|
Background:
“I’ve sinned so many ways it’s unbelievable. I‘ve robbed stores. I’ve had plenty
of sex. I’ve lied terribly. I‘ve cheated. I’ve been greedy. I’ve lusted.
Everything; I’ve done it all. I need some support and help from above now.” Fred
Durst
“I grew up as a rebellious kid who was always locked up in his room. When I got
out, I wasn’t bad; I just didn’t know what was right or wrong. My dad was an
adoptive dad. We didn't get along that killer. I have another brother that’s his
son. My mom and I were always confronting. It was real easy for me to snap on my
mom and for her to snap on me. It was just a weird thing.” Fred Durst
A self-confessed “freak,” Fred Durst, born William Frederick Durst, rose to fame
with the success of the rap metal band Limp Bizkit. Formed in Florida in 1994,
the band was a phenomenon with their triumphant albums Three Dollar Bill Y’all$
(1997), Significant Other (1999) and Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored
Water. With Limp Bizkit, Durst also created numerous modern hits like “Faith,” “Nookie,”
“Break Stuff,” “Take A Look Around,” “Rollin,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and “My
Generation.”
Off screen, notorious Durst is known for creating controversies. In 2005, Durst
raised eyebrows with a three-minute composite video of him having sex with an
ex-girlfriend, which was leaked to the Internet after being stolen from his
computer’s hard disk. A few months later, he sued a number of websites for a
total of $77.9 million for broadcasting it. Two years before, St. Paul-based
security company Azzone Security-Investigation Agency Inc. took legal action
against Durst for kicking one of their guards in the head during a 1999 concert
in the Twin Cities. He was also engaged in controversy after the death of Aussie
adolescent Jessica Michalik, who was crushed to death at the Sydney Big Day Out
concert where Limp Bizkit played in 2001. The owner of a dog named Bizkit, Durst
is also infamous for his love life. The former husband of Rachel Tergesen, Durst
has either dated or has been rumored to have had relationships with numerous
Playboy playmates and big names such as Geri Halliwell, Christina Aguilera,
Pamela Anderson, Halle Berry, Avril Lavigne, Alyssa Milano, Naomi Campbell,
Paris Hilton, Thora Birch and Summer Altice. In early 2003, he stunned the media
and his fans for criticizing his relationship with Britney Spears.
Troubled Fred
Childhood and Family:
William Frederick Durst, who would later be famous as Fred Durst, was born on
August 20, 1970, to a retired police officer. Durst’ mother worked at a church.
Born and raised in Gastonia, North Carolina, Fred grew up as a rebel and was not
a good student at school. He once stated that he graduated because the teachers
couldn’t stand him. After high school graduation, Fred moved to Jacksonville
where he briefly joined the United States Navy. Commenting about his brief stay
in the Navy, Durst said, “Being in the Navy was like being in prison. I made the
biggest mistake of my life.”
“I was living in San Francisco and I was married and I found out that my wife
cheated on me. I got into a fight with the guy and her and I went to jail over
it. I just spent a lot of time thinking in jail; it was the first time I had
ever been in jail. It was terrible.” Fred Durst
At age 20, Durst married Rachel Tergesen, but the marriage ended in divorce
after Fred discovered that his wife had an affair. He was later jailed for a
month for attacking his wife’s lover. Fred has two children, son Dallas and
daughter Adriana Durst.
Significant Other
Career:
After spending four weeks in prison for assaulting his wife’s boyfriend, Fred
Durst returned to North Carolina where he worked as a sponsored skate-boarder.
Soon after, he moved to Florida to start a new life and took a job as a tattoo
artist before eventually beginning a music career in 1994. During that time,
Durst teamed up with his friends, bassist Sam Rivers, guitarist Wes Borland and
drummer John Otto (Rivers’ cousin) to form a band called Limp Bizkit.
In 1995, after the band Korn played in the Jacksonville area, the bassist Fieldy
got a number of tattoos from Durst and they became friends. Korn later picked up
demo tapes of Limp Bizkit and was impressed. Korn immediately introduced Durst
and his band-mates to their producer Ross Robinson. With Durst as vocalist, Limp
Bizkit first performed in front of the public when they were recruited to tour
with House of Pain and later, the Deftones. Limp Bizkit did so well in the
performances that label contracts began pouring in.
After penning a recording deal with Flip/Interscope, Limp Bizkit launched their
debut album Three Dollar Bill Y’all$ in 1997, a record that continued to mark up
sales in a surplus of 1.5 million. Limp Bizkit promoted the album by staging
tours, this time with such famous bands as Primus and Faith No More. They also
performed live shows, complete with break dancers and garish backdrops. They
were also seen on MTV’s Spring Break ‘98 fashion show and in the Family Values
Tour.
During this period, Durst went on to gain stardom and publicity by making guest
appearances on Korn and Soulfly albums. Additionally, he served as an A&R
executive for his record label, Flip. In 1999, he rejoined Limp Bizkit and
released the much-anticipated sophomore album titled Significant Other. It
premiered at No. 1 on the American album chart and had sold over four millions
copies by the end of the year. Significant Other and the complementary video for
“Nookie” made Limp Bizkit superstars. The band was further cemented in their
position as one of the leading alternative acts in the U.S with the big
transatlantic hit “Take A Look Around,” a soundtrack for the Tom Cruise movie
Mission: Impossible 2.
Controversy plagued the band following their performance at the infamous
festival-closing Woodstock ’99 and Durst was deeply criticized for egging on the
already rowdy crowd. Limp Bizkit, undisturbed by the issue, headlined the 1999‘s
Family Values Tour.
They again attracted public attention with the release of their third album,
Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog Flavored Water, which skyrocketed to No. 1 on
the US chart. With the UK chart-topping single “Rollin,” Limp Bizkit also
fronted the “nu-metal” breakthrough in Europe. Wes Borland, the guitarist of the
band, left Limp Bizkit after the release of Chocolate Starfish And The Hot Dog
Flavored Water.
After three years away from their recording studio, Limp Bizkit returned with an
ill-received record, Results May Vary. Borland returned after its release and
the band headlined The Unquestionable Truth, Pt 1, in 2005. It was followed by
Greatest Hitz, a 17-track album that included hits from their earlier days.
Already popular as the vocalist of the fame rap-metal outfit Limp Bizkit, Durst
tried his hand in acting in 2005 in the miseries Revelations, where he played
the small role of Ogden. Moving on to the big screen, he will soon star opposite
David Ames and Cory Cassidy in the horror/thriller Population 436 (2006) for
director Michelle Maxwell MacLaren.
Additionally, Durst heads his own record label named Flawless Records, a
division of Geffen Records. It has signed several bands, including The
Revolution Smile, Puddle of Mudd, Ringside, and Staind.
Awards:
---
|
