It only looks easy. Not every
band sells 1.5 million copies of their
debut record, and shares stages with the hottest acts in the
world while amassing a gigantic international fan-base long before
radio and -- yes, you, dear press folk -- woke up and smelled the
concrete. But Limp Bizkit rose out of their hometown of
Jacksonville, FL, on the backs of their friends and allies around the
globe. Through ceaseless touring and a dynamic live show, the
little group with the curious name found themselves in heady
company indeed.They're that band with the DJ from House of
Pain, you're thinking. The ones that got where they are because
they inked tattoos on their friends in Korn, those guys with the
George Michael song. Yeah, yeah, yeah... Limp Bizkit have heard
it all before. Here's the scoop: Significant Other, the band's
second album for Flip/Interscope Records, shatters the sophomore
jinx. Yes, they toured incessantly last year, scoring an impressive trifecta
by appearing on the 1998 Warped and Ozzfest excursions, as well as the
inaugural edition of the groundbrekingFamily Values tour. This is the band
that also threw a traveling party of their very own called "Ladies Night
in Cambodia" for two solid months, which provided free admission for the
first 200 women to attend each night. They had a massive hit on their hands
with their inimitable cover of George Michael's "Faith," and they watched
sales of their album fly past Platinum certification. Worthy and respectable
efforts, all. "I think we've successfully set a landmark for this type
of music," he states. "Other bands have combined singing and heavy rock
and rap, but no one's done it all to the extent where the rap is totally
hip-hop credible, the heavy parts can move 100,000 people at a time in
an arena, and the melodies can make the whole world sing.
That crash you just heard was the
gauntlet hitting the ground. For the band - including guitarist Wes Borland,
drummer John Otto, bassist Sam Rivers, and turntable-man DJ Lethal -- Significant
Other is the album that will dispel the doubters and silence the skeptical.
It's a collection of songs that Limp Bizkit say that they learned to write
from playing to audiences around the world, watching their fans in action.
"The title refers to male-female relationships, of course," says Wes Borland.
"But it also refers to this record as our 'significant other'. This is
the record that we've wanted to make since we started this band." Co-produced
by the band with famed noise technician Terry Date (Pantera, White Zombie,
Staind) and mixed by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots),
Significant Other's incisive tracks range from the corrosive fury of "Break
Stuff" and "Nookie" (the album's first video and radio track) to the more
measured and tuneful
"No Sex" and "Rearranged." "It's a record about betrayal," Fred says. "I
guess I ask for it sometimes. The way I get treated by back-stabbing friends
and girls, it's probably due to my own actions." His trauma is captured
in the record's rich sonic experimentation, such as the orchestral flourishes
that creep into the dramatic "Don't Go Off Wandering."
Or the slinky, phat beats of the
landmark hip-hop jam, "N2gether," which pairs the band with Method Man
from the Wu-Tang Clan and features production by DJ Premier of Gang Starr.
Further adding to the excitement are the appearances of a host of luminaries,
including the unlikely alliance of Korn's Jonathan Davis and Stone Temple
Pilots' Scott Weiland on the dynamic "Nobody Like You." In a humorous
interlude, you can hear MTV veejay Matt Pinfield vent his spleen on the
state of today's gutless rock environment. And Fred Durst's own mom even
makes a cameo! Ever since they formed in late 1994, Limp Bizkit have blazed
a trail for themselves like few other bands of the 1990s. Armed with
their Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$ debut, the band unafraid to perform
for any crowd, anywhere, at any time. The band could be seen on MTV, rocking
the beach on the network's "Spring Break" edition of Fashionably Loud.
And there they were again on the channel come New Year's Eve, effortlessly
grooving with ex-House of Pain rapper Everlast and Kid Rock, and getting
props from teen queen Jennifer Love Hewitt. Aided in their quest
by their overactive imaginations, Limp Bizkit began their Ozzfest sets
by emerging from a gigantic, filthy toilet, and brought down the house
on the Family Values tour, armed with a troupe of break-dancers and a science
fiction-themed stage straight out of Mars Attacks. In the meantime, one-time
tattoo artist Fred Durst has proven himself one of the hardest-working
men in show business. He's acted as an A&R rep for Flip Records (signing
the band Staind and producing the upcoming second album from Jacksonville
homies Cold); he's been a guest on records from such notables as Korn,
Videodrone and Soulfly; and he directed the heavily-rotated video for "Faith"
as well as the video for "Nookie." The singer helped design and create
the outlandish above-described stages. He's even writing a screenplay!
"Look at George Lucas!" laughs Fred, when asked about his energy and unflagging
attention to detail.That motherfucker, he don't stop, dude! If we do enough
amazing things - films, videos, songs music - you become legends, and a
whole new generation becomes tripped-out to work with you." With a headlining
spot secured on the second Family Values tour, and tentative plans to return
yet again to the studio late this year, Limp Bizkit might appear to have
their hands full dealing with all the attention they're certain to receive.
Fred Durst is unconcerned. "I've never been so confident about our focus
until right now," he grins. "I cannot wait to go on tour, and I'm
usually the one who can't wait to go home!"