{"id":1832397,"date":"2026-03-18T10:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T07:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1832397"},"modified":"2026-03-18T10:57:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T07:57:00","slug":"fast-angry-chaotic-the-story-behind-the-prodigys-firestarter-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1832397","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Fast, angry, chaotic\u2019: The story behind the Prodigy\u2019s \u2018Firestarter\u2019 video"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/281-263-2549-1699\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441804.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/music\/article\/69928\/1\/angry-chaotic-story-behind-prodigy-firestarter-video-walter-stern-keith-flint\" data-article-id=\"69928\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-18T10:57:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"18 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"18\">18,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/cult-vault\">Cult Vault<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/cult-vault\">Cult Vault<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>\u2018Fast, angry, chaotic\u2019: The story behind the Prodigy\u2019s <span class=\"nowrap\">\u2018Firestarter\u2019 video<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>On its 30th anniversary, legendary director Walter Stern takes Dazed behind the scenes of the music video, which was notoriously banned by <span class=\"nowrap\">the BBC<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-18T10:57:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"18 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"18\">18,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-18T10:57:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"18 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"18\">18,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/ThomWaite\">Thom Waite<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The year is 1996, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-prodigy\">The Prodigy<\/a>\u2019s \u201cFirestarter\u201d is making its debut on <\/span><em><span>Top of the Pops<\/span><\/em><span>. Families sit around the TV in their living rooms, and watch as vocalist <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/43604\/1\/keith-flint-the-prodigy-rave-anarchist-obituary\"><span>Keith Flint<\/span><\/a><span> \u2013\u00a0with devil-horn hair and thick black eyeliner \u2013\u00a0screams and writhes around in a Tube tunnel near the abandoned Aldwych station. Soon, complaints will flood in, claiming that the video promotes arson and traumatises innocent children, ultimately leading to a ban by the BBC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><span>I got a note sent from the <\/span><em><span>Top of the Pops<\/span><\/em><span> producers saying, \u2018You got me in a lot of trouble,\u2019\u201d says the director Walter Stern, looking back on the video 30 years on. The thing is, he hadn\u2019t even technically broken any rules, being well-acquainted with the guidelines on what was deemed too transgressive for daytime TV. The Prodigy, seen through his lens, were simply so scary by the standards of polite society that they were deemed unbroadcastable. In the end, Stern adds: \u201cThe BBC are very silly. Every time they ban something, they just make it bigger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>BBC censorship definitely backfired in the case of \u201cFirestarter\u201d. The lead single from <\/span><em><span>The Fat of the Land<\/span><\/em><span> became the group\u2019s first number one on the UK Singles Chart (where it stayed for three weeks) and went on to be their most iconic track with fans around the world, re-entering the charts after Flint\u2019s death in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-14-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by <span class=\"nowrap\">Walter Stern<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/0\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019\" class=\"img\" height=\"1699\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/281-263-2549-1699\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441804.jpg\" width=\"2549\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/1\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441792.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/2\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-251-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441795.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/3\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-47-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441790.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/4\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441791.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/5\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441793.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 14 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>When it first aired in the mid-90s, \u201cFirestarter\u201d also marked a shift in direction for the group itself. Keith was still building his \u201cmanic\u201d persona as he made the transition from dancer to vocalist, alongside Maxim, while Liam Howlett\u2019s production was becoming less rave-centric and leaning harder into punk. <\/span><span>By 1996, Stern had already filmed a few music videos with the Prodigy \u2013 including \u201cVoodoo People\u201d and \u201cPoison\u201d \u2013 and didn\u2019t shy away from any of the internal chaos of the group as it evolved. \u201cThe idea with all the videos was to focus on them as individual characters, not as some coherent band that were all mates, and on the same side,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was more like a band kind of pulling itself apart.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That said, Stern\u2019s video for \u201cFirestarter\u201d came about by accident. As the story goes, the Prodigy had commissioned a very expensive video by another filmmaker, but binned the final product because they didn\u2019t like it. With just a tiny budget left (only enough to shoot in black and white), Howlett reached out to Stern and asked him to step in. Luckily, the filmmaker already had a location in mind, and the rest, as they say, is history. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stern tells us more about the \u201cFirestarter\u201d video and its legacy below, and you can find some rarely-seen images from the shoot in the gallery above.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"6d7dce4b-df77-4669-a412-b41001466e72\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441793.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.33\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2251\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441793.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Walter Stern, <span class=\"nowrap\">XL Recordings<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>After the Prodigy reached out to you to film \u2018Firestarter\u2019, how quickly did things come together?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern:<\/strong><span> It was a very last-minute thing. There wasn\u2019t really time to discuss any ideas [because] they were behind schedule. The track was going to be released, and they didn\u2019t have a video. But I\u2019d been talking about doing a video with Leftfield, and they wanted to shoot on a Tube train. When we were reccing the station, we wandered down some tunnels and started looking around, and thought, \u2018Actually, this is a lot more interesting\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So when the Prodigy came to me, I had this location in mind. I took them to the location, showed them around, and there was pretty much no discussion of ideas. Keith already had his idea for his character; he was starting to get a bit more manic, and it was more or less his show. We probably only had a week and a half from that conversation to actually shooting the video.