>> Wayne Coyne: You know we've always said that

as long as we can make more money being in the band

than we could, say, working at McDonald's or Target,

then we'll choose being in the band.

>> Jennifer Van Evra: Right.

>> Wayne Coyne: Only because that's what would be left for us if we weren't doing this.

That's the kind of skill level of any contribution to society that we would have.

Simply because we've spent our whole adult lives pursuing this.

>> [Music]

>> Wayne Coyne: I worked at this fast food restaurant in Oklahoma City, Long John Silver's.

Fried fish and french fries and stuff. I worked there for 11 years

from the time I was 16 to the time I was 27 or so.

I'd be working late at night and it was a reasonably bad area of town

and we got robbed a couple of times. Especially in the late 1970's

because the economy and everything really got horrible.

The first time we got robbed I was the only... I'm not saying this because I'm racist or anything

I'm just being pragmatic about it. I was the only white guy.

I was working with a bunch of black women. The guys who came in were black

and they were pissed off and they had biggest gun I've ever seen in my life.

Only because it's pointed at me did it seem so big. We all laid on the ground.

I thought, “fuck, this is… this is it. Here I am, I'm 17 and this is how it ends.”

“You’re just working one second and the next second you're laying on the ground”

“and some guy puts a bullet in your head.”

Obviously they robbed us and left and didn't kill me. But I remember the elation of just...

We all cried. We couldn't stop crying and laughing and jumping up and down.

We were celebrating like we had just won a million dollars.

The idea of we are alive and isn't it a fucking great thing? I think it changed me.

>> [MUSIC]

Wayne Coyne: I think the idea of sort of confronting this always present idea

that people around you are going to die or you're going to die or...

I think it makes living better, it really does.

To me, I hate this notion that I would ever forget of how temporary this whole thing is.

You know life is worth celebrating and worth living

even though we're all headed to the same hole at the end of the day.

Without sort of coming to terms with it you're not coming to terms with

some of the joys of life at the same time.

>> [MUSIC]

Wayne Coyne: I don’t know. I think somewhere along the way

music allows you to sing and talk and think about those things,

and it can be beautiful instead of being horrible.

I remember when my father was dying,

I remember listening to Bjork, and listening to John Coltrane, and these things,

and I don't know why but music has the power to transcend your physical being

and take you up just a little bit. Because music has a metaphysical quality

it gets up there in these things and it really makes your life beautiful.

>> [Music]

>> Wayne Coyne: It's the same thing for virtually every human that's ever going to be alive.

Things that make them sad are going to be love, loss of love, death, fear of isolation.

It's a really small little corner. So I think any time you sing about those

you're probably going to have a crowd that knows exactly what you're talking about.

But when you're sing about things that make you happy, which I like to do that as well,

you know, you never know if you're going to hit the mark.

That's why when I sing a song like She Don't Use Jelly,

people go, “oh that's crazy, what are you talking about.”

Even though they enjoy it, they don't understand it.

[Music: The Flaming Lips "Spoonful Weighs a Ton"]

Stuff like when I sing about the Spoonful Weighs a Ton

and people understand this is about death and meaning that you put into in your life.

They go, “oh, I know what you're talking about.”

>> [Music: The Flaming Lips “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton”]

>> Wayne Coyne: So when I go in there and I’m singing about things that seem to be personal,

they can be my own exact personal experience, yet if I'm doing the job right

I can make it seem like it's your story at the same time.

I'm not just simply pouring my guts out.

I'm pouring my guts out so they can feel like your guts at the same time.

>> [Music: Flaming Lips “Do You Realize”]

>> Jennifer Van Evra: Well I should let you go.

>> Wayne Coyne: All right, well thanks a bunch.

I'm sitting in the lobby where the elevators come out.

People have all been looking at me in my bare feet,

talking existential bullshit with you as they get in and out of the elevators.

>> Jennifer Van Evra: Hilarious. That was the odd ding I was hearing in the background.

>> Wayne Coyne: Yeah.

>> Jennifer Van Evra: Well thanks again and I really appreciate you taking out the time on a Saturday.

>> Wayne Coyne: Well I'm glad you called. Okay.

>> Jennifer Van Evra: Okay, cheers.

>> Wayne Coyne: Alright, bye.

>> Jennifer Van Evra: Bye.

>> [Music: Flaming Lips “Do You Realize”]

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