The genius that is Wayne Coyne

[Dave Cook]

For those that are more into the career of Wayne Coyne....a question...

Over the years of living overseas, there is one name that occasionally is mentioned when I tell Europeans, Aussies, etc, that I'm from Oklahoma City.

"Oklahoma City? Oh, Wayne Coyne lives there."

To be honest, I never had a clue who this Wayne Coyne actually was. Had to look him up and realized he was the guy from Flaming Lips. Of course, I had heard of the Flips.

Anyway, I was recently reading an article in Rolling Stone and it went into detail about his house off of NW 10th and the circumstances as to why they are still living there. Not exactly the best neighborhood and probably the last place you'd find a guy who headlines rock festivals in Europe.

Anyone else find it pretty amazing Coyne still remains dedicated to OKC? I mean, other 'big names' have up and left. Vince Gill? Where is he now? The only mega-star still living around that I can think of is Toby Keith and he has pretty much sold out to the point it's painful. The mansion, the restaurant, the Ford commercials.....oh well...free country.

My question is.....is this the only residence Coyne has? He doesn't have a place in LA? NYC? Just the $20,000 house in NW OKC?

[soonerguru]

Wayne is super cool, and no, he doesn't have a place in another city.

I might add, however, that $20,000 house is a bit misleading. Yes, he and Michelle paid that much for it, but it was a HUD home and they bought it years ago in the middle of a ghetto.

It is actually a very cool place -- and quite big. It is extremely unique architecturally. It's actually a perfect fit for Wayne and Michelle.

BTW, Wayne's whole ethos is on doing it yourself, and he and his wife have put an awful lot of work into that place.

He is by far our city's coolest "famous" resident.

[floater]

Wayne Coyne is the poster child for OKC's creative class. He is a terrific ambassador for OKC. Unlike other cities that use higher cultural institutions as their ambassadors, OKC's has some real street cred -- with the people that can change OKC's image the most.

[ksearls]

word

[TheImmortal]

Definatly. A buddy of mine and I actualy saw Coyne and Steve from blue's clue's(who is now a musician) at Home Depot. They were buying a materials to "build a spaceship in their backyard". Does not get much more creative than that haha.

[jbrown84]

Good to see that he's the first thing Europeans think of when they hear OKC, not dustbowl or cornfields or even the Bombing.

[Dave Cook]

Yeah, it's certainly surprising when you meet someone that knows more about your hometown than you do.

When I was teaching in Japan, a few female students told me Brad Pitt was from Oklahoma to which I responded that I doubted it as I had never heard that. You'd think Oklahoma would play up something like that.

Son of a gun, they were right.

[traxx]

The only mega-star still living around that I can think of is Toby Keith and he has pretty much sold out to the point it's painful. The mansion, the restaurant, the Ford commercials.....oh well...free country.

Sold out? I don't understand. What's the knock on Toby other than I know alot of people on this board think he represents uneducated, white trash Oklahoma.

If you got a job that paid alot better or a promotion that more than doubled your income would you not buy a bigger home at some point? Restaurant and national commercials = sold out? What's wrong with diversifying your income? So when pro athletes start up restaurants or car dealerships etc., does that mean that they've sold out?

I happen to like some of the stuff the Lips do, especially their old 80s stuff, but I also like Toby's music. If you dislike his music that's one thing but using that dislike as an excuse to trash him as a person is a little overboard.

[okcpulse]

Yeah, it's certainly surprising when you meet someone that knows more about your hometown than you do.

When I was teaching in Japan, a few female students told me Brad Pitt was from Oklahoma to which I responded that I doubted it as I had never heard that. You'd think Oklahoma would play up something like that.

Son of a gun, they were right.

Oklahoma publications do point out that Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. My soon-to-be printed OKC Vacation guide also lays claim to Brad Pritt's birthplace in Oklahoma. However, he was raised in Springfield, Missouri most of his life, and he is quick to point that out.

