HISTORY
History Writes Another Page
The story surrounding Limp Bizkit is the stuff of minor rock legend. A virtual overnight success story, Limp
Bizkit rose up from the depths of the supreme birthplace of Southern rock with an unrelenting aural mash of
hip-hop and metal that could easily cause Ronnie Van Zandt to roll over in his grave.
Limp Bizkit's rise to the cream-of-the-crop of the pre-millennial pop maelstrom began back in 1994 in the
Southern rock stronghold of Jacksonville, Fla. (home to the likes of Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and 38
Special, no less). Everything got put into motion when the band's vocalist, Fred Durst, teamed up with his
longtime friend (and bass player) Sam Rivers. Limp Bizkit's rhythm section was solidified soon after when
Rivers brought aboard his cousin, jazz drummer John Otto. Guitarist Wes Borland was soon added and the
nucleus of Limp Bizkit was thus intact.
Now everybody knows that forming a band is only half the battle. You've got to have yourself a catchy
name, as well. Ironically, the band's moniker was conceived in one of those rare moments of rock and roll
mystique that bears distinct flashback relevance to the legend of how Led Zeppelin got its tag. Apparently
Durst and a friend were talking one day and the friend exclaimed that his brain was like a "limp biscuit."
Recognizing the cachet of such a phrase, Durst and company quickly adopted it (and like Zep, even altered
the spelling a bit). Thus Limp Bizkit was officially born.
So the group was a functioning unit and named, but it had one more hurdle to jump: getting noticed. That's
where Durst's moonlighting gig as a tattoo artist came into play. Legend has it that early on in Limp Bizkit's
career Korn was making a tour stop in Jacksonville. After the show, Korn bassist Fieldy and guitarist Head
descended on Durst's abode and employed his considerable skin-art skills. As luck would have it, the three
became fast friends. The next time Korn swung through town, Durst unloaded Limp Bizkit's demo on them,
and the band promised to pass it along to their producer Ross Robinson. Bada-boom, bada-bing. Robinson
vibed with the LB sound and the band began to gain serious buzz within the music industry, landing tour
slots with House of Pain and the Deftones.
Following the tour with HoP (who broke up shortly thereafter) and about a year and a half before the release
of their 1997 breakout debut album Three Dollar Bill Y'all$, Limp Bizkit gained its fifth and final member in
former House of Pain turntablist DJ Lethal. With the addition of Lethal, the band was given a seriously
demented hip-hop edge. "I bring a bunch of crap to the table," laughs Lethal in regard to his contributions to
the band. "Seriously, though, as far as Limp Bizkit goes, I try and bring new sounds, not just the regular
chirping scratching sounds. You won't really hear the regular, been there/done that scratching, know what I
mean? It's all different stuff that you haven't heard before. I'm trying to be like another guitar player. That's
my main goal."
After the release of Three Dollar Bill Y'all$, the band embarked on a serious touring frenzy. Their
over-the-top stage shows — giant toilets, sci-fi inspired sets, breakdancers — helped them gain new fans
and ultimately aided them in eclipsing the 1.5 million copies sold mark. In addition to landing some
high-profile spots on the 1998 Warped and Ozzfest tours, the band became one of the core bands in the
lineup of the initial Family Values entourage. Limp Bizkit also threw its own traveling shindig titled,
appropriately enough, "Ladies Night in Cambodia" — in a brilliant stroke of marketing, the first 200 women
to attend the show each night were given free admission.
While incessant touring provided the band access to new fans, they also gained some notoriety via their
irreverent remake of George Michael's "Faith." Limp Bizkit's rage-in-the-cage version really blew the lid off
the band (not to mention some ironic timing, as the release of the song coincided with Michael's notorious
bathroom bust). The band made further headlines (albeit mostly in the trade press) in '98 when its label,
Flip/Interscope, was snagged in a payola scandal involving pay-for-play of its active rock single
"Counterfeit" at KUFO radio in Portland, Ore. But the Bizkit proved to be Teflon-coated (that and the fact
that the fans really could care less about commercial radio tactics) and continued to rack up sales and gain
new fans through touring.
The group's sophomore effort, Significant Other, was released on June 22, 1999, and sold well over half a
million copies its first week out, helping maintain its steamroller-esque momentum. Significant Other ups the
rap-edged ante as it prominently features production from Gangstarr's DJ Premier, as well as a verbal cameo
from the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man on "N 2 Gether Now." Other cameos on the album include a rant by
MTV's Matt Pinfield, and the pairing of Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland and Korn's Jonathan Davis on
"Nobody Like You." Hell, even Durst's mom makes an appearance on the album. But despite the guests,
Significant Other is all Limp Bizkit. To keep their success intact and the LB momentum at full throttle, the
band will once again be part of the "Family Values" tour slated for the Fall of '99.
