Keith Flint dead

ok - gotta share this anecdote:

 

i never met Keith, but a girl i went to college with was good friends with him since way back in the day.

 

one time he was visiting her in san francisco and they were driving around town. this was sometime in the mid-nineties. they were driving by this nice hotel and my friend looks over at this guy who was getting out of his car and does a double-take... is that... it is! it was Steve Jobs.

 

my friend says to Keith "hey that's Steve Jobs!" i don't know if Keith even knew who Steve was at the time but Keith looks over, rolls down the passenger window, sticks his whole upper body out and shouts "Oi! Steve!!!" 

 

Steve Jobs looks up all startled, sees Keith grinning crazily at him, and spins around - runs into the hotel without a word.

 

 

rip Keith. haven't heard from anyone with a single bad thing to say about the man & that says a lot about him.

  On 3/14/2019 at 9:29 AM, digit said:

ok - gotta share this anecdote:

 

i never met Keith, but a girl i went to college with was good friends with him since way back in the day.

 

one time he was visiting her in san francisco and they were driving around town. this was sometime in the mid-nineties. they were driving by this nice hotel and my friend looks over at this guy who was getting out of his car and does a double-take... is that... it is! it was Steve Jobs.

 

my friend says to Keith "hey that's Steve Jobs!" i don't know if Keith even knew who Steve was at the time but Keith looks over, rolls down the passenger window, sticks his whole upper body out and shouts "Oi! Steve!!!"

 

Steve Jobs looks up all startled, sees Keith grinning crazily at him, and spins around - runs into the hotel without a word.

 

 

rip Keith. haven't heard from anyone with a single bad thing to say about the man & that says a lot about him.

Incredible!

Just watched that Phoenix 96 gig. The crowd is fucking mental, total savage. 

 

Jesus Christ I miss those days....

  On 3/15/2019 at 10:18 PM, beerwolf said:

Just watched that Phoenix 96 gig. The crowd is fucking mental, total savage.

I was there. I can confirm it was totally savage.

  On 3/16/2019 at 5:16 PM, Moebius said:

 

  On 3/15/2019 at 10:18 PM, beerwolf said:

Just watched that Phoenix 96 gig. The crowd is fucking mental, total savage.

I was there. I can confirm it was totally savage.

 

 

Good man (and a damn good raving mosh pit!)

 

Need me a time machine....

Edited March 16, 2019 by beerwolf

  On 3/16/2019 at 5:44 PM, beerwolf said:

 

  On 3/16/2019 at 5:16 PM, Moebius said:

 

  On 3/15/2019 at 10:18 PM, beerwolf said:

Just watched that Phoenix 96 gig. The crowd is fucking mental, total savage.

I was there. I can confirm it was totally savage.

Good man (and a damn good raving mosh pit!)

 

Need me a time machine....

They played twice that weekend. On the main stage and a longer set in the dance tent. The dance tent gig was absolutley brutal. Sweat pouring off the ceiling. It was ridiculously hot that summer. Edited March 16, 2019 by Guest

  On 3/16/2019 at 10:12 PM, Stickfigger said:

 

meh...

I just found out about the news. I’m not on social media a lot these days and somehow this just flew under my radar.

Very sad, indeed.

I was a huge fan of Jilted when it was new and a big raver. I also remember hearing Firestarter for the first time and being blown away. It was definitely the beginning of the end for underground rave in some ways but it was gooood. Those were fun times. Lots of feels. He was deserving of being the first mainstream raver/rock-star.

I’m loving all the love for him in this thread. It’s also really cool to hear he seemed like a cool dude in a lot of ways.

Fun anecdote on Wikipedia...

“In 2014, he bought and renovated the Leather Bottle pub in Pleshey, Essex and became a popular landlord.[23] Flint kept a jar in which customers were required to put a pound if they made a "firestarter" joke as he lit the pub's fire.”

The funeral procession looked very fitting, fans turned out in great numbers, paying their respects but also "raising the roof" as requested by the rest of the band.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2019/nov/06/keith-flint-prodigy-possessions-go-to-auction-in-pictures

It's very sad that all this has to be auctioned off, but hopefully proper fans can buy it up.

 

That bed tho!

It scares me that this man killed himself, I would also say the same of Chris Cornell and especially Anthony Bourdain.

Three individuals who I really admire (Cornell and Bourdain almost bordering on a healthy man love) and on the outside looking in, would appear to have a life that I'd do anything for. It worries me, that these people (smart, intelligent, creative, lived life to the full) seemed to slide into a black hole within themselves and decided to take their own lives. It didn't surprise me when Cobain blew his brains out but these three? It puts a hook in me.

