Wayne Coyne Claims Steven Drozd Lied About Why He’s No Longer in the Flaming Lips │ Exclaim!

Last week, Steven Drozd revealed that after joining the psych-rock band in 1991, he was no longer a member from Flaming Lips. “They're done with me,” he wrote in a now-deleted response to a Threads user who questioned his absence from the band's recent live shows.

UPDATE (Dec. 23, 4:11 p.m. ET): Flaming Lips founder Wayne Coyne has now issued his own statement, claiming that Drozd lied via a lengthy caption on an Instagram photo showing the Elf on the Shelf clenched in the jaws of an alligator's head.

“For all who have read Stevens [sic] post about why he is no longer in the Flaming Lips… I can say that this is absolutely not true,” Coyne wrote. “The reason he left is sad and infuriating… HIS responsibility to tell everyone what happened… what he told everyone was a lie.”

The musician added that he tried to give Drozd “his space and time to let everyone know what really happened” and Coyne will “write more in a few days” on the matter.

Obviously, this news caused a heated debate on the Internet, as it usually does, especially since Drozd was often called the main composer of the Flaming Lips along with the main songwriter and founder. Wayne Coynethroughout his entire tenure in office. Matthew Duckworth Kirksey, the band's drummer since 2014, has now admitted that it's “hard to read a lot of these comments” by posting a statement on Instagram alongside the band's account.

“I just want to say… If you haven't heard this newest version of the band yet, give us a chance. The music and show are better than ever,” Kirksey wrote. “And remember…NONE of this ever happens without Wayne.”

The drummer continued: “The idea that Stephen was a musical genius and Wayne was just some weirdo artist… [sic] It's simply not true. “Wayne pushes creativity, sound and show forward like no other artist I've ever encountered.”

Kirksey went on to discuss the challenges of being in a band that's on perpetual tour, but added that all the hard work is worth it in the end – and that the Flaming Lips have new music that he believes is “the best thing we've done in years.”

Read the drummer's full statement below.