MINNEAPOLIS, MN. (Jagged Edge/ www.jaggededge.tv) - On May 17th, the highly anticipated documentary "The Fearless Freaks," featuring the Flaming Lips, will be released on DVD. The project began 15 years ago when director Bradley Beesley began filming the exploits of neighbor Wayne Coyne and his experimental, post-punk rock band The
Flaming Lips in their hometown of Oklahoma City, OK.
More than a decade later, the journey representing fame and failure, 11 albums, one Grammy award, one drug addiction, and a lot of really loud music has come to fruition with the collaboration of Jagged Edge Editor JoLynn Garnes and BWN Mixer Carl White. Both participated in the project at the behest of Producer Rick Fuller.
"The process developed organically," recalls Garnes. "Bradley would visit Minneapolis and we would collaborate on scenes and then ultimately the entire film's structure. His knowledge of the 400 hours of footage was encyclopedic which helped immensely. The biggest challenge for me was that I hadn't edited a feature before and, in the end, it has been the most gratifying project of my career."
"Our contribution to this unique project was focused on optimizing the dialog, and making sure that the music rocked!" says BWN Mixer Carl White. "And wherever there was drama we had to make sure our blend of sound supported those sections. Much of the audio bits are from old super 8, 16mm, and VHS sources, so the challenge was to match and maximize the audio, while celebrating the lo-fi aspect of some of the clips. We're very happy to have been involved in this great, wild ride of a documentary."
"The Fearless Freaks" will be followed by a May 17th release on DVD via Shout! Factory. The DVD (two discs) includes the documentary plus outtakes, deleted scenes, additional performance footage and a photo gallery, and will be available for $24.98 (suggested retail).
The documentary includes insightful interviews with band members past and present, and gives the viewer an inside look at the Flaming Lips' 20-year transformation from Oklahoma outsiders to the elder statesmen of the weird and the wonderful.