Last week, the Flaming Lips' split with drummer Kliph Scurlock turned ugly, with the departed timekeeper accusing frontman Wayne Coyne of racism and verbal abuse for defending his friend Christina Fallin for wearing a headdress in a photo. Now, Coyne has fired back with some similarly harsh words for Scurlock.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Coyne was dismissive of Scurlock's role in the band and called him a liar. He said, "The only thing that we would have to say about Kliph leaving is that he just was not very significant to us. And all the things he's saying about the reason he was fired, it's all just made-up lies. He knows we struggled with him for years and it didn't occur to us that it seemed that significant. I don't even use the word 'fired.' He just doesn't play drums with us anymore — that's the way I'd put it."
He accused Scurlock of calling Fallin a "cunt," and said that he repeatedly talked about people behind their backs. "That was one of a thousand things that he would go on his Twitter or Instagram or the fake ones that he's created," Coyne said. "That's what he would do all the time. We would play a show with some bands and the next day, he would say how stupid they are and how much they suck. But after the Christina thing, people brought it to my attention, and it's like, 'Dude, he says bad shit about all of our friends.'"
He further called the drummer is "a hateful person" and "an abusive, compulsive, pathological liar that will do anything he can do get attention. And of course, using my name gets him attention."
Although Coyne admitted that he sent the texts that Scurlock quoted, he said that his statements were taken out of context. He added, "Kliph was not fired because of that [headdress incident]. Kliph was fired because of a thousand hateful things that he's done. And he just wasn't a very significant musical part of the Flaming Lips anyway. I think the day after we fired him, we played a show in New Orleans without him. Steven [Drozd]'s the drummer. Anybody that listens to those records and think they're hearing Kliph, they're hearing Steven. And Steven is with us and will always be with us."
Coyne also admitted that he shouldn't have posted a photo of a dog wearing a headdress, pointing out that the dog wasn't his own. He said, "I understand now that if I'm a spokesperson for any kind of behaviour, I shouldn't have done it, and I regret doing it now. I am sorry. I realize now that it goes deeply to the heart of some Native Americans. And I definitely regret it."
He additionally criticized Fallin's band Pink Pony for a festival performance in which they allegedly mocked those protesting the headdress incident.
In other news, Coyne said that the band are considering adopting a two-drummer approach, and that they're working on a tribute album for the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This will feature Miley Cyrus.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Coyne was dismissive of Scurlock's role in the band and called him a liar. He said, "The only thing that we would have to say about Kliph leaving is that he just was not very significant to us. And all the things he's saying about the reason he was fired, it's all just made-up lies. He knows we struggled with him for years and it didn't occur to us that it seemed that significant. I don't even use the word 'fired.' He just doesn't play drums with us anymore — that's the way I'd put it."
He accused Scurlock of calling Fallin a "cunt," and said that he repeatedly talked about people behind their backs. "That was one of a thousand things that he would go on his Twitter or Instagram or the fake ones that he's created," Coyne said. "That's what he would do all the time. We would play a show with some bands and the next day, he would say how stupid they are and how much they suck. But after the Christina thing, people brought it to my attention, and it's like, 'Dude, he says bad shit about all of our friends.'"
He further called the drummer is "a hateful person" and "an abusive, compulsive, pathological liar that will do anything he can do get attention. And of course, using my name gets him attention."
Although Coyne admitted that he sent the texts that Scurlock quoted, he said that his statements were taken out of context. He added, "Kliph was not fired because of that [headdress incident]. Kliph was fired because of a thousand hateful things that he's done. And he just wasn't a very significant musical part of the Flaming Lips anyway. I think the day after we fired him, we played a show in New Orleans without him. Steven [Drozd]'s the drummer. Anybody that listens to those records and think they're hearing Kliph, they're hearing Steven. And Steven is with us and will always be with us."
Coyne also admitted that he shouldn't have posted a photo of a dog wearing a headdress, pointing out that the dog wasn't his own. He said, "I understand now that if I'm a spokesperson for any kind of behaviour, I shouldn't have done it, and I regret doing it now. I am sorry. I realize now that it goes deeply to the heart of some Native Americans. And I definitely regret it."
He additionally criticized Fallin's band Pink Pony for a festival performance in which they allegedly mocked those protesting the headdress incident.
In other news, Coyne said that the band are considering adopting a two-drummer approach, and that they're working on a tribute album for the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. This will feature Miley Cyrus.
