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
groundbreaking Family 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 were 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!"