But here is a real coincidence. Brad Pitt graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield. Shawnee's main drag is Kickapoo.

[okcpulse]

What really irks me is that when people discover that big names are living in Oklahoma City, they wonder what big names are doing living here. What's so wrong with that? Do they HAVE to own a place in L.A?

If I made it big, do I HAVE to own fifteen cars and have an apartment in New York? No.

BTW SweetNSourPoke, Vince Gill owns a home in Oklahoma. And another big name star we tend to forget about is Mat Hoffman, the guy who invented BMX and has been a star in several movies, including Jackass and Jackass II. He lives in far northwest OKC near the Lake Hefner area.

When I make it big I will be living in Oklahoma City.

[jbrown84]

I thought Hoffman lived in Edmond.

[jbrown84]

There was supposed to a reality show about John Paul Merritt opening Cafe Nova, but I guess it never got off the ground.

[Dave Cook]

Traxx....

You bring up an excellent point. Perhaps I shouldn't have said 'sold out'.

It's just that I think Keith represents all that is wrong with modern-day country music. He's so packaged. I'm just not into it. But he does have the right to do whatever he desires with his money. It's free country. He certainly sings about it.

I just don't understand how celebrities need 15 bedrooms, 12 crappers, 53 cars, etc....in order to find happiness. Maybe it's just me.

[jbrown84]

I just don't understand how celebrities need 15 bedrooms, 12 crappers, 53 cars, etc....in order to find happiness. Maybe it's just me.

Haven't you seen The Pursuit of Happyness? It's ALL about money and stuff.

[brianinok]

I though Vince Gill (and wife Amy Grant) maintained a house between Edmond and Guthrie. At least that is what I've heard. I have seen them shopping at Penn Square before, during Christmas season.

[MEJ]

"Super cool" is the exact term I would use to describe Wayne...I would surmise he is one of the most down-to-earth "rock stars" (I only put this in quotes because he is so humble about his success) out there. Maybe I'm a little partial since the Lips are one of my favorite bands of all time. One of the things I've always noticed and loved at his shows is that his band has Grammy winning albums, yet Wayne does his own sound check prior to the show. He even did this at the 2006 Austin City Limits Festival in front of 100,000 people (whether they were all around the stage with the Lips is questionable, but why wouldn't they want to be?). And they're one of the few bands I've seen that uses their fans as "backup dancers."

I totally know what you mean about how true to his Oklahoma roots he is. I think he knows how little Oklahoma has contributed to the rock music arena in comparison to what our state contributes to country, and I think he's proud to let people know he's an "Okie" cuz it lets the rest of the country know we are capable of producing other kinds of music...we actually do have all different kinds of people here. It is sad to see others who come from here deny any ties to our state. It kind of reminds me of the Nixons; once they started achieving fame, they claimed they were from Dallas (I think they were living there at some point), even though they got their start here.

I also can't help throwing in my little stories...I was at their show at Will Rogers Theatre back in '97 or '98, and Wayne was walking through the crowd before the show. He touched my arm (the way people do when they need to get your attention- not an accidental brush) as he walked through the crowd and said "Excuse me." Yeah...that was my rock star encounter. Also, when I was at the mall this past Xmas season, I swore I saw Wayne there. When I recounted the story to my brother (who is the uber Lips fan), he said I probably did see Wayne cuz he's known for being a last minute shopper; my brother has also seen him at the mall during Xmas, and the one year he didn't see him, Wayne was on the news as one of those people they interview about last minute shopping! He's just so cool.

[BDP]

Does Steve Drozd live here now, too?

Not to take anything away from Wayne's tremendous talent or his impressive work eithic and commitment, but if I only had one genius tag to hand out to that band, I'd give it to Steve. however, I don't think the lips could do what they do without both of them.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the Lips, along with Wayne's house in OKC, check out the documentary Fearless Freaks. You can rent/buy it just about anywhere and I think it's on the Sundance Channel a lot.

