SOUNDTRACK: THE FLAMING LIPS AND HEADY FWENDS-“I’m working at NASA on Acid” (2012).
2012 saw the release of this very strange collaborative album. Whether The Flaming Lips had entered the mainstream or if people who’d always liked them were now big stars or maybe they all just liked doing acid. Whatever the case, The Lips worked with a vast array of famous (and less famous) people for this bizarre album. Here it is 8 years later. Time to check in.
This song starts out with NASA voices and beeps. The beeps turn into a rhythm and after a cool echoing guitar the song takes on almost a spaghetti western feel. even with the bowed cello
The song features Lightning Bolt, a noise rock duo, and I assume they join in the fun in the middle of the song.
After three minutes, a pretty guitar melody leads to a sped up voice saying 1, 2,3, 4 as it soars into the next chaotic and wild section. The riff speeds up, the drums and distortion increase and the song feels like an epic take off into outer space.
It runs for about two minutes and then slows down. Way down. After a backwards countdown 4,3,2,1, the song resumes as a gentle folk song kind of like “Space Oddity.” It’s pretty cool.
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Katchoo is flying to Boston. The voice over has a nice moment where we see just how much she loves Francine.
She lands and heads to Jet’s garage. She tells Jet that she has something to give her.
They get into Katchoo’s car which is surrounded by ravens. They seem to be following her. I love Terry Moore’s art throughout this series. He does realistic portrayals of women perfectly (even if sometimes I can’t tell some of the women apart). I love the way he draws Jet so distinctively as well. But those ravens, um, not so much.
Jet has no idea what the container is and when Katchoo explains the contents she thinks Katchoo is joking. Why did Stephanie send her to Jet if Jet doesn’t know what it is?
They pull up in front of a quaint house. It belongs to Rachel, Jet’s BFF.
Zoe is sitting on the front porch. Instantly Katchoo dislikes the little girl because she is such a pain in the ass. She takes a guess as to what is in the canister. She guesses “a little man” twice because she really wants it to be a little man. When Jet introduces Katchoo to Zoe, Zoe says seriously? Is that like your rapper name? Then she shouts “Jet’s here with a Polish rapper.”
Jet gives Rachel the canister. She opens it and immediately says that the papyrus is authentic. She’s going to give it back to its rightful owner–Lilith.
Back home, a policeman has investigated the cigarette butts lying around and tells Aunt Libby it must be paparazzi. Aunt Libby says that old porn actresses still have followers. She flips out and says her sister was an erotic model–there’s a difference.
The girl’s are having breakfast and they decide to set a trip like in Home Alone.
Meanwhile, Aunt Libby calls Sam. And I think I have the Mikey thing figured out–Mikey is a stuffed animal that she pretends is real (like Calvin and Hobbes?). Libby asks Sam to come help out with the invasive men.
Back in New England, Katchoo cannot comprehend that they are talking about THE Lilith. The first woman. It can’t possibly be true.
Then Lilith appears, walking through the snow, ravens accompanying her.
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