Earlier this week, drummer Steven Drozd revealed that the Flaming Lips were done with him. An innocent post about his excitement for acquiring an Akai drum machine opened a can of worms regarding where Drozd stands with the band. “They’re done with me — but we’re not talking about it. So I’m moving on,” he said. Now, the Flaming Lips’ Matthew Duckworth Kirksey, who joined the band in 2014, has released a statement via Instagram in collaboration with the band’s own account.
In the statement, Kirksey talks about the hardship of chronic touring and how bummed he is about current online discourse of the band. “This idea that Steven was THE musical genius, and Wayne is just some weirdo artist… Its just not true. Wayne pushes the creativity, the sound, and the show forward, like no artist I’ve ever been around,” he wrote. “Being in The Lips is hard…” He also added that all that brutal, hard work is worth it in the end, and that he’s very excited for this new iteration of the live band.
Kirksey also shared that there’s new music coming soon from the Flaming Lips. “There is new music on the way and I think its the best thing we’ve done in ages. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Come see us this summer if you get a chance.”
Read it in full below.
Man… hard to read a lot of these comments. Being in a band, for a long time, that never really stops touring is hard. Some People can hack it for 5 years, some people can hack it for 25 years… A lot of great friends and better people have come and gone along the way. I still love them, and miss them, and some of them are my family. I just want to say… If you haven’t heard this newest iteration of the band, give us a shot. The music, and the show is better than ever. And remember… NONE of this ever happens without Wayne. This idea that Steven was THE musical genius, and Wayne is just some weirdo artist… Its just not true. Wayne pushes the creativity, the sound, and the show forward, like no artist I’ve ever been around. Being in The Lips is hard… I remember before I was in the band, I would see them rehearsing for hours and hours and think… man… thats brutal. But once you get to be a part of that vision… its fucking exhilarating. Its fucking FUN. Its Wayne’s drive to be great that makes it all possible. Always has, always will. Derek has been is this band for 16 years. I’ve been in it for 12 years. It’s our blood, sweat, and tears as well. We’ve given our whole selves to this thing… Because we love it, and believe in it. There is new music on the way and I think its the best thing we’ve done in ages. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Come see us this summer if you get a chance. Happy Holidays!
