Daily Record

192: NO BIG DEAL; Prodigy's Liam on Keith's rape drug claims

• 24th August 2002
• John Dingwall

PRODIGY star Liam Howlett has revealed that his bandmate Keith Flint has taken the date rape drug Rohypnol during wild nights clubbing with girlfriends.

The rocker lifted the lid on Keith's exploits on the eve the band's headlining spot at Gig On The Green tonight.

He says it was Keith's recreational use of the drug which inspired their Top 10 single Baby's Got A Temper.

Essex boy Liam confessed: "Keith wrote the lyrics to that song after a series of wild nights out. Girls gave him the date rape drug after a he'd been out at clubs having a mad time."

The band have always denied claims the banned song glamorised Rohypnol and his comments will shock anti-drugs campaigners. Liam added: "We didn't pay any thought to whether the single would be controversial because people who know about, or take, drugs know what the sentiment of the song is.

"Keith explained to me what he was getting at and I understood immediately that there was a good sentiment behind the song.

"The record made sense to us and to the 80 per cent of people out there who listen to our music.

"To say we are glamorising date rape is like saying we were encouraging people to start fires with Firestarter.

"All we are saying is that there is an underground culture that people who take drugs understand."

Liam will be joined by his wife of two months, Natalie Appleton, at the Glasgow festival today.

The former All Saints beauty is in Scotland with little sister Nicole to promote their single, Fantasy, on the BBC's Saturday Show.

She plans to watch the Prodigy performance from the side of the stage.

Liam said: "We'll spend the night in Glasgow before flying off the next morning. We can't stay longer because we play Reading on Sunday."

Meanwhile, Liam said he saw the funny side when he heard that the Home Office had reprimanded scientists who forced mice to listen to the Prodigy while high on amphetamines.

Eleven mice died while others suffered brain damage as a result of the bizarre tests, which were condemned last week.

He joked: "We have the mice in a cage just to make sure our songs are hard enough to let the public hear. We had a laugh when we heard about these mad scientists. But we wanted to know if it was Firestarter or a full-on album track they were playing."

Liam, who is responsible for the group's hard-edged sound, is currently working on the band's new album before the other members add finishing touches.

Due for release in March, the LP to be titled Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned is the follow -up to 1997's Fat Of The Land which sold 20 million copies.

After the mice episode, Liam is happy to report that his dog, a Weimaraner called Basil, is unmoved by the demos.

MAP KEY:

1: Way in, 2: Tickets, 3: Stage Two, 4: Funfair 5: Main Stage, 6: Fairground, 7: Food stalls, 8: New Band Stage, 9: Dance Tent, 10: EXITS

THE BANDS

SATURDAY 24 AUGUST

Main Stage:

Prodigy, The Offspring, Slipknot, NOFX , Amen, Raging Speedhorn, The Dillinger Escape Plan

Second Stage:

Spiritualized, The Streets, And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Cornershop, Haven, The Shining, Death Cab For Cutie

James Yorkston, Biffy Clyro

Smirnoff Experience Dance Tent: Trevor Reilly , Colin Tevendale, Michael Kilkie, Tall Paul, Jon Mancini, Iain `Boney' Clark, Fisher & Price

New Band Stage:

The Red Bee Society, Geoff Martin, Amateur GuitarAnti Heroes, The Silver Pill, The Hazy Janes, Kirby, The Waltzers, Raar

SUNDAY 25 AUGUST

Main Stage:

The Strokes, Pulp, Janes Addiction, The White Stripes

The Vines, Elbow, The Moldy Peaches, Aerogramme

Second Stage:

Feeder, Stereo MCs, Reindeer Section, Guided By Voices, The Leaves, The Bellrays, The Datsuns, Long Wave, Simple Kid

Smirnoff Experience Dance Tent:

Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Perry Farrell, Herman Cattaneo, Tom Stephan, Desyn Masiello, Paolo Mojo, Huggy

New Band Stage:

Kush, The Dendrons, Driveblind, Zuba, The Roughness, Babacool

Big Big Sound, The Storm Petrels

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• Baby's Got A Temper
• Natalie Appleton
• Liam Howlett
• Keith Flint