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A SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!
Name: Keith Flint
Age: was 49
Occupation: lead singer, The Prodigy
Last Seen: up in the heavens
Awarded For: helping to shape the music of the 90s
-Age: was 49
Occupation: lead singer, The Prodigy
Last Seen: up in the heavens
Awarded For: helping to shape the music of the 90s
There's an old saying that death comes in threes.
Just today, the world lost hockey legend Ted Lindsay, who helped my Detroit Red Wings win four Stanley Cups and helped hockey players unionize. The world also lost 1990s teen heartthrob Luke Perry to a stroke at age 52. Hard to believe that not quite 30 years ago, he was the guy teenage girls loved to death.
However here in America, our NBC Nightly News and local newscasts totally ignored the passing of a 1990s music icon: Keith Flint.
I know, Keith Whats-his-name wasn't a total household name. But if you watched MTV in the 1990s and listened to alternative rock radio in that time frame. You've definitely heard him and saw him when you watched MTV. He was the spiky-haired, in-your-face co-frontman of The Prodigy. His punk rock persona helped to catapult their 1996 single "Firestarter" to become their biggest single around the world. Here in America, it was their only top 40 hit on the Billboard chart, peaking at #30.
"Firestarter" was so controversial when it was released that in England, the BBC yanked the song out of rotation because when they debuted the video on Top of the Pops, the imagery of Keith scared young children. Of course, it wasn't The Prodigy's most-controversial video, either. He also sang lead on their next big single, "Breathe".
Of course, Keith's voice was nowhere to be heard on "Smack My Bitch Up", whose video about a young woman's drug binge created enormous controversy in 1997. Not to mention the song itself, whose sole lyrics "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up" were lifted from an old rap song from 1988, "Give The Drummer Some" by the Ultramagnetic MCs featuring Kool Keith.
"Firestarter", "Breathe" and "Smack My Bitch Up" were all from The Prodigy's 1997 album "The Fat of the Land", which might be their greatest. But, they had other albums and singles, too, though many of them lack Flint's raucous vocals. There's "Out of Space" which samples an old reggae song "Chase the Devil" by Max Romeo, "Poison" whose lead locals were done by co-lead singer/rapper Maxim Reality and "Hotride", which was sung by actress Juliette Lewis.
Flint was even the lead singer of his own band, simply called "Flint" in the early 00s. They only released one single, "Asteroids".
Even though their "Fat of the Land" success is long behind them, the band still toured and recorded regularly. As a matter of fact, they released a new album late last year, "No Tourists" that has done well internationally and was a hit with critics. Ironically, one of the tracks on the album is a song called "We Live Forever" with Flint on lead.
Sadly, fans of The Prodigy learned today that Flint died at home over the weekend from suicide. He was just 49. His death has undoubtedly shocked the music world. "The news is true, I can't believe I'm saying this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend, I'm shell shocked, fucking angry, confused and heart broken," said Liam Howlett, the group's principal composer.
Tributes have been pouring in for Flint; the Foo Fighters - for whom The Prodigy remixed "White Limo" - wrote "RIP the incomparable Keith Flint. A true icon in every way. Thank you for the inspiration, music and friendship." James Blunt, Brian May, Slipknot and even a band that helped to influence The Prodigy's sound, Depeche Mode, all paid their respects on social media.
What's even more sad about Flint's death is that he joins the sea of other entertainers who took their own life over the years: Kurt Cobain, Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington and too many others. It's a shame that all the money, fans and fame in the world couldn't help them.
Instead of saying something witty, I'll say that depression is treatable and I feel that helping one another can help others as well. The world can be a cruel place and losing a legend like Keith Flint only makes it crueler.
But in my case, at least he helped improve the soundtrack of my teenage years.
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:
1-800-273-8255
BRITISH HELPLINES:
CLICK HERE
However here in America, our NBC Nightly News and local newscasts totally ignored the passing of a 1990s music icon: Keith Flint.
I know, Keith Whats-his-name wasn't a total household name. But if you watched MTV in the 1990s and listened to alternative rock radio in that time frame. You've definitely heard him and saw him when you watched MTV. He was the spiky-haired, in-your-face co-frontman of The Prodigy. His punk rock persona helped to catapult their 1996 single "Firestarter" to become their biggest single around the world. Here in America, it was their only top 40 hit on the Billboard chart, peaking at #30.
"Firestarter" was so controversial when it was released that in England, the BBC yanked the song out of rotation because when they debuted the video on Top of the Pops, the imagery of Keith scared young children. Of course, it wasn't The Prodigy's most-controversial video, either. He also sang lead on their next big single, "Breathe".
Of course, Keith's voice was nowhere to be heard on "Smack My Bitch Up", whose video about a young woman's drug binge created enormous controversy in 1997. Not to mention the song itself, whose sole lyrics "change my pitch up, smack my bitch up" were lifted from an old rap song from 1988, "Give The Drummer Some" by the Ultramagnetic MCs featuring Kool Keith.
"Firestarter", "Breathe" and "Smack My Bitch Up" were all from The Prodigy's 1997 album "The Fat of the Land", which might be their greatest. But, they had other albums and singles, too, though many of them lack Flint's raucous vocals. There's "Out of Space" which samples an old reggae song "Chase the Devil" by Max Romeo, "Poison" whose lead locals were done by co-lead singer/rapper Maxim Reality and "Hotride", which was sung by actress Juliette Lewis.
Flint was even the lead singer of his own band, simply called "Flint" in the early 00s. They only released one single, "Asteroids".
Even though their "Fat of the Land" success is long behind them, the band still toured and recorded regularly. As a matter of fact, they released a new album late last year, "No Tourists" that has done well internationally and was a hit with critics. Ironically, one of the tracks on the album is a song called "We Live Forever" with Flint on lead.
Sadly, fans of The Prodigy learned today that Flint died at home over the weekend from suicide. He was just 49. His death has undoubtedly shocked the music world. "The news is true, I can't believe I'm saying this but our brother Keith took his own life over the weekend, I'm shell shocked, fucking angry, confused and heart broken," said Liam Howlett, the group's principal composer.
Tributes have been pouring in for Flint; the Foo Fighters - for whom The Prodigy remixed "White Limo" - wrote "RIP the incomparable Keith Flint. A true icon in every way. Thank you for the inspiration, music and friendship." James Blunt, Brian May, Slipknot and even a band that helped to influence The Prodigy's sound, Depeche Mode, all paid their respects on social media.
What's even more sad about Flint's death is that he joins the sea of other entertainers who took their own life over the years: Kurt Cobain, Robin Williams, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington and too many others. It's a shame that all the money, fans and fame in the world couldn't help them.
Instead of saying something witty, I'll say that depression is treatable and I feel that helping one another can help others as well. The world can be a cruel place and losing a legend like Keith Flint only makes it crueler.
But in my case, at least he helped improve the soundtrack of my teenage years.
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:
1-800-273-8255
BRITISH HELPLINES:
CLICK HERE
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Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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