Wayne Coyne at AVAM

Didn’t you just know that Wayne Coyne would love AVAM? The Flaming Lips frontman toured the museum with Rebecca Hoffberger yesterday and was mighty impressed by what he saw, inside and out. Coyne was particularly fond of the mosaic exterior, Alex Grey’s paintings, and a Kenny Irwin installation (Robotmas) that combines Santa Claus, lots of insects, reindeer heads coming out of toilets, artificial turf, machine parts, rows of skulls, and what looks like a tank turret painted pink. The Irwin piece looked as if it could have been straight out of Coyne’s playfully twisted imagination, and he returned to it a few times during his hour-long visit. He said that it, and a few other pieces in the show, made him feel “normal” by comparison.

Coyne also ran into Animal Collective’s Josh Dibb (Deakin), who was at the museum with his mom. He and Dibb exchanged numbers.

Then, Coyne headed to Sound Garden for a 5 pm meet and greet. Fans had started lining up four hours earlier and quite a crowd has assembled, but no one left disappointed. Coyne chatted with every last person, stayed until 4 am (!!!), and downed a few Natty Bohs in the process.