I really like the Flaming Lips. They're a very innovative and creative band always moving forward. They put on a fantastic show that includes the audiance. I didn't vote for their song as the state song because I didn't feel like it said anything about Oklahoma. To tell you the truth, I don't even remember which song I did vote for... This contest to choose the state song was put out for public vote, and "Do You Realize" won... period.
It's a long article, but worth the read...
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma House on Thursday killed a measure to make Do You Realize?? by the Flaming Lips the state's official rock song. But Gov. Brad Henry will sign an executive order Tuesday, naming the Flaming Lips song as the official rock song of Oklahoma.
On Thursday, the House voted 48-39 on SJR 24, with 14 members absent. It takes 51 votes to pass a measure in the House. Thursday was the deadline for the measure to get out of the House. That meant the measure was dead for two years, said Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, who worked to get a state rock song established.
An executive order is not ceremonial, but it falls short of actually being a law, said Phil Bacharach, press secretary and chief writer for Henry's office. It does have the effect of law, however. In this case, it certainly has the effect of law in that it will definitively make 'Do You Realize' the official rock song of Oklahoma.
Henry praised the band for their stewardship to the state.
For more than 20 years ago, Oklahoma's own Flaming Lips have produced creative, fun and provocative rock music, Henry said in a press release Thursday evening.
The music of the Flaming Lips has earned Grammys, glowing critical acclaim and fans all over the world. A truly iconic rock 'n' roll band, they are proud ambassadors of their home state. They were clearly the people's choice, and I intend to honor that vote.
Some legislators believe that a shirt worn by Flaming Lips bassist Michael Ivins when the vote winner was announced at the Capitol on March 2 was offensive. Ivins wore a red T-shirt with a yellow star-and-sickle logo, underneath a blazer. I don't know why he made the choice to do that, said Rep. Corey Holland, R-Marlow. The great thing about this country is he has the right to make whatever statement he wants to make. I have the right to be offended by that.
Holland said the choice of attire was not appropriate.
I felt that the consequences of that were that I would not be able to support that as our state song, Holland said.
Holland wasn't alone in that sentiment.
We have better things to do at the state capitol than waste our time voting for a group that can wear a communist T-shirt in the House of Representatives, said Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. I have no use for honoring the Flaming Lips. It is a total waste of time. It is not what the taxpayers sent us to do, to honor some group that we might find their lyrics less than acceptable.
Those from the Flaming Lips camp were devastated by the news.
This is heartbreaking, said Warner Bros. publicist Rick Gershon in a phone call Thursday. Gershon has worked with the band for years.
The song, from the Grammy-winning 2002 release by the Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, defeated nine state rock song finalists chosen by a panel working with the Oklahoma History Center.
More than 21,000 people voted, and the song won by a two-to-one margin, said a Thursday press statement from Dorman's office. If all it takes to undo a democratic vote of the people is to be offended by something a person says or wears, then we are in grave danger, Dorman said in the statement. They may as well have burned Flaming Lips albums on the House floor today.
Said Flaming Lips tour drummer Kliph Scurlock from his Twitter online social networking web site soon after the resolution failed: Scared Oklahoma Republicans just stripped the Flaming Lips of the State Rock Song honor, he wrote in one post, then continued, I really shouldn't be amazed when Republicans do something bafflingly stupid, but I somehow still am.
Scott Booker, the band's manager and CEO of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, said to media Thursday evening, As many people around the world know, the Flaming Lips are proud to be from Oklahoma. We want everyone to understand that only a minority of the representatives voted against this law, he wrote. Regardless of what the minority in the House of Representatives wish, the Flaming Lips remain proud ambassadors of the state.
During the 2008 legislative session, the Legislature approved House Concurrent Resolution 1047, which established a selection process. Oklahomans nominated 454 songs. A panel narrowed that to 10.
It is nonsense that that is the will of the people, Reynolds said. It is ridiculous to claim it went to a vote of the people. It didn't go to a vote of the people at the polls.
Longtime Chicago music journalist and Flaming Lips biographer Jim DeRogatis weighed in during a phone interview with the Tulsa World on Thursday. I think the irony here is that the legislators forget that Oklahomans are renowned for blazing their own paths, said DeRogatis. DeRogratis has followed the Flaming Lips for more than 20 years, and his book, Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips, was published in 2006.
The legislators that vetoed this didn't consider Oklahoma's history and people like Woody Guthrie and Will Rogers. Both of those guys had ideas and notions that rubbed some people the wrong way.
