Keith Flint, the quintessential Essex Bad Boy, infamous for his outrageous hair-do’s and on-stage antics, was simply known as “one of the dancers” from The Prodigy for many years. Developing his creative side further by creating hard-hitting vocal performances for many of the Prodigy’s tracks has also seen him step into the role of spokesperson and unofficial front-man for the band recently. Keith caused outrage amongst upstanding citizens across the globe with his menacing appearance in the video for “Firestarter”, released in 1996. When it was aired on “Top of the Pops” in the UK, the BBC received sackfuls of complaints from angry parents, saying that Keith was too scary for early evening viewing, despite the fact that no drugs, guns, violence or swearing were featured in the video. One particularly upset viewer claimed in a letter, “This young man is clearly in need of urgent medical attention.”
This rather dramatic entrance to the conscious mind of the wider general public set the reputation for the Prodigy in the 1990’s as the hardcore brats of techno – does Keith find it’s now harder to shock people, nearly 10 years on? “If you’re relating to The Prodigy – we’re not out to shock people, I don’t think anything we’ve done in the past has been deliberately for shock value, you know – we go for “rock” value! There is a hard line aggression in the beats and in our approach to the music and that’s because of the souls involved in it. The honesty in the music, and the willingness to express it, some people do find shocking. Years ago, when punk was first out, yes, things were shocking but the generations were a lot different, you know. The media now has become so huge and we see awful things on the tele every day, but people just carry on eating their dinner! People are really desensitised to it all. But I do think that you’re really faking it nowadays, if you try to get your message across purely by shocking the public.” I ask Keith if that means so-called “shock-jocks” don’t have anything valid to say, “No, no – not at all, because I still want to see those sorts of people in action!” he laughs. “But seriously, it’s when you’re racist, sexist or politically incorrect, those sort of views start crossing over into politics, which is not what The Prodigy is about.”
With such an energetic on-stage persona to sustain, it surely must get a bit exhausting sometimes, so I ask him if he ever heads home after a gig, pops on a cardigan and slippers and feeds the cat – is there ever any escape from “Keith the Madman”? “You know what? Not at all! That’s all part of my character, it’s part of me – it’s what happens! You know when you go to a club and everyone’s just standing around, looking at everyone else? I’m just the person who doesn’t mind jumping around and having fun! I’m comfortable with myself and honest enough to say, yeah – this is what music does to me. The beats, the rhythm, the mayhem and the sonics, all of that creates an almost-drug-like state, all of that’s just honest. I’m still just very excited about being there. I mean, anyone who got up on stage would just be like “faaarkin hell – look at me! I’m up ‘ere” and I haven’t lost that sparkle yet, I’m just very lucky to still be up there. The excitement just carries from the people and the unity within. That level of energy just runs through everything we do with the Prodigy.”
Their impending Australian tour includes performances at both the Two Tribes electronic music festival and exclusive headline dates in the eastern states. Having so much energy to burn, what can we expect from these shows? ” Without sounding a little big-headed, you can see Prodigy at their peak again – with the same energy. In a way, it’s the same Prodigy, because we haven’t gone away, picked a new image, come up with a new sales technique and decided, well, this is how we’re gonna rock it in 2005. The foundations are there, and always have been, for a very very strong live show and it’s very consistent. It feels very fresh. It’s like when we were on tour in England, it wasn’t like a “re-union” feel, it felt like – and it was – a band that were back together and reclaiming their territory. The warriors returning from battle!”
Having other side projects, interests and families means the members of the Prodigy have their collective fingers in many different pies. Do the “warriors” still get much of a chance to hang out together when they’re not on the road? “Of course we’re very close when we’re not on tour. Now that we’ve got so much substance, there’s more communication between all of us. There was a hibernation period for a while, but now we’re firing. When you’re brothers, like we are, when a friendship and the associated respect is so ingrained, we don’t have to ring each other once a week to confirm we’re still mates! You just know that you enjoy each others’ company when you’re there.”
Liam Howlett, credited with being the creative mastermind behind the group’s music, was known for his habit of locking himself in his bedroom to compose. This introspective artistic process gave birth to many Prodigy anthems, however seems rather exclusive for the other members of the group. What’s the creative interaction within the group now? “There’s more and more input into the music from everyone. We all have our own studios now, and there’s no writing formula as such. You know, we’re not coming in to the studio, writing a verse, then a chorus, then another verse – like we were writing a song to sell to another wanna-be pop-star! Me and Liam did a track called “Warning” not that long ago for example. We just sort of write as we go – Liam writes it, I started singing along to it and on that occasion it just really flowed and happened really nicely. But you know, some days it can be like 3 days of…(silence)...tumbleweed” he laughs. “You can’t force something to happen like that – we’re trying to create something that reflects who we are, who the band is. It’s not easy and I personally find it very hard to do.”
Despite this difficulty in finding ways to project the essence of the Prodigy, Keith seems to have inspired a great following with his snarling vocals. Was there a conscious effort to show the public there was talent beyond the dancing? “I believe that if you don’t panic too much, it will come to you, the path will come to you. I didn’t have to seek it out or hunt for it – the opportunity came to me and allowed it to be what it was. It wasn’t forced or artificial. No preconceptions. If you’re realistic and can recognise it, you can take those opportunities and they’re driven by passion and belief. We got in to the studio and got started, wrote some lyrics, and you know, just threw them down! Knowing what I felt on stage, I really only had to put what my body was saying through my mouth. I’m definitely not a singer! I’m only putting what I feel out there. There’s no intelligence behind it – just passion, no intelligence at all I’m afraid!” So no hidden political messages behind the vocals? “No. Never. I don’t think I’d be that selfish. A line that feels like it’s universal, that every one can understand, that pinpoints what I believe in, that’s what it’s about.”
Keith is involved with quite a few other side projects, mostly associated with the punk rock genre. He’s recently been quoted as saying “I’m just hungry and my head’s full of imagery, music and beats. I’m schizophrenic at the moment – there’s probably four different personalities inside of me”. As a self-confessed Attention Deficit Disorder patient, does involvement in these other bands keep all of Keith’s personalities satisfied? “”Flint” and “Clever Brains Frying” are very different environments for me and you don’t realise just how creative you are until you have an outlet for it. Sometimes frustration and boredom can be turned from all that doom and gloom into something quite exciting, just by getting off your arse and doing something about it. It’s really good all-round for me, as with “Flint” I definitely have more singing involvement, which has been a really good outlet. Having loads of different ways to approach your writing and expressing yourself has given benefit to The Prodigy environment as well. The demons get involved if you’re left to your own devices too much!” They may do Keith, but that’s why we all flock to your shows!
Check out The Prodigy live tour at the venues below:
Sat Mar 5th – Sydney, Two Tribes
Sun Mar 6th – Perth, Two Tribes (BUY TICKETS)
Tue Mar 8th – Brisbane, The Riverstage
Wed Mar 9th – Sydney, Hordern Pavilion
Thu Mar 10th – Melbourne, The Metro (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Mar 12th – Adelaide, Two Tribes
Sun Mar 13th – Melbourne, Two Tribes (BUY TICKETS)
