The Flops

The Flops are not a household name, but they should be. Why? The simply brilliant concepts that may make this group an instant failure are the same concepts that may make theirs a successful mission statement. It is impossible for the Flops not to flop in one way or another; if they create a cult following (it is already happening), their concept will be shot (flop!). If they remain appropriately titled, then they continue to be a complete success according to their goals, yet being a complete success is against their goals (flop!). It's hard not to see the conundrum spinning out of control here, so we shall instead focus on one of the absurd requests these fellows make, which we shall attempt to uphold within our biography: to only use a lower case "t" in "the Flops." Consider it done, excepting the cases where the rules of syntax must be enforced.

Enter Matt Wilson and John Munson: witty, experienced, and lazy. Wilson and Munson started their careers together during the late '80s in the seminal Minneapolis rock band, Trip Shakespeare. They released two lo-fi recordings on the independent label Clean before inking a major-label deal with A&M and tossing out a couple of gems that were unfortunately largely overlooked. After disbanding in 1992, Munson and ex-Shakespeare guitarist Dan Wilson (Matt Wilson's brother) put together what was to become the immensely popular Semisonic. While Semisonic garnered national acclaim, Matt Wilson picked up gigs here and there, including a stint as the drummer for Minneapolis popsters Polara and playing producer for Magnet's Which Way EP. In 1998, he eventually focused back on his own writing and cut the stunning, dark, and beautiful Burnt White and Blue for his own label, Planetmaker Records. He dealt directly with his fiercely loyal fans by bypassing distribution and retail outlets via the internet, a strategy the Flops also use. In December 2001, during a break from Semisonic's hectic touring, Munson took the opportunity to play an acoustic show with former bandmate Wilson at Minneapolis' 400 Bar. It was such an enjoyable experience, the duo chose to officially title themselves the Flops and play more venues around town. It wasn't until late 2002 that the Flops released their debut Ooh La La, a collection culled from their first three live performances. The real treat came in the form of a second disc of multimedia included with Ooh La La, which contains a novel by Sam Magavern set to the music of the Flops. ~ Gregory McIntosh, Rovi