Matthew Duckworth Kirksey, drummer for the Flaming Lips, addressed the departure of long-time band member Steven Drozd over the weekend, claiming the group’s live show is now “better than ever.”
Last week, Drozd appeared to reveal he’s no longer part of the band group a tenure of more than 30 years. Drozd let the news slip on Threads after he posted about a new drum machine. In the replies, someone asked Drozd — who hasn’t performed with the Flaming Lips since last year — if he was “officially done” with the band.
“They’re done with me — but we’re not talking about it,” Drozd replied in the now-deleted post. “So yes, I’m moving on.”
After speculation about the status of the band began to circulate, Duckworth Kirksey responded in a post on Instagram.
“Man… hard to read a lot of these comments,” wrote Duckworth Kirksey, who has been part of the band since 2014. “Being in a band, for a long time, that never really stops touring is hard. Some people can hack it for 5 years, some people can hack it for 25 years.” He added that “a lot of great friends” have “come and gone” throughout his time with the band. “I still love them, and miss them, and some of them are my family,” he wrote.
The drummer continued, “If you haven’t heard this newest iteration of the band, give us a shot. The music, and the show is better than ever.”
Duckworth Kirksey also addressed claims that Drozd was the creative soul of the group, rather than frontman Wayne Coyne. “And remember…NONE of this ever happens without Wayne,” he wrote. “This idea that Steven was THE musical genius, and Wayne is just some weirdo artist…It’s just not true. Wayne pushes the creativity, the sound, and the show forward, like no artist I’ve ever been around.”
He added that while being part of the Flaming Lips is “hard,” it’s “Wayne’s drive to be great that makes it all possible. Always has, always will.”
The drummer concluded, “There is new music on the way and I think it’s the best thing we’ve done in ages. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Come see us this summer if you get a chance.”
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Drozd appears to have played his last show with the Flaming Lips on Oct. 12, 2024, as the band wrapped up their tour with Weezer at the Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, California. When the Lips returned to the road in January 2025, they were joined by guitarist A.J. Slaughter, who’s performed with the group throughout the year.
Drozd joined the Flaming Lips in 1991, after the group had already been active for about eight years. He started as the group’s drummer, but eventually turned more to other instruments, especially guitars, keyboards, and bass (while still playing some occasional percussion). Drozd also provided backup vocals and made significant contributions as a songwriter.
