The interesting thing about "The Fearless Freaks" is the difference between the style of Brad Beesley's film-making and the production process of the Lips' albums. Wayne Coyne's music is weird, yes-- even chaotic, but it is carefully put together and endlessly tweaked, elevating the raw elements of songwriting (guitar chords, sung melody) into a mesmerizing digital orchestra of sorts. Beesley's documentary, however, is satisfied with gritty, hand-held 16mm footage of (usually) Coyne pontificating. It's odd that such futuristic, unconventional music-making would make such good source material for old-school, back-to-basics film-making. The most interesting part of this documentary, rather than the heroin scene with Steven Drozd, is Wayne revisiting his old Long John Silver's and enlisting two young children to reenact a robbery which launches him into a spiel about the rather un-poetic reality of death. It, like the rest of the film, is an incredible snapshot of some true oddballs in the American music scene.

This is a wonderful film, and one can tell that it's definitely a labor of love.I must say that I was disturbed by the drug use scene with Stephen. However, this is because I am a former addict. But I still think it was unnecessary to be so graphic; but he truly shares the perils of heroin addiction in the most real way.I do wonder how the movie will turn out. I can't believe the amount of energy Wayne possesses toward his projects. I found him to be a great role model (I am an artist myself, and quite lazy by comparison).Only one more complaint. Like in many documentaries, they will tease you with the beginning of a wonderful song, then speak over it, or cut away. I could have used less talk and more music, since this is what the documentary is ultimately about; well beside their lives and the creative process.I highly recommend this film. Oh, and yes, it is a bit too long; but it only proves how engaged the filmmaker is in the project.

'Fearless Freaks' is an excellent documentary that's sure to please longtime fans like myself as well as newer fans, and will probably win them a fair batch of new followers. As 'Watch me Jumpstart' does with Robert Pollard of Guided by Voices, it paints an intimate portrait of head Lip Wayne Coyne as a family man and member of his community. We get plenty of interesting background into Coyne's early family life and nascent artistic aspirations. Interviews with band members, family members, and friends are inter-cut with raw live footage of the group's often very visually fascinating performances. The pace is just right to keep the viewer always entertained and never bored, but not at a breakneck, highly edited MTV-ish pace. My only complaint about the movie is that details on the band's history and specific works by them are rather skimpy. I would have liked to have gotten more details such as Wayne explaining his inspirations for various songs, discussions about their creative process, studio stories, and the like.Drummer Steven Drozd becomes the other major character in this movie when his addiction to heroin is frankly and almost shockingly discussed and portrayed on film. Without giving too much away, this subplot comes to an apparently happy ending, and the movie concludes on a high note, with The Flaming Lips on stage playing before their enthralled fans, on the verge of another artistic triumph. Here's to The Flaming Lips.

As a film, Fearless Freaks is too long. Fans of the band probably won't care, though, as they seem willing to venture however far off the beaten path Wayne and the boys want to go. I wouldn't recommend it to the casual viewer, as it contains way too many scenes of the band's personal lives to be interesting to the general public. I enjoyed it a lot, because it gives lots of insider info on a band that I've loved for over fifteen years. The most interesting part, and the one that most people will cite as the film's centerpiece, concerns Steven Drozd's frank discussion about his heroin addiction. The scene is as chilling as anything you've ever seen, watching Steven cook up a rig full of smack has to be the wildest thing I've seen in a film in years. There isn't enough concert footage here, but two recent (excellent) shows are featured, Coachella 2004 and the Stubb's show in Austin, TX. I would have enjoyed more scenes of that classic show in Austin TX, mainly because I was there, in the front, and it was the most fun I've ever had at a concert in my life. Their Coachella set (I was there, too) was way too short, mostly consisting of Wayne trying to surf the crowd in a huge bubble (which was totally cool). I think they played four songs before they were rushed off so the Cure could take forever to come on. blah.The thing I enjoyed most about this film was the insight it gives on what it's like to be a "rock star". Wayne and his wife don't live in a mansion, and their lives seem wonderfully normal. This was refreshing, and it certainly beats the hell out of watching Metallica argue for two hours. The Flaming Lips have arguably one of the finest albums ever made, The Soft Bulletin (if you can find the vinyl version, get it no matter how much you got to spend). While I don't think this film will open them up to a wider audience, fans of the band won't be disappointed.