Even You Can Dance With The Lips!

A few months ago we posted a report from our friend Liz, who talked her way on stage to dance with Wayne and the other Santas and Martians during the band's performance at Austin City Limits. The Lips must've heard about the increasing demand in the ranks for just such an experience, 'cause they've announced a contest to make it a very special New Year's for one Flaming fan. The winner will receive two tickets to the band's NYE show in LA (with Gnarls Barkley and Cat Power) and space to boogie on stage during the show. No transport or hotel, 'cause The Lips have a budget, apparently. Interested? Here are their guidelines:

Make a video of yourself dancing to your favorite Flaming Lips song or whatever you think will compel the Lips to choose you. (Please limit this to around three minutes.)

Join the Flaming Lips Dance Contest Group by going here and uploading your video, making sure to tag it with Flaming Lips NYE Dance Contest

Visit and submit an entry form (or else you'll be disqualified!).

Cross your antennea and pray you win.

But if you have an irrational fear of the unknown, here's a first-hand account of what you can expect (from Lizz's letter):

The pre-show instructions were fairly brief and mainly involved use of the heavy, industrial metal flashlights we each carried:
1. “Shine the lights on Wayne while he crowd surfs in his bubble during ‘Race for the Prize.’”
2. “Shine the lights on each other during ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2.’ It will, in fact, come right after ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1.’ Does this confuse anyone?”
3. “Shake your asses.”

Got it.

It was 95 and humid in Austin, and my rubber mask stayed on for approximately one and a half songs, but I shook that itchy little alien dress for all it was worth. Unless at some point in the future I find myself headlining a major festival or playing in a Super Bowl, chances are I will never again see 60,000 people snapping pictures of me, responding to my somewhat awkward movements, and cheering me on. The hour-long set flew by as we twirled and sweated in an oversize snow globe of confetti, balloons, fake blood, and flying tampons.

Upon turning in our costumes, we each got a commemorative t-shirt for being a part of the show and a hearty hug from Justin the Costume Guy. It was sort of fitting that rain and lightening interrupted Tom Petty’s festival-closing set, because looking out on the massive crowd from the AT&T stage at dusk was the perfect way to wave goodbye to the ACL weekend.

Head here for the contest rules. If you wanna enter, upload that YouTube by 12/24. And if any of you actually enter, be sure to pass those YouTubes our way! We love nothing more than awkward dancing clips via cellphone cams.

Posted at 11:54 AM
Tags: The Flaming Lips