"We thought of ourselves as being a no-talent, hillbillies-gone-punk version of The Who," says Wayne Coyne in The Fearless Freaks, modestly underrating his band. The Flaming Lips are one of the most sublimely offbeat acts to emerge from the 90's alternative music scene, and Bradley Beesley's film follows in minute detail their hard-knocks rise from three chord blunderers to mainstream success story.

It started off in an unlikely place. Norman, Oklahoma is not exactly a hot-bed of alternative rock. Virtually unknown for years, The Lips endured constant line-up changes, and Coyne even had to man the fryer at Long John Silver's to keep the group afloat before they hit paydirt with the song "She Don't Use Jelly."

What makes the film so endearing is the treasure trove of revealing, intimate footage Beesley was able to procure. There are early shows where pyrotechnics made up for poor musicianship, interviews with Coyne's ne'er-do-well siblings, and even a frightening interlude in which drummer Steven Drozd injects heroin. Coming from such humble beginnings, and faced with all manner of adversity, The Lips' is an amazing and unlikely D.I.Y. success story. Who knew that all "no-talent hillbillies-gone-punk" could rock so well?