Limp Bizkit

Following the May 3rd release of Limp Bizkit's latest album 'The Unquestionable Truth part 1', the band has sold only 58,000 copies to date according to Soundscan. Soundscan also reports that Limp Bizkit moved 37,000 of those the first week of release, far fewer than the 1,055,000 sold the first week of release for 'Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water'.

So what happened? Did Limp's label give up on them? It's not an inconceivable thought in an industry known for being cutthroat.

"This strategy makes tons of sense from the label's point of view," noted Paul Fischer, a professor in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University. "These guys have been 'away' for a while, nobody's sure if fans still care about them, so let's find out, the cheapest way possible. Put out the disc and see how many are drawn to it, if it gains some momentum, spin the strategy to highlight die-hard fans and exploit their loyalty to reach a broader audience. And, if there aren't many sales and little momentum, everyone can walk away from the project with the minimum amount of embarrassment."

This is a band whose initial radio success, back in 1998 with the song "Counterfeit," came in part from an unusual aggressive pay-for-play strategy by its label, Fischer pointed out. "Whatever strategy they're trying now likely does not originate with the band itself," he theorized. "They were and probably are very much a creature of the industry."

Geffen Records and Limp Bizkit's management declined to comment, citing a gag order imposed by Durst and signaling that this is all part of his master plan.

Durst denied numerous requests to discuss The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1), but in an interview one Friday afternoon in late February, which was scheduled so Fred could discuss his latest protégés, Ringside, the singer revealed some of the thinking behind his new, un-Durst-like approach to Limp Bizkit.

"I'm the main one in the band right now trying to go anti-everything," he said. "I feel like radio and television are selling so much sh-- these days and that sh-- is not who I want to be," he continued, quoting almost word-for-word the opening lines to "The Channel," the fifth track on the new album. "I don't even care if you get it; it's clear that we're not a part of this, and I don't even want to be a part of it. 'Cause I was a part of it, and getting your intentions out and having it be clear and seeing the heart in it, that's not what it's about in that field."

Durst seemingly started pouring his Hatorade on the media after Results May Vary, which was released to a great deal of fanfare - much of it surrounding his brief relationship with Britney Spears - but stalled on the albums chart.

The new strategy revealed itself for the first time last summer, when, after an unusually quiet several months from Durst, he posted new photos of Limp Bizkit in the studio with Wes Borland - the band's original guitarist, who left back in October 2001 - along with this simple post in his blog: "Well, now the Limp Bizkit fans know about Wes. Pretty dope."