Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit is an influental American Rapcore band and with Ko?n, are often credited with the popularization of the genre sometimes dubbed nu metal. The band is signed to Interscope Records/Geffen Records. For a short time, the band spelled their name in lowercase (limpbizkit).

Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

2000 saw the release of Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. The first two singles “My Generation” and “Rollin’” were released at the same time. Durst claimed this tactic would generate buzz for the album; his prediction was accurate, as both songs were hits. (A remix of “Rollin’” featuring Method Man, Redman and DMX was a minor club hit). The album sold 1,055,256 copies in its first week, a record for a rock album. It has gone on to sell over 7 million copies.

Related Topics:
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water - Remix - Method Man - Redman - DMX

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The band supported the album with a headlining tour named "Back To Basics". The tour was toted as bringing the fans closer to the bands, as the only thing separating the stage from the fans was a tall metal fence. Moreover, the tour was sponsored by Napster, and fans received free admission.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The band again became mired in controversy in 2001 during a tour of Australia with the Big Day Out rock festival. At the Sydney concert, teenage girl Jessica Michalik suffered a heart attack when fans rushed the stage. It was claimed that Durst was urging the crowd on, or that he failed to attempt to calm the crowd. Jessica was apparently "clinically dead" when she was pulled out of the mosh by security guards, and only managed to regain consciousness after having air pumped into her lungs as well as an adrenaline shot to the heart from paramedics backstage. She was immediately rushed to Sydney's Concorde Hospital where she was pronounced dead a few hours later. Thirty more fans were treated for minor injuries at the festival's medical tents.

Related Topics:
2001 - Australia - Big Day Out - Sydney - Jessica Michalik

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Reports in the Australian press said that the inquest "saw footage of Durst telling a reporter for American TV show Access Hollywood that he 'visited the girl in hospital" and that he has kept in touch with her parents". However, the Sydney Daily Telegraph reports that according to the police officer leading the investigation into the tragedy, Detective Inspector Gregory Bamford, says Durst made no such trip to Jessica's bedside" http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/article.asp?ID=5065&type=NWS", though Limp Bizkit's managment deny this.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later that year Borland was playing with his side project Big Dumb Face, and during interviews expressed dissatisfaction with Limp Bizkit. He was tired of the constant feuding, and furthermore, did not want to feud with or disparage Reznor, who Borland greatly admired. By the summer of 2001 he left the band. He told MTV news in an interview that Limp Bizkit were a "sell out band" and Durst had become an egomaniac. Borland's departure was seen as a major blow; he was often cited as a vital creative force in the group, due in part to his eclecticism.

Related Topics:
Big Dumb Face - Sell out - Egomaniac

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With Borland's absence, Limp Bizkit held auditions for a new guitarist. The audition was jokingly entitled "Put Your Guitar Where Your Mouth Is" http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1451596/20011221/story.jhtml. Thousands of hopefuls (most of them teenagers) lined up for hours some even days at record and guitar shops for a chance to audition. All participanting guitarists were requiring to sign waivers giving Limp Bizkit ownership of any riffs or interesting guitar parts performed by those auditioning. Each guitarist once called in had only 50 seconds to show the managment and band how good they were before being sent off back to the queue or simply sent home. The audition was held on a very hot day and there was not much shade about so many of the guitarists ended up suffering minor heat stroke.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Halfway through the contest, Fred Durst had a coccunut cream pie thrown at him by Richard Petrillo, an angry teenager. When the band stopped the tour bus for a food break, two of Limp Bizkit's bodyguards helped detain the teen while Durst signed his forehead with an indelible ink marker and drew an 'X' on his cheek. Sheriffs arriving at the scene handcuffed Petrillo and took him to the local police station. Richard Petrillo was charged with disorderly conduct and five counts of harassment. When the audition finally came to an end quite a few of the guitarists had to return home without even being heard.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Later on into the year Fred Durst would refuse to fly over to Australia to appear in court stating that he was a "fearfull flyer", choosing to appear via video link instead. Lawyers for the concert promoter, however, scoffed at the prospect of televised testimony, claiming witnesses "weren't bound by perjury laws when testimony". A band spokesperson reported that several of Limp Bizkit's tour managers had made written statements and would testify before the court, but Durst allegedly claimed that he couldn't fit the trip into his schedule.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When the day for the hearing arrived, Durst claimed that he told concert organisers of the potential dangers of having little security, and even told them that Limp Bizkit would pull out of the show if these faults were not addressed. He also testified that he voiced his concerns to the concert's promoter, Vivian Lees. During a cross-examination, Big Day Out attorneys attempted to pin the blame on Limp Bizkit because the music didn't completely stop when the band was alerted to the incident; although the guitars, drums and bass ceased, DJ Lethal played a soft, computer-generated loop. While saying that Lethal took it upon himself to play the interlude, Durst verified that the quiet melody did have a soothing effect on the crowd.

Related Topics:
Big Day Out - Interlude - Soothing

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the 10th of August 2002 Limp Bizkit were found not guilty. The security practices employed by festival organizers Creative Entertainment Australia bore the brunt of the blame. After viewing videotapes and hearing witness testimony, Milledge (the coroner) said it was evident that the density of the crowd was dangerous at the time Limp Bizkit took the stage. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1458584/20021108/story.jhtml

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The court decided that "Though Limp Bizkit weren't found to be at fault for the death of a teenager crushed at a concert last year, they could've been more helpful in efforts to aid the girl".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On March 7, 2003, Limp Bizkit announced it would perform live again for the first time in two years, at the upcoming WWE's Wrestlemania XIX which would take place on March 30http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2003/2003_03_28.jsp. Not only that, Limp Bizkit had signed up for some live tours, despite lacking a guitarist. The guitarists for Wrestlemania were later revealed when Durst wrote in a post on the official website: "We are playing Wrestlemania this weekend. On the guitars will be Head from Ko?n and Mike Smith from SNOT. We've been working with Mike for a while. He's dope." Two days later, Durst confirmed via the band’s official website that Mike Smith would be the official guitarist replacement.

Related Topics:
March 7 - 2003 - WWE - Wrestlemania XIX - March 30 - Head

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mike Smith then went on to tour with the band and help contribute to at least five songs on ‘’Results May Vary’’. Durst, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, and a sound engineer known as Elvis also played guitar on the record.

Related Topics:
Rivers Cuomo - Weezer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~