See Flaming Lips’ Mesmerizing ‘Space Oddity’ on ‘Colbert’
The Flaming Lips visited The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Tuesday for a riveting, trippy cover of David Bowie‘s “Space Oddity,” which the band recently released as a digital single and music video. “My next guests fell from space, or Oklahoma,” Colbert said.
Coyne and company were originally scheduled to perform on Late Show in March during the Music of David Bowie tribute concerts, but their appearance was bumped thanks to last-minute guest Elizabeth Warren. In their rescheduled appearance, the Flaming Lips relived their tribute concert performances, from Coyne’s LCD-on-LSD gown to the singer’s ride atop Chewbacca’s furry shoulders.
Coyne recorded a backstage web exclusive for the Late Show of a song that packs all his musical influences into “one catchy little tune.” “I shook my bootie when I cranked the Brothers Doobie / I got my licks in when I heard King Crimson,” Coyne sings. “I hit the bricks when I rocked Jimi Hendrix / Straight up enthrallin’ when I heard the Brothers Allman / I finally lost my “V” when I threw on a record by ELP.”
However, the acoustic ditty takes a dark turn when Coyne sings about other life moments that molded his music, like hitting a deer while driving on the highway and leaving it there to die as well as joining the Witness Protection Program: