Gimmie The Dirt

In The Begining…

I’ve been a metalhead since 2000. My ‘go to’ bands were Iron Maiden, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein & Slipknot (quite the selection I think you’ll agree) I’ve since expanded my taste in the last 19 years (punk, dubstep, a little pop, 90s nostalgia etc) but metal is my bread and butter. Of all the bands I’ve seen, listened to and love…Motley Crue was never on the list.

Red Hot

Now, obviously, I’ve always been aware of Tommy Lee & Co. But I was never a fan of hair metal. My mum loved Bon Jovi so I’d listen to him, but that’s as far as I’d go. The rest of the scene always seemed a little cheesy…how little did I know!

Kickstart My Heart

Fast forward to the present day and I am now HOOKED! Near OBSESSED with the band. And it’s all thanks to the Jeff Tremaine Netlifx original ‘The Dirt’ (a film based on the 2001 book of the same name) I don’t want to review the film because honestly…you HAVE to see it to believe it. It’s pure insanity! Great casting, great storytelling and a great vision. I am proof that you do not have to be a fan of the band to appreciate the work. What I do want to say is this…

The Future

I’m 36 years old and I have a new found love of a band that is no longer touring or even (as of this post) recording new music! I’ve watched a TONNE of Youtube videos about them. I’ve read article after article about them, and I’ve just taken in as much information as I can about them. This film alone has made me thirsty for more. Now…imagine I was 19 again and taking in all this ‘dirt’. The inspiration is astronomical. I guarantee I would want to start a band or write or even aim to direct my own flick. Their glory days might be behind them, but the bands and writers of the future they have inspired is an even greater legacy than their chaotic history. Jeff Tremaine is a genius and the band owe him a lot of love (which I have no doubt he gets) for creating such a masterpiece and something that has grown their fanbase exponentially.

Get it watched. You won’t be disappointed.

To Keith

I was 14 in 1997. That was the year I was first introduced to The Prodigy. I was sat watching TOTPs with my dad and Firestarter came on. I vividly remember being blown away by the visuals. I’d never seen anything like it before. Even my dad was left gobsmacked. The next day at school it’s all we spoke about. This was a true game changer when it came to music, and it opened up many doors for me.

I grew up in a very strict ‘no-nonsense’ household. My mum loved The Bay City Rollers, The Osmonds and Showaddywaddy, and my dad loved Joan Armatrading, Paul Simon and Otis Reading; heavy, angry, intense music was FAR from what we would listen to. So you can imagine the shock for them to see and hear this being played in the UK charts. I was at an age where I didn’t really like any music as such, but the imagery and intensity of Keith and The Prodigy lit a spark inside me that would stay hidden away until my late teens (when I finally felt able to express myself properly)

Their music and influence were with me throughout the whole of the 90s and 2000s, and they have influenced way more bands than I realised.

There is undeniable sadness to this situation, and I don’t wish to focus on his death or the reasons why etc so instead I think a celebration of their music is in order.

If you’re not familiar with The Lounge Kittens, then you will be after this. Three extremely talented ladies put together a Prodigy Melody Cover song that features all the hits mashed together to create one seriously glorious tune.

It’s ok to be sad at the loss of Keith, but celebrate all that he brought to the world too.

Joey

The Lounge Kittens

A Snippet Into Billie’s mind – bury a friend. Thoughts

I’m fairly new to the world of Billie Eilish. To be fair, she’s 17 years old. I’m not exactly her target audience. However, on watching this I will definitely be keeping a track of her career.

At first glance, you might mistake her for just being a ‘moody’ teenager trying to express herself in ‘new ways’ (we’re all guilty of judging a book by its cover) but when you actually take the time to listen to her…she is WAY beyond her years! So fresh and intelligent and creative and new. She is amazing.

The way she ‘writes’ a song (or at least this one in particular) by drawing how she ‘feels it sounds’ is so next level. In one part she even goes to the dentist for a procedure and records the sound of a high speed whizzing away and not only uses THAT in the song…but it works too!

Honestly, before you actually listen to any of her songs or watch any of her videos, I highly recommend you watch this first to truly appreciate how diverse and creative she is. She will blow your mind.

Click here for the video.