RIP KEITH FLINT 1969 – 2019
BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL
A tattoo icon has passed away. Also a musical addition. A very busy and eloquent one.
Quote 1: “I want to pierce or tattoo every body part. If possible, both.”
Quote 2: “If people find me scary, fuck them.”
An uncompromising man, that is also expressed in his tattoos, of which he had plenty. We are talking aboutKeith Flint, the singer and dancer of the legendary band “The Prodigy”, who died last week by suicide.
His body, defined by countless tattoos, was something of a visual figurehead of the radical music of “The Prodigy”. Prodigy mixed techno and rock elements, became famous worldwide in 1996 with theirfirst hit “Firestarter”. In the accompanying video, Flint danced, like a dervish, expressively and with raging grimaces. “Firestarter”, he shouted into the microphone. Full expression, that was his trademark.If you wanted to rebel against your parents in the 90s, all they needed to do was come with this man. He dyed his hair green and trimmed it into a daimon cut. In the follow-up track “smack my bitch up” the video and the text glorified violence even more, so that it was only shown late at night on MTV. Flint brought punk to the rave scene of the 90s. He finally made them rave. It is clear that excessive drug use and sex were also included. He was only interested in expressing himself; even if it was ugly and scary. Flint lived the rock’n’roll style to the limit.
Quote 3: “When I – if at all – become 65, I want to be able to say that I have done everything, and done it correctly. I want to know that I slept with a lot of women and lived out all my ultimate sex fantasies. I want to know that I dyed my hair in every color and pierced everything on my body that you can pierce. Even if all my beloved tattoos look limp, I can say: I did it.”
He was finally 49 years old, and his exit from the world was self-selected. Deciding everything for yourself was also a kind of motto of Keith Flint.
His tattoos hit the same notch, always full speed ahead. His most painful tattoo, according to his own statement, stretches across his stomach, and it was called: Inflicted. It stood for life, and how it can hit you in with all of its might. For better or worse. In all the pain and suffering caused, but also the highs and euphoric moments that are apart of life. Tribal tattoos on his left arm are signs of perceiving life in its originality. Without ifs and buts, false compromises, habits and the superficiality of the bourgeoisie.His tribals were a commitment to the values of indigenous peoples and their values. (Authenticity has always been an issue at Prodigy.) It wasn’t until November 2018 that they released their seventh studio album; “No Tourists.”
On his right arm, Flint had tattoos of a skull, a hand grenade and roses. Beauty coupled with violence and death. The bombing planes on his chest represent what can happen to you in life if you live it out excessively. Constant struggles, constant confrontations – survival in madness.
Beyond Evil
Keith Flint became calmer with age. He married in 2006. His wife was the Japanese Djane Mayumi Kai. The wedding was his anchor. He himself described how he then matured into an English gentleman, who only lived out on stage, and was otherwise more inclined to running than to excess. In the end, the old temperament prevailed; also because there were considerable problems in marriage, resulting in a separation. In it it was bubbling again, and somehow the pot must have overflowed. Too much fate, too much “infliction” – Keith Flint drew the conclusion from this.
PS.: Also a way to pay respect to the legendary singer and celebrate him: getting Keith Flint’s head tattooed. This is what happened shortly after the news of the death of drum & bass Dj Kooley.
