The Flaming Lips stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night for a trippy performance of “Mother I’ve Taken LSD.” Armed with eclectic hairdos and psychedelic visuals, the band likely freaked out a few parents who are unfamiliar with the band and unknowingly tuned in just in time for the American Head cut. Watch a replay of their set below.
Released around this time last year, American Head is arguably The Flaming Lips’ most fun album in quite a while, earning a spot on our best albums of 2020 list. In his A- review of the album, Consequence writer Tyler Clark said the record allowed frontman Wayne Coyne to relive his teenage years in Oklahoma and, in the process, “tackle the lure of nostalgia, the longing for escape, and the inevitability of aging and its effect on relationships with the fresh-eyed wonder of a man just awoken from a long, long slumber.”
The Flaming Lips have been on a tear lately with live shows, from their colorful sets at Riot Fest and Psycho Las Vegas to their homey TV performance on Kimmel and a handful of already iconic bubble shows. Hopefully you can see them perform “Mother I’ve Taken LSD” live in person when they hit the road in November for their lengthy world tour extending into 2022. Pick up some gummies from Coyne’s new cannabis edibles line and you’re good to go. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
Next month, The Flaming Lips will release Where the Viaduct Looms, their collaborative album with 13-year-old Nell Smith. It’s a collection of Nick Cave covers that Smith was lucky enough to record alongside the band after catching Coyne’s attention in the front row of several shows. They recorded the album remotely due to the pandemic, and it sounds like Smith couldn’t be happier about how it all panned out.