Flaming Lips: Are they too communist for Oklahoma?

Throughout their 25-plus-year career, the Flaming Lips have donned spacesuits and animal costumes on stage. But a T-shirt bearing the symbol of the Communist Party may have been over the line, at least according to some Oklahoma politicians.

The Oklahoman reported earlier today that Michael Ivins' decision to wear a shirt emblazoned with the symbol of the sickle and hammer of the Communist Party (picture here) almost derailed an effort to name the band's "Do You Realize?" as the official state rock song. Approved by the Oklahoma Senate last month 46-0, the resolution was shot down by the Oklahoma House today.

Reports the Oklahoman:

Rep. Corey Holland, R-Marlow, debated against the resolution, saying he was bothered one of the band members wore a red T-shirt with a yellow sickle and hammer on it when The Flaming Lips came last month to the Capitol when results of an online voting contest showed their song to be the clear-cut winner. "I was really offended by that," Holland said.

Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, also spoke against the measure, saying the band has a reputation for using obscene language, recalling band members used offensive language several years ago when the city of Oklahoma City named an alley after the band.

"Their lips ought to be on fire," Reynolds said.

But Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry has apparently come to the band's rescue.

The paper has updated its story to note that Henry will "sign an executive order on Tuesday naming the Flaming Lips song as the official rock song." The Official Oklahoma Rock Song Advisory Panel organized the vote for the official state song, and the Lips' tune received more than 10,000 votes.

Henry said he will honor the vote of the people, and added that the Flaming Lips are "a truly iconic rock 'n' roll band" and "are proud ambassadors of their home state." Amen, governor, as a recount could have put the All-American Rejects against the Call and Leon Russell, and the results probably would not have been pretty. The Flaming Lips' "Do You Realize?" is pure pop romanticism, a mediation of life, love and death, and one that comes with a rather grand orchestration.

From a cubicle in Los Angeles, it's a worthy choice, even if the Flaming Lips are getting a bit ornery these days.

-- Todd Martens

Photo credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[DaveC]

Wow, only in redneck Oklahoma. Do the people in OK really care if he wears a shirt like that? Where's the freedom of speech?

[Tulsa guy]

This just makes OK look bad. Is voting on a State Rock Song more important than fixing these roads or getting the bums out of downtown Tulsa? And what do these republicans expect from a rock band? They got the award because of who they are and they shouldn't change to keep from offending someone.

[Oklahoma Joe]

Lips fans, please visit the site below and vote, apparently newsok wants a recount:
http://www.newsok.com/oklahoma-house-votes-down-flaming-lips-state-rock-song-do-you-realize/article/3363875

[Kent]

I'm not sure why any Oklahoman would be defending this band. They suck and I have been embarrassed that they are from my state since they came out. Yeah. It's Oklahoma. Don't try this crap in Oklahoma and it won't be an issue. Yes we are conservative and nothing the Flaming homos do will change that.

[Tom]

Thing is, not too many years ago we were on the verge of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The people that symbol represented and still represents would've gladly killed every one of us and very well may have if things had gone differently. For him to wear an obviously offensive t-shirt to the State Legislature is quite callous. Joseph Stalin and the USSR murdered millions upon millions of people. Actually they slaughtered many, many more people than Hitler and the Nazis...

So, yes, DaveC, the "rednecks" here in Oklahoma actually do care that he wore that shirt, as it represents the heartless murder of a conservatively estimated 20,000,000 people. Where's the respect?

[Abby]

Wow. As an Oklahoman, I have to laugh at this whole business. I was pleasantly surprised and quite amused when I heard our legislature was designating "Do You Realize" as our state rock song. Of course, I was also wondering why this was even on the agenda, seeing as how they're also hard at work making sure my doctor keeps careful records on why I'm having an abortion (after giving me an unnecessary ultrasound) and passing legislation that essential busts up my sister/mom/dad's teachers' union. But hey, we can't have commy rock stars run around and make us look bad, right?

[hammer&sickle]

Reynolds is afraid of a t-shirt? oooooooo

[theo]

"The people that symbol represented and still represents would've gladly killed every one of us and very well may have if things had gone differently."

Hey, that's exactly how I feel about the Confederate flag.

Most of the Russian people never felt the way you describe. Neither did Americans gladly want to kill every Soviet, aside from some bloodthirsty paranoiacs like Gen. Curtis LeMay.

I wonder how many Oklahomans would've gladly killed all the Commies? 50%? We'd better ban the Oklahoma flag, those people were murderous.

Time moves on, and symbols don't mean what they used to. Even so, wearing a Communist t-shirt for laffs isn't as cool as Michael Ivins thinks it is.

[LogicalUS]

The Soviets killed 5 times the number of humans as the Nazis but they are still adored by the Left.

Most of the icons revered by the Left turned out to have been traitors actually working for the KGB. So while the left swoons over the "rednecks" in Oklahoma, will someone please mourn the millions of innocents who died in the communist "utopia" laboring in freezing Siberia.

Communist = Nazis = Scum.

[Houghton]

Kudos to Governor Henry for approving the song anyway.

11,000 Oklahomans chose the song, and they should not have been punished because one perpetual adolescent (in this case, one of the band members) wore a symbol of horrific genocide and systemic destruction on his T-shirt as an ironically-hip fashion statement.

I'd also like to bring some clear-eyed rationality to this discussion.

I'm from Oklahoma, and I'd just ask everyone here a fairly simple question: Can also agree that it’s high time to stop treating communist symbols as cute? Can we knock it off with the "communism chic" schtick?

The hammer and sickle represents a boot stomping on collective humanity’s face. It represents Pitesti Prison, the disappearance of tank man in Tiananmen Square, the gulag archipelago, the torture of innocent Buddhist monks and nuns in Tibet, those summarily executed by Che Guevera in Cuba, the "Cultural Revolution" in China, the killing fields in Cambodia ... and on and on and on.

Tens of millions of innocents died at the hand of dehumanizing communist regimes (interestingly, the 20th century's decades of mayhem were predicted by the syphilitic Nietzsche, who wrote of "brotherhoods with the aim of the robbery and exploitation of the non-brothers" that would follow his vision of the future).

The hammer and sickle is a hateful symbol. Let’s have the moral courage to call it what it is. It should be every bit as repulsive to Americans as as a Confederate flag ... or a Nazi swastika.

That said, I’m glad the Lips’ song is the new official state rock song of Oklahoma! It’s a great song!

[amy lynn]

To The Confused Soul who wrote this drivel-

"Wow, only in redneck Oklahoma. Do the people in OK really care if he wears a shirt like that? Where's the freedom of speech?

Posted by: DaveC | April 23, 2009 at 07:02 PM"

Please do not address an entire state as if we had one mind - that just makes yours look small. I'd invite you to visit this amazing state and see our museums, our theater, our ballet, our symphony orchestra, our NBA team... give you the list of HUGE stars from here and list the awards they have racked up...

But I think we'll be happier without you here. This problem was resolved and yesterday was amazing! I was there. With my no-where-near red neck. Do you know that this is an OKLAHOMA band?! You just called Coyne and Co. rednecks by calling all of us that. Get educated.

[james]

oklahoma allways good for a laugh, they allways yell about famous people from there,. soon as they get famous they haul ass