Not joking it freaks me out a little. 

  On 11/6/2019 at 11:17 AM, iococoi said:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2019/nov/06/keith-flint-prodigy-possessions-go-to-auction-in-pictures

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LOL @ the painting in the upper left... is that Stalin (Marx?) and possibly another Communist leader?

Yes it's mental illness and it's horrifying

I snapped this in Stockholm 2009. Absolutely fantastic show. Not sure about the ethics of celebrating a lifestyle that may have been instrumental in someone killing themselves at 49. Having his means to treatment makes for a lot of unanswered questions. Similar situation with Avicii, Cornell and Bourdain etc. But Keith was likely not meant for a career in Tesco's and the music was a pivotal force in the 90's that still smashes. 

Edited November 6, 2019 by chim

  On 11/6/2019 at 7:56 PM, beer badger said:

It scares me that this man killed himself, I would also say the same of Chris Cornell and especially Anthony Bourdain.

Three individuals who I really admire (Cornell and Bourdain almost bordering on a healthy man love) and on the outside looking in, would appear to have a life that I'd do anything for. It worries me, that these people (smart, intelligent, creative, lived life to the full) seemed to slide into a black hole within themselves and decided to take their own lives. It didn't surprise me when Cobain blew his brains out but these three? It puts a hook in me.

Not joking it freaks me out a little. 

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Yeah, it is quite unsettling.  I do wonder if the surreal nature of fame has a way of amplifying that... suicidal aspect of certain people, making it more likely for them to make that decision at some point.  But that's one of those impossible to verify ideas.  Would they have killed themselves if they lived the 9-5 quiet family life, forever outsite the limelight?  Perhaps, maybe not.  Mental illness is a bitch either way.

I do wonder too, if the fact such people have experienced such high level of potential-satisfaction, only to discover there is still emptiness left at the end of it...  I could see that being the trigger that pushes one over the edge.  So like, the idea of being able to experience something greater beyond what has come before is enough to keep a lot of us hanging on despite depression or whatever.  When you've already reached certain personal heights only to realize it still doesn't satisfy... I could see that being pretty devastating.  This doesn't necessarily pertain to Flint at all, but possibly other people who have followed similar paths.

Personally think ageing itself might be a factor.

At some point you're basically forced to reconcile with the idea that your younger self is a thing of the past. And the things you enjoyed doing and were good at, you can't do no more. If you can't let that go, and essentially don't want to grow old, you might get the idea to end it and have a sense of control about it. You never know whether they had certain health issues or perhaps experienced early onset of dementia or something. Can be quite devastating to wake up knowing your older self is no more and your new self feels like something you don't want to embrace. Kinda like an olympic sprinter waking up one day knowing he's stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. And not wanting to accept this new reality.

  On 11/6/2019 at 8:42 PM, Zephyr_Nova said:

I do wonder too, if the fact such people have experienced such high level of potential-satisfaction, only to discover there is still emptiness left at the end of it...  I could see that being the trigger that pushes one over the edge.  So like, the idea of being able to experience something greater beyond what has come before is enough to keep a lot of us hanging on despite depression or whatever.  When you've already reached certain personal heights only to realize it still doesn't satisfy... I could see that being pretty devastating.  This doesn't necessarily pertain to Flint at all, but possibly other people who have followed similar paths.

I don't think you have to achieve superstardom or great personal pinnacles to run into that wall, but the common key is being able to take the hint at that moment and rethink your habits and priorities. The mystery to me is that these are industrious people who have taken many chances and still haven't been able to do that. Or at the very least, this time they failed because some essential ingredient was lacking. In most cases it seems to be the closest circle not recognizing or acknowledging the warning signs. Globetrotting superstars might be especially hard to track... But it's difficult to warrant finger pointing from our vantage point. The drugs are an easy culprit in the case of Keith. 

O2 Brixton Academy dressing room renamed "The Keith Flint Suite"

https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-prodigys-keith-flint-has-a-dressing-room-named-after-him-at-the-o2-brixton-academy-2586833

  On 12/19/2019 at 12:48 AM, Rubin Farr said:

O2 Brixton Academy dressing room renamed "The Keith Flint Suite"

https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-prodigys-keith-flint-has-a-dressing-room-named-after-him-at-the-o2-brixton-academy-2586833

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Hopefully no one lights a fire in there 

I just noticed it's "Keef"

touche

Hope we see Liam and Maxim back out on the road at some point.  I know they have met with Leeroy a few times recently too, be great to see him back on the stage doing his thing.