But what's so unique that the Flaming Lips are like Woody and Will. This makes me think of the Marx Brothers and their famous quote, he said. (I don't care to belong to any club that will have me as a member, said comedian Groucho Marx.) The bandmembers are probably asking themselves if they'd really want to belong to any club that would consider having them as a member, anyway, he said, then laughed. The selection of the official Oklahoma rock song is part of a greater effort of the Oklahoma Historical Society to celebrate the state's rock 'n' roll heritage with an exhibit entitled Another Hot Oklahoma Night, slated to open May 2 at the Oklahoma History Center.
Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, said lead singer Wayne Coyne is a constituent in his district.
Rice said the House action is troubling because the public voted on the song. Second, soldiers fight to uphold right to express oneself, Rice said.
To vote against it because they didn't like their t-shirt is hypocritical, Rice said, adding that the band was warmly embraced in the Senate when the resolution passed.
We are proud to have them here, Rice said. It is too bad this message is being sent.
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
-- Edited by Lady Strange on Friday 24th of April 2009 09:59:45 AM
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
You know, LS, I don't think a Hanson song made the finals. I think I voted for either JJ Cale's "After Midnight" or Leon Russell's "Sweet Home Oklahoma."
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
Sounds like maybe they won a popularity contest. I wouldn't have voted for a suppose state song that didn't make a representation of the state either.
I agree. But still, it was put out to a public vote and they won fair and square, regardless of the attire they choose to wear... which I also don't agree with, but still...
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
You know, LS, I don't think a Hanson song made the finals. I think I voted for either JJ Cale's "After Midnight" or Leon Russell's "Sweet Home Oklahoma."
Yeah, probably not. But when I hear "Oklahoma", I do think of them. (OK, so when I inhale, I think of them!)
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
When I think of Hanson, the first thought that comes to mind is making Maranda cry when I told her I wasn't able to get concert tickets -- but I really had them.
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
Okay, so if I understand this: The representatives of the people of the State of Oklahoma were asked to vote for an official rock song for the state from a pool of suggestions submitted by the people of the State of Oklahoma. They picked this song, which granted says nothing about Oklahoma itself, but the band that performs it happens to be from Oklahoma. The actual people of the State of Oklahoma may or may not have actually voted on this being the official rock song of the state... if they did, it won by a 2-1 margin.
It was all good until the bass player showed up wearing a tee shirt that looks like the flag of the former USSR, so now the song is deemed offensive? And this is now a fight?
Here's my question: How much time and money was spent on this issue in whole? How many governmental man hours were spent on this issue? If this was put to a public vote, how much did that cost? Is that really the best use of public funds? Instead of being pist about what tee shirt somebody wore for whatever reason, why not be pist about the waste of time and money spent on this issue?
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
This was an online contest that, I believe started out with about 100 suggestions, from we the people; then it was narrowed down to ten, by we the people. The rules were that it had to be a song written and/or performed by a person / group from Oklahoma. The contest was on-line. It's not like anyone went to the polls to do this. Those of us who actually took the time to vote, chose this song regardless of whether it represents or not. So, yeah... it seems like the shirt is an excuse to pull it.
And yes, this is a stinkin' waste of money... AGAIN...
-- Edited by disco strangler on Friday 24th of April 2009 10:46:33 AM
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
When I think of Hanson, the first thought that comes to mind is making Maranda cry when I told her I wasn't able to get concert tickets -- but I really had them.
You meanie!
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
When I think of Hanson, the first thought that comes to mind is making Maranda cry when I told her I wasn't able to get concert tickets -- but I really had them.
You meanie!
yeah... and she occasionally says, "Mom, remember when you made me cry..."
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
This was an online contest that, I believe started out with about 100 suggestions, from we the people; then it was narrowed down to ten, by we the people. The rules were that it had to be a song written and/or performed by a person / group from Oklahoma. The contest was on-line. It's not like anyone went to the polls to do this. Those of us who actually took the time to vote, chose this song regardless of whether it represents or not. So, yeah... it seems like the shirt is an excuse to pull it.
And yes, this is a stinkin' waste of money... AGAIN...
-- Edited by disco strangler on Friday 24th of April 2009 10:46:33 AM
Seems simple enough to me: The song won the vote, therefore it is the official rock song of the state.
Rep. Holland nailed the situation exactly. The bass player has every right to wear that shirt. Anybody who doesn't like it, has the right to not like it. None of this changes the outcome of the vote. Gov. Henry should absolutely do whatever has to be done to put this one to rest without further expense.
Any elected official who elects to quibble about this should be voted out of office at the earliest possible interval.
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MM
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
This contest to choose the state song was put out for public vote, and "Do You Realize" won... period. 
