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Inside

EDITOR’S LETTER

PICKED BY
THE EDITORS
OF

Photographer Francesco Carrozzini preps Coyne for a shot.

4

5

8

1

9

2 3

6 7

10 11

12 13 14 15
1: FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
“I’m Not Calling You a Liar”
2: THE RIFLES “Rat Race”
3: ANTI-POP CONSORTIUM “Capricorn One”
4: DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN & TAME ONE
“Special”
5: LANGHORNE SLIM “Say Yes”
6: MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON
“Buriedfed”
7: FUN. “All The Pretty Girls”
8: SAIGON “Aye, Aye, Aye”
9: THE TWILIGHT SAD “Forget the Night Ahead”
10: WHY? “Eskimo Snow”
11: THE SWELL SEASON “In These Arms”
12: FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS “Sugalumps”
13: EXENE CERVENKA “Trojan Horse”
14: A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS “In Your Heart”
15: STATE RADIO “Calling All Crows”
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I’m not sure I’ve ever met anybody who didn’t like the Flaming Lips. they’re just one of those bands that people seem to love regardless of, or even despite, their records (like, say, the Grateful Dead, Phish, or adiohead). there’s a reason. For years, the Flaming Lips have delivered one of the most head-spinning spectacles in rock, a joyous,
circuslike stage show complete with confetti cannons, furry-
animal suits, and makeshift dancing choirs plucked from the
crowd. For me, it was their extraordinary gig at Lollapalooza
2006 that cemented their status as the ultimate festival band,
with Wayne Coyne—the man in the plastic space bubble—the
shaggy, eager-to-please ringmaster. He’s not only the secret
to their longevity and consistency, but also the band’s deeply
engaged soul. As David Peisner discovered while reporting this
issue’s cover story, the frontman likes doing things his way.
“Wayne is one of the most personable guys I’ve ever met,”
the spin contributing editor says. “But as [bandmate] steven
Drozd whispered to me as the photo shoot got a little tense,
‘He doesn’t like it when he’s not in control.’ He has a way of
getting things to happen the way he wants them to happen.
Part of his hands-on DIY approach to everything is definitely
rooted in that. He’s a very benevolent dictator, but a dictator
nonetheless.”

to capitalize on that creative spirit, we took the unusual step of inviting Coyne to put his fingerprints all over this magazine, hand-lettering both the cover and the feature story. He’s also offering the jacket off his back: Go to spin.com/ coynecontest for official details on how to win the one-of-a-kind artfully spattered (and autographed) suit he wore for our photo shoot.

Also in this issue, Julian Casablancas talks candidly to associate editor David marchese about the state of the strokes as the singer releases his first solo album, while tyler Gray checks in with the musically inclined Wall streeters whose license to rock with company backing has been put on suspension. I hope you enjoy the issue!

doug brod

JOHN HUBBARD