Lips Service

Soundcheck | May 3, 2010

How many bands make their 11th album their most successful? That is one of the many remarkable aspects of The Flaming Lips, which started out in Oklahoma in the 1980s when indie rock was still called "college rock." Their 23-year career is the subject of a new book by Chicago Sun-Times pop music critic Jim DeRogatis. It's called "Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips." DeRogatis tell us why they've endured so long. Also: Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche discusses "Mobile," his new album that combines everything from Zimbabwean mbira music to minimalism and jazz. And finally, a look at how Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" has become a staple of high school musicals.

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