One of my favorite bands from Atlanta, The Black Lips, apparently ran into a whole bunch of trouble in India. They went there to support their upcoming fifth studio album, 200 Million Thousand (out February 24). On January 29th they began the “Campus Rock Idol” Tour — a big-ticket, American Idol-like televised series with large corporate sponsors, etc… that is, until last Saturday in Chennai, when the following occurred (according to PR):

The band entertained the crowd with what stateside fans would consider a typically raucous Black Lips show, replete with intra-band lip locking, and Cole de-pantsing, mooning the crowd, and attempting to play his six-string with, well, his privates. Barely okay in America, definitely NOT okay in India, the band was subsequently chased out of the country and the sponsors pulled the plug, effectively canceling the rest of the tour and the television season. The events have caused an international wave of news coverage, rounded out by everything from defensive “It’s only rock n roll” stories to meatier pieces that tease out the more nuanced concepts at play here, namely artistic freedom versus cultural respect.”

What’s bad for India is good for us, as VBS had cameras running the whole time and will have a series in the upcoming weeks documenting the entire experience. Titled simply The Black Lips in India, it’ll follow the band till their rushed exodus to King Khan’s pad in Berlin. Should be an entertaining ride.

For more info, read the letter Cole Alexander sent after the escape and an interview with drummer Joe Bradley…