Pitchfork

Precisely one month ago today, we reported on a magical little stretch in Oklahoma City's Bricktown, an "alley...littered with open dumpsters, and...poorly lit at night", a quiet little corner of the universe that was one city council vote away from being transformed forevermore by three little words: The Flaming Lips. (Or, okay, two little words, if the city decides to nix the "the".)

That vote went down on Tuesday (December 5), and according to the Associated Press, the good people of OK City's council decided in the Lips' favor. Which means, hallelujah amen, Flaming Lips Alley is for real and you and your buds have a new spring break road trip destination.

"It's not just a typical, 'Give them a street, give them a statue, give them a handshake,'" Lips frontman Wayne Coyne-- who still resides in Oklahoma City-- told the AP. "It's like some little secret special thing."

"So many bands despise their hometowns," he also said. "I guess we're just lucky or it never felt that way to us. Oklahoma City never rejected us."

And we're only half-kidding about the road trip thing. In our previous story we mentioned Coyne's MySpace post, which encouraged Lips Alley proponents to e-mail OK City journalist Steve Lackmeyer to voice their support.

In a follow-up to his original story on the alley prospect for The Oklahoman, Lackmeyer noted receiving over 1,300 messages from Lips fanatics from around the globe, many of them sharing treasured Lips experiences and some even proposing "pilgrimages" to the newly christened alley just to have their photo taken next to the Flaming Lips Alley sign. RoadsideAmerica.com, get on this.

And yes, country superstar Vince Gill and jazz guitar legend Charlie Christian got their streets too.

Finally, the Lips ring out the old year with a pair of California gigs with Gnarls Barkley and Cat Power.

Auld Lang Lips:

12-30 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium *
12-31 Los Angeles, CA - University of Southern California *

* with Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power