The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin - Pitchfork Classic

The Flaming Lips offer an oral history of The Soft Bulletin, with intimate interviews examining the stories behind this modern classic. Directed by RJ Bentler and Produced in Association w/ Vans.

Directed By RJ Bentler
Produced By Mark Richardson & Michael Garber
Co-Produced By Eavvon O'Neal
Edited By Michael Garber
Camera By RJ Bentler, Mark Zemel & Michael Garber
Motion Graphics By Stephen McNally
Mix By Jeff Curtin
Rights And Clearances By Julie Knapp
Production Assistants - Nick Bedo, Tessa Greenberg, Jenna Archambault, John Strong, Kristen Vazquez, Cody Watson
Special Thanks To Scott Booker, Wayne Coyne, Steven Drozd, Michael Ivins, Dave Fridmann, Mary Fridmann, Michelle Martin-Coyne, Evan Purchell, The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma

Archival Materials Provided by The Flaming Lips, Michelle Martin-Coyne, The Fearless Freaks Directed By Bradley Beesley, Scott Booker, Dave and Mary Fridmann, George Salisbury, Warner Brothers Records

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[shayneoneill]

The drum sound on this album is what catches my ear the most. Its just big and bombastic and alive. For this album, its just perfect, because its an album thats about being alive, warts and glory and all.

[davidcarver]

this album got me through the worst time of my life, thank you Flaming Lips, You kept me alive

[HarrimanExit]

Such a bad ass trick to slightly detune a few keyboards from one another to mimic orchestration.

[pillettadoinswartsh]

The entire album. Headphones. Listen on headphones. LOUD.

Life-changing.

[threeminuteshate]

I have a friend that I met because I overheard him talking about The Soft Bulletin at a bar. I instantly horned in and in a few minutes the person he was originally talking to had gone on and he and I were animatedly exclaiming “Yeah! What about <insert track name>!?” “Oh man! Yeah!” Not the most brilliant musical analysis but I knew I’d found a new person.

[brianwilcox]

Dave Friedmann is a genius producer. Almost everything he touches turns to gold. This and Mercury Rev. Very touching music. So happy that a major label produced this music and spent the time promoting it. I don't know if that would happen in today's climate.

[jmicco]

Soft Bulletin is one of the best things that I have ever come across. It hits so close to home. Rarely do albums come out that have this much heart, and in my opinion, this album nails the basest of human emotions and illustrates spiritual growth.

[ActualKaktus]

In 2017, my fiancé and I took a take a trip to Atlanta. It was my 37th birthday and we had tickets to see Radiohead. I quickly learned that the lips were playing the same weekend, and that the venue was a stones throw of the room we rented. I only knew two of their songs (Jelly and Yoshimi), but tickets were cheap and it felt like a no brainer. We went in blind and had no idea what to expect. 

We left the show completely astonished, and it took us awhile to process what we had experienced.

It was a celebration of the human experience. The good, the bad, and the inevitable. It stands as one of my favorite experiences with music, and more importantly, one of my most cherished memories with her. Every time I think about that night, I smile and feel close to her.

I became an immediate fan and rushed to catch up on their discography. I couldn't believe that I had missed out on The Soft Bulletin.

[rallokkcaz]

Dave Friddman is my absolute idol, the sounds he's captured are just so wonderful and alien. Yet they don't seem jarring or out of place, the man is a genius.

[DamnedGamers]

One of these on Pavement, Radiohead, Neutral Milk Hotel, Built to Spill, or maybe even Weezer would be pretty awesome.

[antonhaq]

I'm so sick of this band being described as weird or quirky, they've always sounded beautiful to me and Wayne is a real gentleman who articulates himself with such simple eloquence.

[wolfiethedog]

This album is an album I have to listen to may a beautiful masterpiece!

[tommyz]

This album is one of my favorites. Back to front, I can listen to the entire thing. It's only gotten stronger over the years. Thank you wayne, thank you band.

[basehead]

This album defined my college years, I was in awe of it entirely... he's a fun guy but you can tell Wayne is peripheral to its success musically, Drozd and Fridmann are the geniuses

[Jalex_Owns]

I can't get enough of these guys. They're utterly brilliant, moving, evolving artists. There is such a raw, rich beauty in what they do, and it's such a fascinating trip to watch and hear about their whole creative process. Their music touches me like no other quite has. Here's to them continuing to do what they do so excellently for decades to come.

[landowalker]

More of these, please. Also, thank you for not having this narrated by a Pitchfork employee, their voices make my skin crawl.

[gustavoalfaro]

Great doc. Would've been even better if they had talked about "The Spark That Bled" and "What Is The Light", two major tunes on the record.

[erickjason]

This album is "Pet Sounds" genius.

[PlaylistGeneral]

The biggest shock to me is seemingly how much Wayne is a pretty sober dude. I think he probably experimented a bit and probably experienced some kind of ego death, because he just gives that vibe with knowing himself and his feelings and just being earnest. He's so articulate in a way that you just wouldn't be if you were still heavily doing psychadelics in your 40s.

[godkeebler]

The Soft Bulletin in blew my mind when I heard it. It is a top 10 in the soundtrack of my life. And when I find a fello fan in the wild it is a insta-friendship