Central Track Contributor
Erykah Badu Blasts The Flaming Lips' Unprofessional Tactics.
For a while there, things seemed to be going really well between newfound friends and collaborators Erykah Badu and Wayne Coyne. They tweeted back and forth fairly constantly, they worked together on a locally recorded track for the locally pressed Heady Fwends album from Coyne and his Flaming Lips, and, just this past weekend, they joined one another on stage at Houston's Free Press Music Fest. Yesterday afternoon, however, it all went to shit.
Badu, it seems, didn't like the video the Lips released for their collaborative track, “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” and for an abundance of reasons, turns out. Among her issues: She didn't like the way she sounded on the track, she didn't like the way she looked in the video, she didn't like the overt sexual imagery in the video, she didn't like the fact that there was no specific message beyond shock value behind that sexual imagery and, perhaps most of all, she didn't appreciate the fact that she never got to see a cut of the video's final edit before Coyne went and posted the thing onto the Internet for the world to see.
Kinda explains why the NSFW video, originally posted by Coyne last week, has been wavering onto and off of the Internet constantly in the days following its upload.
Yesterday, finally, came some explanation on that front in the form of an apology from Coyne that was posted to Badu's web site: “The video link that was erroneously posted on Pitchfork by the Flaming Lips of the Music Video 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face', which features Erykah Badu, is unedited and unapproved.. Sorry!! We, the Flaming Lips, accept full responsibility for prematurely having Pitchfork post it. It has outraged and upset a segment of fans and we apologize if we offended any viewers!!! This is a Flaming Lips video which features Erykah Badu and her sister Nayrok and is not meant to be considered an Erykah Badu or Nayrok statement, creation, or approved version.”
Not long after the apology was posted, the two social media-savvy musicians then took to Twitter to continue expressing their thoughts on the clip. There was a lot of back and forth, a lot of retweeting of fans supporting or not supporting the video, and one pretty hilarious tweet from Badu in which she breaks the news to Coyne, telling him that he does not, as he believes, have the ass of a 26-year-old.
But the tweet that's really turning heads is an extended one from Badu in which she fully expresses her thoughts on the clip and says she feels disgusted, unimpressed and violated by Coyne. Her complete, unedited take down of Coyne follows.
“@waynecoyne then… perhaps, next time u get an occasion to work with an artist who respects your mind/art, you should send at least a ROUGh version of the video u PLAN to release b4 u manipulate or compromise the artist's brand by desperately releasing a poor excuse for shock and nudity that sends a convoluted message that passes as art( to some).
Even with Window Seat there was a method and thought process involved. I have not one need for publicity . I just love artistic dialogue . And just because an image is shocking does not make it art.
You obviously have a misconception of who I am artistically. I don't mind that but…
By the way you are an ass.
Yu did everything wrong from the on set .
First:
You showed me a concept of beautiful tasteful imagery( by way of vid text messages) .
I trusted that. I was mistaken.
Then u release an unedited, unapproved version within the next few days.
That all spells 1 thing ,
Self Serving .
When asked what the concept
meant after u explained it , u replied ,”it doesn't mean anything , I just want to make a great video that everyone is going to watch. ”
I understood , because as an artist we all desire that. But we don't all do it at another artist's expense .
I attempted to resolve this respectfully by having conversations with u after the release but that too proved to be a poor excuse for art.
From jump,
You begged me to sit in a tub of that other shit and I said naw. I refused to sit in any liquid that was not water. But Out of RESPECT for you and the artist you 'appear' to be, I Didn't wanna kill your concept , wanted u to at least get it out of your head . After all, u spent your dough on studio , trip to Dallas etc.. Sooo, I invited Nayrok , my lil sis and artist, who is much more liberal ,to be subject of those other disturbing (to me ) scenes . I told u from jump that I believed your concept to be disturbing. But would give your edit a chance.
You then said u would take my shots ( in clear water/ fully covered parts -seemed harmless enough) and Nayrok's part ( which I was not present for but saw the photos and a sample scene of cornstarch dripping ) and edit them together along with cosmic, green screen images ( which no one saw) then would show me the edit. .
Instead, U disrespected me by releasing pics and rough vid on the internet without my approval. (Contract breech )
That is equivalent to putting out a security camera's images of me changing in the fitting room.
I never would have approved that tasteless, meaningless, shock motivated video .
Our art is a reflection of who we are . I have no connection to those images shot in their raw version. I was interested in seeing an amazing edit that would perhaps change or alter my thoughts . Never happened .
You also did the same thing with the song itself which displays crappy “rough “vocals by me . I let it go , perhaps iiiii was missing something, I thought.
I Should have followed my first mind back in studio when recording the vocals “your way”.
( Red flag.) It was uncomfortable.
For that I am at fault .
Consequently, brother, As a human I am disgusted with your what appears to be desperation and poor execution. And disregard for others . As a director I am unimpressed . As a sociologist I understand your type. As your fellow artist I am uninspired. As a woman I feel violated and underestimated.
Hope it works out for ya ,Wayne.
Really i could give a shit less.
Still love your live show tho.
And , you're welcomed.
Lesson learned .
By the way I have guested in very few videos. But I have always been given the opportunity to see the edit and contribute to it when my roll is substantial. Not this time .
I guess u feel it better to apologize than ask for permission and be refused . Hey, Love u man, but your ways are not very nice .
O, And on behalf of all the artists u have manipulated or plan to manipulate, find another way .
These things have been said out of necessity.
And if you don't like it
you can KiSS MY Glittery ASS .
O and Nayrok told me to tell u to kiss her ass too .
Almost forgot.
Peace
Ms. Badu
Analog Girl's Magnetic Strip Club”
