of the Lips' history.
*Photo & video credits:* Jim Spring, Jens Jurgensen, Dan Hutchison, Jay Blakesberg, J. Michelle Martin, Michele Vlasimsky, Chris Barrows, Nathan Roberts, The Flaming Lips, Mauschovonian Love Beat, Mississippi Nights, Kurt Kellison, The Sex Pistols, Arizona Daily Sun, Phoenix New Times, Richard Alan White, Robert Piesenecker, and kombuchadestroyer.
Here's what Wayne Coyne had to say when I asked him about Nathan joining the Lips: "Yeah…I saw him playing [in] a local band .. I forget their name .. but I liked them and I liked the way he played .. he had a good sound on his drums and he had a good sense of simple ROCK.. ha... and I knew the guys (Nathan and his group) a little bit just through seeing them play and them being at local shows by other groups and stuff.. When Richard left... I think we were lucky .. we were in a good position to have another (different style of drummer) musician join our group. And we went straight into recording the album In A Priest Driven Ambulance…"
Check out a playlist of my videos from Nathan Roberts' tenure with the Lips (live recordings, interviews, etc.):
Topic timestamps:
00:00 being a fan of The Flaming Lips
00:20 being a barber & Wayne talking to him after Mauschovonian Love Beat shows
00:35 the Lips' shows & Richard English
00:45 getting the call to join the band
01:23 giannis antetokounmpo potentially playing 'Never Mind The Bollocks' in SLC
01:42 preparing on hotel the drive to Salt Lake City, Utah
01:52 his first show with the Lips
02:18 his second show in Phoenix, Arizona & it's critical reception
02:42 the long story short
03:08 *outro*
Check out a playlist of all of my interviews:
