Flaming Lips Alley gets global support

Last week I inadvertently took a ride in the time machine, referring to David Holt as an aide to Kirk Humphreys, instead of Mayor Mick Cornett.

But at this moment, I've got to wonder whether Mayor Mick wishes he could take a ride in the machine as well, and pin the controversy over street names in Bricktown on his predecessor.

Mayor Cornett had tourism and hometown pride in mind when he proposed renaming two obscure streets after musicians Charlie Christian and Vince Gill, and an unnamed alley after hometown band The Flaming Lips.

All three have proved their place in music history and are not simply the flavor of the month. But some readers, such as Stan Newman, are concerned we've gone too far with street renamings already.

"I think they make it harder for us to find our way when streets change names at some random intersection," Newman wrote. "I have trouble with them and I have been driving local streets since 1950. I can't imagine the difficulty for visitors."

A handful of callers, meanwhile, were completely ignorant of The Flaming Lips' worldwide following and argued the band doesn't deserve even an alley named in its honor.

More than 1,300 people from around the world made it clear they disagree with that conclusion.

They wrote from Australia, Guatemala, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, England, Belgium, New Zealand, France and Italy. Perhaps even more countries are represented among the few hundred e-mails I've yet to scan.

Someone may have posted something on an Internet fan site, but I saw no evidence of a "form" note. Common themes emerged. Fans from around the world argued the alley is an appropriate honor for the band and noted The Flaming Lips' humility and roots in the underground music scene.

They also correctly pointed out the band is intensely loyal to Oklahoma City. The Grammy-winning band's lead singer, Wayne Coyne, still lives in Oklahoma City, and his band regularly calls attention to its Oklahoma ties.

For years, Oklahoma City has struggled to discover its place in the world — something "hip" that no other city can claim. If fans across the world are to be believed, The Flaming Lips may very well be a key to Oklahoma City expanding its image beyond cowboys, Indians and oil wells.

Page 1 of 2

1 2 Next