Flaming Lips Court Naked Cyclists for Video Shoot

Posted on Sep 21st 2009 11:30AM by John D. Luerssen
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Thirty years after Queen's 'Fat Bottomed Girls' gave rock a glimpse at naked cycling, the Flaming Lips are primed to take the idea to a new level. Oklahoma's favorite sons will incorporate nude biking into a video shoot this week for the new track 'Watching the Planets' from the band's upcoming 'Embryonic' album.

Inspired by the musical 'Hair', frontman Wayne Coyne told Bike Portland of his group's plans to assemble a group of people to get naked and ride their bikes around a local mountain. He said, "You know how it's a bunch of freaked out naked people climbing some mountain with blood and fire and finding some new civilization there -- so I thought of Portland , right?"

Shooting gets underway in Oregon this Wednesday on Portland's Mount Tabor , with an unusual concept -- nothing new for the Lips. "I'm having one of my giant space bubbles covered in fake fox fur," Coyne explained. "It's going to look like some giant fur egg, and the people on bicycles are gonna sort of be born and erupt out of this fur, vaginalistic thing. Maybe I'll even get naked for the video, too. I don't even know how it ends -- maybe it ends with them all getting clothed and making me get naked and shoving me back into the giant fur egg. I just came up with that right now."

'Watching the Planets' will be the second clip from 'Embryonic', following 'I Can Be a Frog,' which premieres on MySpace tomorrow and features a cameo from Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O. For those interested in joining the Flaming Lips' 'Planet' video shoot, they can drop in on Wednesday, Sept. 23, between 10AM and 10PM. Gathering by the basketball courts at the top of Mount Tabor, interested parties should show up wearing clothes. More information can be had at bikeforthelips@gmail.com.