The Flaming Lips Share Drummer’s Statement on Steven Drozd’s Departure

Last week, Steven Drozd revealed in a since-deleted post that he’s no longer in the Flaming Lips after a nearly 35-year-long run. The band hasn’t formally released its own statement, and neither has Wayne Coyne, but their current drummer Matthew Duckworth Kirksey did share some thoughts in an Instagram post today in collaboration with the band’s official account.

“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 my family,” wrote Kirksey, who joined the Flaming Lips back in 2014. “This idea that Steven was THE musical genius, and Wayne is just some weirdo artist… Its just not true.”

Kirksey goes on to explain how hard it is to be in a band for a long time, going so far as to call their rehearsals “brutal” but “fucking FUN,” and credits Coyne’s drive as making it all worthwhile. He also revealed that the Flaming Lips are releasing new music soon and called it “the best thing we’ve done in ages.”

Read Kirksey’s full statement below:

“Man… hard to read a lot of these comments. 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 my family. I just want to say… If you haven’t heard this newest iteration of the band, give us a shot. The music, and the show is better than ever. And remember… NONE of this ever happens without Wayne. 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. Being in The Lips is hard… I remember before I was in the band, I would see them rehearsing for hours and hours and think… man… thats brutal. But once you get to be a part of that vision… its fucking exhilarating. Its fucking FUN. Its Wayne’s drive to be great that makes it all possible. Always has, always will. Derek has been is this band for 16 years. I’ve been in it for 12 years. It’s our blood, sweat, and tears as well. We’ve given our whole selves to this thing… Because we love it, and believe in it. There is new music on the way and I think its the best thing we’ve done in ages. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Come see us this summer if you get a chance. Happy Holidays!”

When a fan asked Drozd on Threads last week if he was “officially done with the FLips” because they noticed the musician was absent at the Flaming Lips’ shows recently, Drozd answered, “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?”

Drozd joined the Flaming Lips in 1991 and served as their longtime guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and a primary songwriter alongside Coyne during the decades that followed. He and Coyne did create a handful of side projects together over the years, but Drozd never took a break from the band during those periods.

Read about the Flaming Lips’ 1999 LP The Soft Bulletin in “The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s.”