You’re no good for me. I don’t need nobody. Don’t need no one that’s no good for me.
No Good (Start the Dance) – The Prodigy
Thanks to my school classmate James Cliff, in 1994, I was introduced to No Good (Start the Dance) by The Prodigy. In the following years Firestarter, Voodoo Power, Breath, Diesel Power and a host of othe tracks would be played on cassette, CD and nowadays on digital formats. Bass was essential. The Prodigy were far from being a Manchester band, but they filled the G-Mex (once again named Manchester Central) with ease. The thing with Manchester is that we know a good band – electronic, acoustic or so on. Music is in our soul. James Cliff copied me a tape of Music for the Jilted Generation. The next album, The Fat of the Land, was copied a few years after. This was an essential piece of the 1990s in music form. Big beat had arrived in style.
Exhale, exhale, exhale.
The Prodigy could be considered heavy by many, and by some, tribal. The early stuff was everything you believed and more. It added a punk dimension to the growing dance scene. Alternative, yet mainstream, in equal measures. You either loved it or hated it. I knew it was good music because my Mum appreciated it.
Yesterday Keith Flint was found dead. I’m sure the former Team Traction Control motorcycle race team owner, dancer and musician from London touched many lives through his output. It saddens me to see that The Prodigy’s website amongst other sources have stated that Keith Flint took his own life.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death globally. I can’t decide if it is brave, lonely, peaceful or a point of absolute detachment that feelings are so strong or weak, nothing matters. It must be the toughest decision in your life. The last act. All I know is that, the result, the ripples on the water, that runs far and wide. The sadness is very upsetting for all. Life is precious and beautiful. To lose someone is bad enough, but to lose someone who felt that was the only way is the worst feeling of all. We are not alone. You are not alone. I’d rather talk with a stranger and help them than hear about another suicide. That’s my selfish way. We need to talk more openly about the causes of suicide.
Desperation, mental health problems, and the will to die by your own hand need to be understood. Substance abuse, alcoholism, personality disorders and depression – and the ineffectivity of crisis lines are all open debate on how to solve suicides. The problem is that each case is so different, so individual and possibly simply complicated. Is assisted suicide humane? Is prevention of suicide inhumane? Completing suicide crosses moral, legal and religious boundaries – but ultimately it leaves absence. The ripples of the pool cast sadness.
Come play my game…
Keith Charles Flint (17 September 1969 – 4 March 2019)
ACTON28: AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC 