Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst is an fascinating man, and by fascinating, I imply he is “that man”: the one who will say or do one thing worthy of a head scratch on the peak of their profession (see: Woodstock ’99) that may overshadow any musical or creative output they’ve for many years after.
Having fun with considerably of a renaissance due to nü-metal going retro this yr, Limp Bizkit—and consequently, Fred Durst—are within the highlight once more. However might Fred have dedicated one other act of platonic-shift awkwardness by claiming to “despise jocks”—arguably a sizeable, if not substantial portion of Limp Bizkit‘s fan base?
In a case of what could also be notion being all the things, a barely confounded Durst advised entertainer Invoice Maher in an interview throughout his Club Random podcast that, “Individuals name [Limp Bizkit] ‘jock rock’… I imply, I despise jocks, ‘trigger these had been the fellows beating my ass on a regular basis.”
Let’s park the bus right here for a second add some colour to the context: Durst was talking about his personal life and experiences. And if we actually need get into platonic shifts via the a long time, nothing might have been extra unpredictable than the full obliteration within the Nineteen Nineties of the jock-metalhead-punk holy trinity of hatred that dominated the late 70s and 80s. So, I am sure Durst speaks sincerely when he talks about taking quite a lot of beatdowns whereas nonetheless on the come up.
However within the 90s, instantly heavy music—historically outsider music and the sound of deviancy on wax—was for everyone. This was thanks partly to the grunge bands kicking down loads of doorways for different bands to smash via — Pantera, Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Deftones, and sure, Limp Bizkit, all being the first examples.
Maher touched on this phenomenon when he spoke with Durst of the populism that was so key to the rise of nu-metal. “There was a sense round that turn-of-the-century time, and it was angsty,” stated Maher. “It was such as you captured that, you recognize, ‘I am simply pissed and I am gonna break shit.'”
To his credit score, Durst—seemingly wanting to regulate the narrative—advised Maher plainly, “I used to be bullied my entire life. Tortured, bullied… I used to be actually this peon child in my metropolis, at college, and finally the automobile I used to place behind Limp Bizkit was, ‘Oh, man, I am going to use this microphone to combat these guys again!’ However the irony was: the bullies that tortured me had been dressing like me within the viewers. So this huge artwork challenge changed into essentially the most ironic factor… and right here I’m 25 years later going, ‘Wow, that is unbelievable!’
Whereas I could not probably relate, I do perceive what Durst is explaining, basically making an attempt to not look a present horse within the mouth, after the identical horse had been kicking him within the balls each day since beginning. That “most ironic factor” Durst and Co. created is now intertwined inside such a convincing argument about fame, and is on the identical time each historic and hysterical. As a result of, in spite of everything, what did Durst famously say simply minutes after followers actually broke Woodstock ’99 and promoters pulled the plug on Limp Bizkit?
“We did not do something fallacious.”
Cautious what you want for, pals. You’ll be able to watch the total interview with Invoice Maher and Fred Durst just under.
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