Lip Service: The Black Lips Get Chauffered Around Bonnaroo
The band searches for a long-lost cousin on a golf-cart joyride around the 'Roo grounds. Sober SPIN took the wheel.
1.Ian St. Pé reps for Atlanta's adult premier entertainment dive bar, the Clermont Lounge. Stay classy, kids.
As Atlanta flower punks Black Lips waited in their trailer for someone to find a golf cart so they could enjoy a bit of Bonnaroo joyriding, the band chatted with SPIN about the importance of their fans, the dire laundry situation in Europe (the guys were fresh off the plane from Portugal), and, most importantly, the imminent quest to find bassist Jared Swilley's long-lost cousin, who was apparently somewhere on the grounds.
"I've never met Tony," Swilley said about his unfamiliar family member. "She just hit me up on Facebook saying she'd be here working a lemonade stand. You guys think we could try and find her?"
Always up for an adventure, the band piled into the just-located vehicle, which kicked up a cloud of dust as it sped away into the Bonnaroo unknown.
Click through to see what Black Lips got into during their golf cart roundabout on the festival's final day of fun. LUKE McCORMICK
2.Ian St. Pé reps for Atlanta's adult premier entertainment dive bar, the Clermont Lounge. Stay classy, kids.
As Atlanta flower punks Black Lips waited in their trailer for someone to find a golf cart so they could enjoy a bit of Bonnaroo joyriding, the band chatted with SPIN about the importance of their fans, the dire laundry situation in Europe (the guys were fresh off the plane from Portugal), and, most importantly, the imminent quest to find bassist Jared Swilley's long-lost cousin, who was apparently somewhere on the grounds.
"I've never met Tony," Swilley said about his unfamiliar family member. "She just hit me up on Facebook saying she'd be here working a lemonade stand. You guys think we could try and find her?"
Always up for an adventure, the band piled into the just-located vehicle, which kicked up a cloud of dust as it sped away into the Bonnaroo unknown.
Click through to see what Black Lips got into during their golf cart roundabout on the festival's final day of fun. LUKE McCORMICK
3.Guitarist Cole Alexander covers up his spectacular mustache as he tells SPIN about some exciting upcoming plans. "Tomorrow in Nashville," he said, "we make a live record with Jack White," he said.
4.Drummer Joe Bradley makes sure his back seat golf cart reservation for two is all set prior to launch.
5."Whoever is drunkest can drive," Alexander said as the band entered the cart. Our sober photo editor won out.
6.Cole Alexander shows the rest of the band the improper way to ride in the cart, so that they may learn from his mistakes.
7.Alexander and Bradley get in the festival spirit by showing a little skin.
8."I always wanted to play a hippie festival," said St. Pé. "It's kind of a different demographic for us."
9."When we were little we just stole the golf carts," said Swilley. "Now we get permission [to use them]. We just did [the] Primavera [festival] and stole the golf carts. They had to chase after us on bicycles!"
10."We always wanted to do [Bonnaroo] because we're a Southern rock band. At least, I consider ourselves Southern rock and this is the biggest Southern festival," Swilley said.
11.Cole finally reveals that magnificent mustache.
12.Our wonderful photographer Ysa Perez had to explain to the band what the Bang Bus was. (They decided not to cough up the $5.)
13.However, the photo opp was free of charge.
14.Speaking on getting into trouble on carts in the past, Swilley said, "I think it'll be better this year because in Barcelona [at Primavera] there was a language difference. We're Georgians, so here it should be no problem talking our way out of stuff."
15."Bonnaroo 2012! Black Lips, SPIN magazine, what's up!" St. Pé yelled. "We did it, we finally got here!"
16.Ian and Joe thought they'd spotted the lemonade stand! Jared, though, had his doubts.
17.Jared found the lemonade stand! Sadly, his cousin Tony was nowhere to be found.
