The Flaming Lips Respond to Steven Drozd’s Departure

The Flaming Lips, photo by Bryan Lasky

Last week, Steven Drozd shared in a since-deleted post that his long tenure in The Flaming Lips had come to an end. After 33 years as lead guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and a primary songwriter with frontman Wayne Coyne, Drozd disclosed on Threads, in response to a fan’s comment asking if he was “officially done with the FLips,” that “They’re done with me – but we’re not talking about it. So yes I’m moving on. Just keep it to yourself for now. OK?” As his unceremonious departure made waves over the weekend, The Flaming Lips’ drummer Matthew Duckworth Kirksey addressed the situation in a collaborative post with the band’s account.

Kirksey, who signed on with the neo-psychedelia outfit in 2014, wrote that it was “hard to read a lot of these comments” before speaking to the challenges of working with a band as restless as The Flaming Lips. “Being in a band, for a long time, that never really stops touring is hard. Some people can hack it for 5 years, some people can hack it for 25 years… A lot of great friends and better people have come and gone along the way. I still love them, and miss them, and some of them are family.”

The drummer countered the discourse more directly by correcting perceived misconceptions of the creative balance between Drozd and Coyne. “This idea that Steven was THE musical genius, and Wayne is just some weirdo artist… Its just not true. Wayne pushes the creativity, the sound, and the show forward, like no artist I’ve ever been around. […] Its Wayne’s drive to be great that makes it all possible. Always has, always will.” Looking forward, Kirksey encouraged fans to give the newest iteration of the band a shot, holding that “the music, and the show is better than ever” and forecasting that “There is new music on the way and I think it’s the best thing we’ve done in ages.”

Drozd joined The Flaming Lips in 1991, eight years after their formation, and has been a creative engine for the band in the three decades since, without any prior temporary breaks. His last show with the group was in October of last year, and for outings since, they’ve enlisted AJ Slaughter has served as touring guitarist. The artist’s departure follows those of co-founding bassist Michael Ivins and eight-year keyboardist Jake Ingalls in 2021, and neither Drozd nor Coyne has yet offered any official comment on the split.

Read Kirksey’s full post below. Find more information on The Flaming Lips and their upcoming tour dates at flaminglips.com.