"Wayne and I disagreed on what I should do moving forward": Steven Drozd on leaving The Flaming Lips after 33 years

Speaking on the One More Thing podcast to Nathan Thompson, he explained that, "Wayne and I disagreed on what I should do moving forward. So we just kind of agreed that I would step back, and then step back turned into not coming back."

In a video chat with Thompson, he explained how he would have stayed with the band but not toured – something Coyne took issue with: "Part of me hoped I could just be like a guy that doesn’t tour but is still in the band. I think that can work for some bands — I guess it worked for the Beach Boys — but we’re not the Beach Boys. That just seemed like an odd fit. After 33 years, moving on felt kind of right." Watch the video of that chat below:

Steven Drozd came on my podcast to talk about leaving The Flaming Lips for the first time since the news broke last month. We talk a lot about him leaving the band but about his fond memories and what he's proud of about his 30+ years in The Flaming Lips: https://t.co/7dUKew0DT7 pic.twitter.com/LHFEd0YNAI

— Nathan Thompson (@NathanDThompson) January 22, 2026

Drozd originally announced his parting from the band via a now-deleted post on Threads in December, where he claimed, "They're done with me - but we're not talking about it. So yes I'm moving on. Just keep it to yourself for now. Ok?"

Coyne responded the same month, claiming Drozd's version of events was "absolutely not true": "For anybody who read Stevens post about the reason he is no longer in the Flaming Lips … the reason he left is sad , and infuriating.... it is HIS responsibility to tell everyone what happened… what he told everyone was a lie ….I was trying to give him ( Steven ) his own space and time to let everyone know what REALLY happened...."

Coyne joined The Flaming Lips in 1991 and was with the band through their most creative and successful years.