Twelve years ago, Limp Bizkit’s third album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, of which I still know every word to, sold 1.05 million copies in its first week. Limp Bizkit’s sixth record, Gold Cobra, which you probably didn’t realize came out last year, sold 75,000…total.
Yes, a part of that drop is because no one buys albums anymore, but it’s also due to a nearly unprecedented backlash against the L.I.M.P. Though the nu-metal giants were never respected, they were beloved by many (white suburban boys who were too afraid to listen to rap) in the late 1990s, early 2000s and sold over 30 million albums. But fans’ tastes have moved on — “evolved” if you will — which is why Durst, in an interview with Kerrang!, via Metal Injection, says:
“We haven’t properly toured America since 2006. The reason? We just don’t know what’s going on in America. It’s all about the new catchy thing and that’s always changing. America is driven by record sales. It’s the home of corporations. We’re just Limp Bizkit, so we don’t know how to do anything but Limp Bizkit.
But here’s the deal: say in 2000, there were 35 million people who connected to this band. Twelve years later, lots of those people have moved on. We were a moment in time and it’s over.” (Via)
I can’t tell if he’s solemn or bitter. Either way, Fred, your band’s legacy lives on through this photo:
Why yes, that is Fred Durst on a toilet. Poetic, really. For what it’s worth, “N 2 Gether Now” holds up.
(Via)
