In Defense Of Fred Durst, Surprisingly
Fred Durst is the worst, and nothing he does will ever change that. Wearing expensive suits to cover up his hideous full-sleeve tattoos (or his chest tatt of Kurt Cobain chilling with Elvis) will not change that. Trading his barroom red baseball cap for a stately fedora will not change that. Not even his recent stint of acting like a human adult will change that, because it's not like we're just going to forget Limp Bizkit. We will the opposite of that. But as you may know, he has a MOVIE coming out, called The Education of Charlie Banks, which he DIRECTED, and while the obvious reaction to that is NO, DAVID BLAINE, he talks about it in an interview with Vulture today, and the least we can do is hear the man out:
Vulture: How and when did you first become interested in directing? Fred Durst: I think ever since I was preteen I wanted to direct movies and tell stories. I never thought I'd be in a rock band; that just came out of the blue and came first somehow. Though it inevitably led me to better opportunities for filmmaking, or to be taken a little more seriously. The room's kinda warm for me -- it's easier to get meetings.V: Being that guy from Limp Bizkit wasn't an impediment?
FD: Well, it was hard to get meetings for anything substantial. For someone in my position, there's opportunities to be anything you want to be, even if you shouldn't be eligible, and I think that's left a bad taste in a lots of financers' and studios' mouths. Just cause someone's popular at one thing, letting them do the other isn't always the right thing. I was just offered at first a lot of typical things that seemed inspired by what Limp Bizkit sounded like or felt like -- a music-video-style film, or a throwaway B-horror-genre flick.
Huh. You know what, fair enough, Fred Durst. Because here's the thing:
He acknowledges that he's in the position to direct a movie because of the fact that he's famous for Limp Bizkit, and not because of any obvious or inherent filmmaking talent in himself. Self aware! And he talks about what Hollywood expected from him as a director, in the way of "a music-video-style film, or a throwaway B-horror-genre flick," and it's true. That is exactly what you would expect. And he turned that down to make a smaller, less flashy, more introspective coming-of-age story. There probably aren't even any energy drink product placements in it!
Don't get me wrong, The Education of Charlie Banks looks terrible. It looks like an after-school special written by someone who dropped out. But I applaud Mr. Durst's frankness about how he came to direct it. And my baldness-hiding-as-if-we-didnt-all-know-it-hat is off to him for trying to do a project that interested him, rather than a project that was dictated by the small-minded, limiting expectations created by his terrible, terrible music career. Admittedly, that's kind of like applauding the architect for choosing not to live in his own crappy building, but whatever. For as much as I wish that he would stop rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin' (x4), I have to say:
Fred Durst: 1
Critics: 0
You win again, Fred Durst. Somehow you keep winning. Jerk.
Posted by Gabe at 4:15 PM in Interviews
Tags: Fred Durst | The Education Of Charlie Banks
ha. good post.
Score = 4
That's a golf score, right?
Score = 2
I think that "throwaway B- horror genre flick" was a transparent dig at Rob Zombie. Pot to kettle: Hi!
I think Fred & Rob should get together and do a 1-2 Grindhouse-style movie and call it "The Hunt for the Worst Movie of All Time: Secrets Revealed".
Score = 7
I don't know if I would call it winning, so much as not being delusional.
Score = 11
didn't he already direct some disney-type movie with ice cube last year?
Score = 1
The Longshots. It was on in an airplane, and it was terrible, but not quite as terrible as you would expect.
Score = 1
ok, a guy who doesn't feel entitled, isn't megalomaniacal, and doesn't possess delusions of grandeur... so basically pat on the back for being a regular dude.
congrats, durst.
Score = 11
Unfortunately, Becca, the average guy feels entitled, is megalomaniacal, and possesses delusions of grandeur. What country are you living in?
Score = 0
Hollywood: Mr. Durst, we'd like to offer you the opportunity to direct a B-horror-genre flick.
Fred Durst: Well, Hollywood, you can take this movie and stick it up your YEAH! Stick it up your YEAH! Stick it up your YEAH!
Score = 40
this movie actually got a lot of positive feedback when it premiered at tribeca last year.
Score = 0
C'mon Gabe, deep down you know that the only reason he's doing all of this is for THE NOOKIE.
And now I'm going to get on SS Suck with Seth McFarlane and go back to planet The Worst.
Score = 4
Too bad Mark Graham didn't do that interview. You know, the guy who popularized "Durst" as a replacement for "worst." Right Mark Graham?
Score = 0
Too bad Mark Graham didn't do that interview. You know, the guy who popularized "Durst" as a replacement for "worst." Right Mark Graham?
Score = -1
is crazytown doing the soundtrack?
Score = 10
It looks like an after-school special written by someone who dropped out.
Did you buy that Oh Snap Samich at the Zingacatesen?
Score = 3
I told you guys to post about this like a month ago
Score = -3
Here's the thing, though.
Fred Durst: 1
Critics: Fred Durst's entire musical career
This situation is examining some of the themes touched on by The Reader.
Score = 4
he looks like a rap metal matt drudge.
Score = 0
I love limp bizkit, and i love fred durst too! ^-^
Score = 0
do not fuck with fred durst..............instead GO FUCK yourself motherfucker fd haters!!
Score = 0