American rocker Wayne Coyne is bemused by the notion of celebrity, after experiencing it first-hand while touring with Beck.

The frontman of psychedelic indie legends THE Flaming Lips co-headlined a year-long tour across America with the LOSER musician and his band. And while Coyne admires Beck, he found his removal from normalcy difficult to deal with.

Coyne says, "Being around Beck, I did get the feeling that he's just removed from everyday existence.

"There would be times when he felt like he was just a normal guy, and then other things seemed too weird for him. How does that happen? How do you get to the point where you're not going to the store, buying a DIET COKE and driving yourself home?

"Beck didn't treat people badly, he was just so oblivious to other people's lives. None of it's horrible. He's not a Nazi or anything. He's just a little inconsiderate. To be considerate you have to have some idea of what's going on. I mean, we'd be set to rehearse from noon till midnight every day. And there'd be days when he wouldn't show up at all, and he doesn't call. I mean, we have cellphones...

"I still love his music and I still admire him, but there were days when you'd be like, If he does it one more time, we're all going home."

29/10/2003 17:08