Fred Durst - vocals
DJ Lethal - turntables
Wes Borland - guitar
Sam Rivers - bass
John Otto - drums
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!"