March 5, 2009 14:10

Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne: 'Arcade Fire are pricks who treat their fans like shit'

Win Butler is shocked by the verbal attack

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne has laid into Arcade Fire, calling the band "pricks" who don't respect their audiences or road crew.

Coyne launched into the tirade during an interview with Rolling Stone.

The singer said he met the band when The Flaming Lips played a show with Arcade Fire. Coyne explained that he was shocked at the lack of respect they showed to their entourage.

"I'm a fan of them on one level, but on another level I get really tired of their pompousness," Coyne said. "We've played some shows with them and they really treat people like shit. Whenever I've been around them, I've found that they not only treated their crew like shit, they treated the audience like shit. They treated everybody in their vicinity like shit."

Coyne added that he likes Arcade Fire's music, but is unwilling to tolerate their attitude.

He said: "They have good tunes, but they're pricks, so fuck 'em. Who do Arcade Fire think they are?"

Responding to Coyne's criticism on his blog at Arcadefire.com, Win Butler reacted with shock.

"Wow. I can't believe I am actually writing to defend my band's 'real' personality," he wrote, before claiming that Coyne had no right to lay into the band.

"I can't imagine a reason why we would have been pompous towards The Flaming Lips, a band we have always loved, on that particular night, all those years ago. Unless I was way more jet-lagged than I remember, I hope I was less of a 'prick' than telling Rolling Stone that a bunch of people I don't know at all are really assholes."