No, this isn't the sub-title for the Final Crisis hardcover (though it definitely could be), its a song performed last night at the Pitchfork Music Festival by those fabulous fearless freaks, the Flaming Lips.
Aside from being a comic book fan, I'm pretty well-versed in independent and alternative music, so I go to the Pitchfork Festival every year. For those who don't know, the Pitchfork Music Festival takes place in Union Park in Chicago, IL, and for my money, is a much more pleasant and entertaining (not to mention affordable) experience than the bloated Lollapalooza. The bands are a little farther off the mainstream than those appearing at Lollapalooza, though there is some cross-over -- I would say that the bands that usually headline Pitchfork would be a mid-day/early evening slot at Lolla. This means Pitchfork can also spotlight a lot of relatively unknown, up-and-coming bands that you might not have heard of before.
I always enjoy the festival, but this year was special, because this year the headliner was my favorite band in the universe, the Flaming Lips! The Lips have been around a long time, and had a lot of different incarnations over the years, so their songs feature run the gamut from heavily distorted guitar riffing to spaced out beats and synths. The common thread, though, is positive energy and songs that really bring out a sense of joy, wonder, and adventure. Their music acknowledges that life can be tough and horrible, but that it can also be amazing and joyous, and that the positive energy we can create may just be enough to counter-act all the negativity out there. I guess it sounds a little hokey written out like that, but when you see their show, it can be a truly transcendent experience.
I guess its also not surprising that the Lips resonate with me as a fan of mainstream comics. I mean, superhero books have been mining the same ideas, including the battle between good and evil, for decades. Upon reflection, and while basking in the glow from last night's show, I've come up with five reasons why comics fans should love the Flaming Lips:
1. Comics have no shortage of fun, anthropomorphic animals. Neither do the Flaming Lips live performances, with randomly picked crowd members being chosen by the Lips crew to don furry animal costumes and dance on stage while the band does their thing.
2. The Flaming Lips have a song in their catalogue called "Waiting for Superman". Its depressing and uplifting at the same time - who among us doesn't wish that Superman could swoop in and save us? But in the end, we know that there are some things in life that really a
re too heavy for Superman too lift, and that we have to hold on as best we can and do it ourselves.3. They did a song cycle about a Japanese girl named Yoshimi who has to train hard to fight "evil-natured robots" who are "programmed to destroy us." But of course, one of the robots develops emotions and falls in love with Yoshimi. You can't tell me that wouldn't make an awesome comic.
4. Their music, and show, is truly cosmic in scope. From the heavy metaphysical themes I mentioned above, to more light songs like "Kim's Watermelon Gun" and "The Guy Who Got a Headache and Saved the World," they really are out there in a way most long-time comics readers can really relate to. Plus, they've been known to arrive at shows in a giant "spaceship" they constructed in their backyard - how cool is that?
5. They just rock.
One more comic-related thing to cap off my Lips post - if you've read Final Crisis, you know that Superman defeats Darkseid in the end with a song. That moment was my favorite of that entire book, and it really encapsulates the potential of what comics can be, and should be. Well, I think the song Superman sings should be whatever you personally want it to be - whatever music you think has the potential to break the Anti-Life Equation once and for all. For me, that song is "Do You Realize" by the Flaming Lips. If you don't check out any other song by them, check out that one - after all, it did save the Universe.
No comments:
Post a Comment