Can I interject. the height of the flaming lips was the transition from priest driven ambulance to hit to death in the future head (albums) the last indie album and the 1st with a big budget on Warner Bros. So probs. 90s.

Really sadly I think drozd is the thing that killed Wayne's songwriting and you can see the quality of meaning slip downhill from then on in. The hooky pop glorious melody went awkward and off key and Wayne took a backseat to Drozd.

My argument is that the trajectory of the flaming lips would have been even mightier and greater had Wayne been encouraged and motivated to seize the helm and write write write. Imagine if Donahue had also stayed with the band. That's the mighty ship it could have been.

Sure there have been meaningful songs written over the following 30 years but on the most part albums are fairly forgettable. Just my own opinion.

Sometimes mainstream success doesn't mean better and the spark that fuels the flaming lips was Waynes unique take on life death and the world. Sadly that took a rather lazy back seat as soon as Stephen started the hit machine.

The flaming lips were always going to have a great career, it would have just been artistically and song writingly better.

No negativity as both are solid dudes. But it's something as a fan of their music for 30 odd years I've thought about a lot, the last album I listened to once and have never revisited