Christmas came early for some Flaming Lips fans in Lawrence on Sunday. That’s when Wayne Coyne stopped by the local music mecca to mingle with fans as part of his record store tour where he sold and signed limited-edition reissues. He also showcased a chocolate skull and candy brain (along with a vinyl record).

The store was full of fun shenanigans for those who made it out of their freshly snowpacked neighborhoods. The chocolate skulls and candy brains, stacked in see-through cases along the counter, got the attention and snickers of some curious onlookers. The store had also set up a gong that fans banged on all night with Wayne.

The Flaming Lips frontman was full of clever and playful comments, bringing grins to the (thankfully) patient fans waiting in the line that stretched from one end of the store to the other. Wayne sustained an earnest and genuine conversation with each and every one of the folks that waited in line (some for hours). We saw him come up with some pretty impressive doodles on some of the records, and learned that there’s a special spot on guitars where he likes to sign his name. We also ran into some KU students who, instead of heading home after their finals, weathered the recent snowstorm over the weekend in order to make it to this event.

The Lawrence event was the final of five stops on the record store tour for Wayne, and drummer Kliph Scurlock (who lives in Lawrence) stopped in for a few minutes to mingle with the crowd and hang out with Wayne.

This wasn’t Wayne’s first appearance at Love Garden. In 2011, he stopped by the store for a surprise visit to deliver gummy fetuses embedded with a flash drive containing new Flaming Lips music.

Words and photos by Fally Afani

Here’s a clip of Wayne’s entrance from Sunday night’s signing (photo gallery after the clip):