Reading the news about homes destroyed and lives lost in the fast-spreading Oklahoma and Texas wildfires this morning, we couldn’t help thinking about Okla-native Wayne Coyne. Fortunately, his Lips are the only thing Flaming. You’ll remember, Mr. Coyne had us out to his pad to offer Useful Tips on surviving a Martian invasion a few months back, and we were blown away by his cozy compound.

Turns out, he was in upstate New York working on his new record, which, he says, is going swimmingly. His girlfriend, Michelle, is holding down the fort. “Michele was saying yesterday it was sort of like the aftermath of some sort of holocaust,” Coyne says. “There was a fire in my neighborhood when I left Tuesday morning. It was windy and the sky was already full of dust. But the trouble they’re having is that the fires are out in these remote places where they can’t get to any water. My house, strangely enough, is touted as being the first fireproof house ever built in Oklahoma City. It’s made out of concrete and stone and bricks from right there in the area. It’s claim to fame is that it’s tornado-proof and fire-proof. Whenever anyone is aware of the weather in Oklahoma, I’m always like, ‘Dude, I’m fine.’”

Coyne, and Blender, offer our sympathies to those in less fortunate predicaments.