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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!"
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