Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst has reaffirmed his longstanding stance that his band's music is not made for jocks and bullies, and that he actually despises those kinds of personalities.
Durst, who has spoken at length in the past about his experiences with bullying, took part in a rare interview via an appearance on US TV personality Bill Mahers' YouTube series, Club Random. During the conversation, Durst and Maher discuss everything from Bizkit's rise to popularity to Durst's writing process to the singer's love of house renovation.
At one point in the interview, Maher touches upon a common point of contention when it comes to Limp Bizkit - the 'aggressive' side of their music.
"There was a feeling around that turn-of-the-century time, and it was angsty," the presenter remarks. "It was like you captured that, you know, 'I'm just pissed and I'm gonna break shit.'"
Durst, possibly preempting the direction of the conversation, interjects, noting: "I was bullied my whole life. Tortured, bullied...I was really this peon kid in my city, at school, and ultimately the vehicle I used to put behind Limp Bizkit was, 'Oh, man, I'll use this microphone to fight these guys back!' But the irony was: the bullies that tortured me were dressing like me in the audience. So this massive art project turned into the most ironic thing...and here I am 25 years later going, 'Wow, this is unbelievable!'
"People call [Limp Bizkit] 'jock rock'," Durst continues. "I mean, I despise jocks, 'cause those were the guys beating my ass all the time."
Watch the interview below.
Limp Bizkit famously became scapegoats for much of the carnage that ensued at the disastrous Woodstock '99 festival in Rome, New York. The nu metal titans' Saturday night set saw festivalgoers tear up parts of the venue, set fires and attack and sexually assault fellow crowd members. The set led to the band being smeared as a magnet for toxic masculinity - something the Jacksonville natives have vigorously denied throughout their career.
“We’re about having fun and when I say, ‘Break your fucking face tonight’, I don’t mean it literally," Durst told Metal Hammer in 2014. "It was a song for people to stand up for themselves against bullies and bad people. If I had known to make that clear, I’d have done that from the very beginning, but I didn’t."
Bizkit's latest album Still Sucks is out now. The band are currently in the midst of a European tour.
