It wasn't the first time that the notion had crossed my mind, and maybe it was the drugs talking. But when I standing in the first couple of rows of a thick and under washed crowd about an hour before the Flaming Lips were to take the stage at Bonnaroo 2007 it began, again. Under a humid June moon in the middle of Tennessee farm land, the crowd beamed with anticipation as band and crew members tested audio and visual equipment. It was this moment when I asked myself "what would be a cooler or more satisfying job than to work for the world's most magical band"?
I had first come up with the idea after watching Bradley Beesley's astounding documentary Fearless Freaks. In the movie there was a shot of the cross street in front what is referred to as the "Compound" or "Stately Wayne Manor" located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and home to band leader, Wayne Coyne. I thought it would be just as simple as walking up to the front door and saying to the homeowners; "Hello, my name is Tyler Rogers and I am hear to serve in the Army of the Flaming Lips". Well perhaps it was a "pipe" dream and wouldn't be that simple.
As the final tweaks were tweaked and all adjustments had been made, Wayne Coyne thought the crowd of several thousand, in which some including myself had been there already several hours, deserved a sound check. Due to scheduling conflicts that are often associated with large music festivals, the Lips were not allowed to play until the coveted midnight time slot. While nearby a massive but ignorant crowd had gathered see former reggae, turned pop-rock, turned pop-jazz, turned world conquering drama queens, turned worthless piece of shits, The Police play a tired set of tired songs. As the band ripped into a particularly vibrant and inspired rendition of Black Sabbath's 1970 anti-war epic "War Pigs", those devoted fans who skipped the all too bland experience of watching The Police were treated to a band that has after twenty plus years of touring, recording, and spreading joy around the world, has just begun to reach the level of notoriety they deserve.
Only recently had I abandoned my goals of working in film/ video realm of the entertainment industry, and taken up that of rock n' roll and the music industry. Music of all kinds has moved me ever since I first saw the movie Footloose and realized the power of music could have on the human psyche.
What was keeping me from moving to Oklahoma and enlisting in what could only be an exciting and challenging adventure? After spending an excess of post-graduate years wandering the Atlanta landscape looking for my niche, perhaps it was presenting itself in what I continue to refer to as "my rock n' roll" epiphany". So upon my return home from Bonnaroo, I was inspired to pursue this new avenue. I saw where the Lips only US date after Bonnaroo was at the Oklahoma Music Conference in Tulsa, commonly know as DFest. As the date of the festival approached, I noticed that included with my pass was an "Intimate Conversation with Wayne Coyne" as conducted by Flaming Lips manager Scott Booker. This was my opportunity if I ever had one.
Perhaps it was my t-shirt with the simple phrase "God Bless The Flaming Lips" written in rainbow foil, that let everyone there know I only had one purpose and that was joining the "Army". The Friday night set was a similar but altogether unique experience, as the Lips were playing in Tulsa for the first time since 1996. Seeing a Flaming Lips show is the equivalent of Having a Birthday, Christmas, and Graduation party all at the same time. As I laid down to rest in the front seat of my rental Dodge Dakota pickup, I thought "well here it is".
The next day during the "Intimate Conversation", myself and many others were allowed to ask questions of the two gentlemen. While chatting with Scott and Wayne after the afternoon's panel had ended and the crowd had thinned, I knew that I could learn a wealth of knowledge, experience, and understanding of not only the music industry but of life. I was then my intention to become an intern for the Flaming Lips and Scott's Business entity World's Fair.
The next thing I know I'm dining at the Loretta Lynn truck stop, buffet, and museum an hour and a half outside of Nashville. After three plates of sausage and pancakes and a commemorative Loretta Lynn pill box, I was Oklahoma bound.
