Flaming Lips Start Shooting New Film

Flaming Lips leader Wayne Coyne is working on the follow up to his 2008 film, 'Christmas On Mars.'

That film featured the band members in most of the lead roles, and was largely filmed in Coyne's back garden. It looks like the new, as-yet-untitled project will be more of the same.

Speaking to Billboard, he said, "My only goal was that I didn't have to build space station-looking sets every time I wanted to have someone say something, only because I built those sets myself every time we shot something for 'Christmas on Mars' over the seven years we took to make it. This one is set in someone's house and in a back yard and in a slaughterhouse; all those are available to me right here, so I don't have to build everything this time." House, yup. Back yard, yup. Slaughterhouse?


He added: "I'm gonna try to get real actors, too, celebrities to show up and have fun with us for a couple of nights. I'm in the process of begging Justin Timberlake to be part of it; if I'm lucky I'll be able to wear him down in another year."

British people with a long memory may remember Timberlake dressing up as a dolphin and playing bass with the band in a performance for the since extinct 'Top of the Pops' in 2003.

Talking about the seven-year gestation for the previous film, Coyne said: "I think everybody would be relieved if it all got done in six weeks and we could say, 'Look at that!' But because I get to do it with people I love and it's my art, I don't care how long it takes."

As work is only just beginning on both the film and soundtrack, there is little else to report at this time. As 'Christmas On Mars' featured Santa Claus committing suicide, to be replaced by a Martian, and a baby being born from a bubble, any speculation is bound to be wrong.

The Flaming Lips are on tour this spring and summer, calling in at these places:

Austin Music Hall, Austin, Texas (Mar. 12)
Hickory Street Stage/NX35, Denton, Texas (Mar. 13)
Charlottesville Pavillon, Charlottesville, Va. (Apr. 15)
Mid Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Apr. 17)
Barton Hall/Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. (Apr. 18)
Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, N.J. (Apr. 19)
The Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, Wisc. (Apr. 21)
Indiana University Auditorium, Bloomington, Ind. (Apr. 22)
Sandstone Amphitheatre, Kansas City, Kansas (Apr. 23)
SunFest, West Palm Beach, Fla. (Apr. 29)
The Hangout Music Festival, Gulf Shores, Ala. (May 15)
Tinsley Park/Free Press Fest, Houston, Texas (Jun. 6)
Bonnaroo Music Festival, Manchester, Tenn. (Jun. 11)
Nateva Music & Arts Festival, Oxford, Maine (Jul. 3)
Artpark, Lewiston, N.Y. (Jul. 22)
Central Park Summer stage, New York, N.Y. (Jul. 26)
Green Man Festival, Brecon Beacons, Wales (Aug. 21)
Bestival, Isle of Wight, England (Sep. 10 – 12)

The band will play a two sets at Bonnaroo. One will feature a full run through of the band's cover of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon,' along with Stardeath and White Dwarfs, who guested on the record.