The Flaming Lips have always been known for their eccentricity, but at the 2003 GRAMMYs, they had reason to wildly celebrate. That year, the band earned their first-ever GRAMMY win, taking home Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)" from their 10th studio album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. On the red carpet, frontman Wayne Coyne and multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd reflected on earning their first GRAMMY nomination and the anticipation of their win.
"For us, it was fun. A hundred people called us the day we were nominated, like, 'I can't believe it,'" Coyne shared. "And just to be nominated — it truly is [an honor]." But once they arrived at the show, the competitive spirit kicked in. "Slash was sitting right in front of us," Coyne recalled. "And we were thinking, 'I hope we win now.'" For more episodes of Red Carpet Flashback, visit GRAMMY.com/videos.
