MC: There will be both. There's just no getting away from it.
DL: I think it's a lot easier to write sad songs than happy songs. If you're happy, you go to the beach or go have dinner with a friend of yours. If you're sad, then you're being introspective and sad and it's a great moment to channel on the energy to write a song.
MC: I've defininitely been in the mood to make music when I'm in a really good mood, too. It just comes out a little different.

MC: The Who, The Clash, and The Pixies. There are plenty of others but I think those are the big ones...

MC: We're talking to Fred Maher (the producer of The Proximity Effect) about it. But it might be us, I don't know... Don't know the name of the album yet; some song titles are "Treading Water", "Inside of Love", "The Way You Wear Your Head", "Neither Heaven or Space", "Blizzard of '77".

MC: This probably reveals the uncareerist nature of the band. If they released it right away, that would have been good, because it should have come out, when we made it- that's clear.
DL: But see, knowing that they're capable of doing what they did, I'm happy to be out of it as soon as possible. We knew when we signed that we were kinda rolling dice, and they don't care so much about music, more about money. They try to make you believe otherwise and you tend to want to believe them. It's kinda nice to be done with that baggage and not carry it around any more. Not be in the dark as to why they do things. Now it's completely obvious why they did what they did and why they do what they do. The sooner we get out the better. It took us two years to get the record back. Now it's back, and I wouldn't sign with Elektra for a five million dollar advance.
MC: The only way it would make any sense to look for major label support is if there is another change in the mainstream like there was nine years ago. Those few years post-Nirvana where the stuff we do is actually commercialable.

MC: "The Voices" is about when you first start going out with someone, and all you're thinking about is the relationship itself, so you start to go a little crazy and have strange questions and doubts because you're putting to great a magnifying glass on it. It's just about doubts and shutting them off and making yourself believe it's the right relationship.

DL: We'll start touring Spring. As soon as the record comes out we will hopefully divide our time up between Europe and The States. I know we're downn for the tour of Spain that the people there want us to do, and of course we're dying to do too. And I'm sure we'll do France, and hopefully Belgium, Holland, and I'd love to go back to Scandanavia if we can.

IE: The tour this year has been fantastic. We've toured about a total of six weeks here in America. A blast.

IE: I think "selling out" is genuinely doing something against your ethics. Having a hit song is not selling out... it's something else. "Selling Out" is becoming a tool for something that's not yours. When you sign a contract with a label, particularly major labels, "exploitation" is a word that's actually used in their contracts. They're there to exploit you. They will use your image in advertising, etc. That's the way music is sold to people. So you know some of that is going on, but how far are you going to play that game and schmooze up to radio, and TV. But are the Flaming Lips selling out for being on Warner Brothers Records? I think they're one of the most interesting, innovative, american bands that there ever was. And they're lucky to be on a major label that supports them despite the fact they don't sell a scad of records. But they continue to be innovative, that's all you need.
MC: So would we sell out? Of course not.
IE: But we'd love to make money and tour the world. There's nothing wrong with that.