Fred Durst Doesn't Care About the FCC

    Limp Bizkit is a nu-metal band that was formed in the 90s.  Although they technically fall under one musical genre, their style has a wide range of variety.  As Ben Stiller puts it on the outro track to their Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water album, no one can mix rap, hip hop, thrash, punk, and metal (4:22) together like Limp Bizkit can.  However, their unique sound doesn't equate to popularity.  Well, at least it doesn't equate to popularity nowadays.  At their beginning, Limp Bizkit was one of the hugest bands on the scene.  They were the perfect sound for the young generation to use to release their emotions.  Limp Bizkit was the epitome of "okay, boomer" of the late 90s and early 2000s.  After their first three to four albums, their popularity level fell off and a universal hate for the band became the norm.  Much to blame for this shift is front man Fred Durst.
    Fred Durst is very outward with his personality.  He has a big "eff you" attitude and is not afraid to make it known.  Whether it be on television, the radio, or in concert venues, Durst is not afraid to yell about his dislikes.  In addition, he is unpredictable and likes to stand out by breaking rules.  If you need a blatant example, listen to "Hot Dog," the song in which he uses the F-word 49 times.  In addition, Durst openly disses other artists in many of their songs.
    As you could expect his large personality eventually became tired and populations were sick of the band as a whole.  However, during their height, Durst's colorful acts amplified Limp Bizkit's popularity and drew people towards them.  He went to great lengths to grow Limp Bizkit's brand, including paying KUFO, a Portland radio station, to play their new 1997 single "Counterfeit" (which is now illegal). The young population loved the idea of "doing it all for the Nookie" or skateboarding on sidewalks so, Durst had to be edgy to be successful.  This caused him to be reckless with his behavior in situations when you would expect an artist to be a little bit more professional.
    Durst is not afraid to break rules.  He frequently disregards the FCC's decency guidelines.  For example, during a live television performance of "Faith," (1:52) Durst let out an F-bomb instead of using a different word in its place.  The word had to be edited for the television broadcast.  On another occasion, at the MTV Metallica Icon broadcast in 2003, Durst can be seen making a gesture (1:23) that appears to be showing his middle finger to the crowd.  The finger had to be blurred out.  Typical artists will refrain from using profanities or making obscene gestures while on television or the radio, but Durst isn't afraid to take a fine to appear edgy to his audience while on the air.  His acts were edited to avoid those fines as viewers can file complaints any time they witness indecencies on the air.  Pay-per-view events such as Woodstock 99 are more suitable to Durst where he can really just be himself.
    

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