[traxx]

Traxx....

You bring up an excellent point. Perhaps I shouldn't have said 'sold out'.

It's just that I think Keith represents all that is wrong with modern-day country music. He's so packaged. I'm just not into it. But he does have the right to do whatever he desires with his money. It's free country. He certainly sings about it.

I just don't understand how celebrities need 15 bedrooms, 12 crappers, 53 cars, etc....in order to find happiness. Maybe it's just me.

Yeah, I see your point. Although I think Toby's alot less packaged and "sold out" than many of today's country artist like Tim McGraw for example. Personally I like classic country but I listen to some of today's artists.

I also think Toby way down on the list of celebs needing 15 bedrooms, 12 crappers... I don't understand that either. And apparently they don't find happiness even with 5 mansions on 3 continents. That's why they're always in rehab, getting married numerous times, buying ridiculous items (like $500 pair of jeans) etc. They're trying to fill a void.

I've got a great wife, healthy & good kids, very modest house (that we love for its character) and decent job and I bet I'm ten times as happy and joyful as the celebrities.

[Dustbowl]

Wayne went to Classen High with many of my friends. They still stay in touch. He is a very happy guy and talented. He lives just south of the Plaza District in a very rough neighborhood. I have to give him credit for bravery. His house is hard to miss, it was made from pieces of various torn down buildings in the area. It is considered to be the first fire proof house in OKC. Wayne has purchased a few houses adjoining his and has a mini-compound now.

Please don't rubber-neck looking for the house. Give him his space. If you can't help yourself, don't go there at night for your own safety.

[betts]

He's buildng a dragon on the roof (I know his architect), and it sounds like there will be some very interesting things to see. Agree with the rubber necking comment, but if the dragon is visible, it may cause a few accidents. Haha!

I wouldn't hesitate to go into his neighborhood at night in my car,though. Of course, I don't hesitate to go many places in my car. I can't speak for walking around at night there, but with family in NYC, it's hard to feel nervous in OKC.

[bornhere]

The city's decision to 'embrace' Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips is one of the truly cool things it has done.

[betts]

The city's decision to 'embrace' Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips is one of the truly cool things it has done.

Bornhere, I think that for the first time, we totally agree.

[metro]

Wayne went to Classen High with many of my friends. They still stay in touch. He is a very happy guy and talented. He lives just south of the Plaza District in a very rough neighborhood. I have to give him credit for bravery. His house is hard to miss, it was made from pieces of various torn down buildings in the area. It is considered to be the first fire proof house in OKC. Wayne has purchased a few houses adjoining his and has a mini-compound now.

Please don't rubber-neck looking for the house. Give him his space. If you can't help yourself, don't go there at night for your own safety.

Actually I'm pretty sure he lives IN the Plaza District and North of 16th not south. I'm pretty sure he's on 18th. Not sure if you've been in the area lately, but it's really cleaned up a bunch and tons of people and businesses are moving into the area. Property values have jumped tremendously in just the last year in this area.

[Dustbowl]

Actually I'm pretty sure he lives IN the Plaza District and North of 16th not south. I'm pretty sure he's on 18th. Not sure if you've been in the area lately, but it's really cleaned up a bunch and tons of people and businesses are moving into the area. Property values have jumped tremendously in just the last year in this area.

Yes, the Gatewood area is improving North of the Plaza District. I know Jeff Struble and he is doing a fantastic job rehabing those homes in the area. He also owns a block Southside of 16th in the Plaza and is remodeling that strip also. I'm hearing that Gatewood is considering Historic designation. I believe that will help the area quite a bit.

Wayne lives South of the Plaza, for sure. Guarantee it. That area needs MAJOR work. Very rough area.

[soonergal]

It's just that I think Keith represents all that is wrong with modern-day country music. He's so packaged. I'm just not into it. But he does have the right to do whatever he desires with his money. It's free country. He certainly sings about it.

spoken like a true poke...