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m not even sure we should have been allowed down there&#8230; There was a lot of asbestos sparkling in the Tube tunnels, and the usual rats\u201d \u2013 Walter Stern<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Maybe you don\u2019t want to admit this, although it <\/strong><strong><em>has <\/em><\/strong><strong>been 30 years now: were you actually allowed to shoot in the Tube tunnel? Was it legal?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>Scouting it the first time probably wasn\u2019t&#8230; We were only supposed to be on the platform, to have a look, but then we went off on our own, down the tunnels. There, we found the big air shaft where Keith does some of the vocals, and other bits and pieces that we liked. They let us get away with a lot, let\u2019s put it that way. I mean, you can see [members of the Prodigy] attacking the tracks with an angle grinder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I\u2019m not even sure we should have been allowed down there, because it was pretty unpleasant in terms of toxic chemicals. There was a lot of asbestos sparkling in the Tube tunnels, and the usual rats and the rest of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But <\/span><em><span>all <\/span><\/em><span>the videos were&#8230; I wouldn\u2019t say particularly <\/span><em><span>illegal<\/span><\/em><span>, but lacking in permissions. XL Recordings [the record label behind <\/span><em><span>The Fat of the Land<\/span><\/em><span>] was really good like that. Usually, you have a lot of people throwing in their opinion, saying, \u2018It must be this, or it mustn\u2019t be that.\u2019 They didn\u2019t have a preconceived idea of what a video should be like.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"a183f462-65b3-4897-b919-b4100146802f\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441800.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.33\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2251\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441800.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Walter Stern, <span class=\"nowrap\">XL Recordings<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>What was the experience of shooting the video like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern:<\/strong><span> It was quite aggressive, in lots of ways. The Prodigy didn\u2019t like hanging around much to do their performance, so there was a bit of tension. I think Leeroy [Thornhill] got drunk, and there was a bit of banter between him and Keith upstairs. Then, a drunken student [unconnected with the shoot] jumped up onto the main cable, supplying all the electricity deep down in the station, and was swinging from it. He could potentially have fried himself, and a woman from the London Underground told him to stop, and he jumped down and hit her, which then prompted a fight with a gaffer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The shoot itself was kind of fast and furious. Basically, we were shooting with a dolly that was travelling probably from one end of the tunnel to the other. The dolly was moving very fast, so if anyone was in the way they\u2019d be knocked over. And there was the added tension of the trains, because one of the tunnels was still used, for army exercises or other government training. The fear was that, if someone pressed a switch, a train could come down that tunnel, and there was nowhere to hide. We heard trains passing by the whole time, and there was always a sense of, \u2018I hope someone hasn\u2019t flicked that switch\u2019. So the making of it was pretty similar to what the actual video looks like: fast, quite angry, and chaotic. But maybe that just helped with the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span>Keith Flint was a force of nature, a one-off<span>\u201d \u2013 Walter Stern<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Keith\u2019s performance is particularly intense. What was it like working with him?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>By the end of the video, Keith was also feeling really sick. He was being suspended upside down, and he thought he was going to throw up on the crew below. I think he had a headache for about three days after the video was shot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But on set he was lovely, very polite, very enthusiastic, and a dream to work with. You\u2019d start with an idea of what the performance was about, and then just push it. It was all about creating some kind of energy and momentum, and he just ran with it. When we were hanging him upside down, probably about 30 feet up, that wasn\u2019t something he\u2019d prepared for, but he would make it his own. He was a force of nature, a one-off.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"b03ef7b7-83ef-48bc-9135-b410014687b6\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441802.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.33\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2251\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441802.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Walter Stern, <span class=\"nowrap\">XL Recordings<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Were you surprised by the BBC ban?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>I said to Liam, \u2018Look, obviously this is going to provoke a lot of people.\u2019 And Liam said, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s Keith, isn\u2019t it? What are you going to do? Ban him as a human being?\u2019 <\/span><span>We knew we were pushing the limits, but we didn\u2019t actually break any rules. It <\/span><em><span>feels<\/span><\/em><span> violent, but it doesn\u2019t actually have any physical violence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I remember a father talking about his daughter watching it and being shocked, appalled and traumatised by the video. A few younger people I\u2019ve worked with have said, \u2018You scared me when I was a kid.\u2019 But I don\u2019t think now you would look at it as scary, so much as just a style of performance. It\u2019s basically psychological. It\u2019s not meant to be taken literally. <\/span><span>It\u2019s just people acting in a way that\u2019s maybe too strange for [the] tastes of middle-class, heritage Britain. I think what really wound them up was just this uncontrolled, mad behaviour. Keith is glorifying himself in a very trashy way. But it\u2019s also quite a funny video.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have any advice for younger filmmakers who want to make similar boundary-pushing work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>I think there\u2019s a lot of intelligence and humour out there, but you can always push it more. Don\u2019t be frightened of offending people. Don\u2019t be polite, because you\u2019re self-censoring and not making what you truly want to make. Also, don\u2019t feel like you have to fit into any style of filmmaking. Just do something that interests you. Scare yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-series\">\n<h4 class=\"heading\">More on these topics<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series\"><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\">Music<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/cult-vault\">Cult Vault<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/the-prodigy\">The Prodigy<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div class=\"grid\">\n<div class=\"lava-lamp\">\n<div class=\"lava-lamp-text-container\">\n<h3 class=\"lava-lamp-subheading\">Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid section-header\">\n<div class=\"section-header__link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69928\/1\/music\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"section-header__title\">READ MORE<\/h2>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid tag-article-list\">\n<div class=\"swiper swiper-latest\">\n<div class=\"swiper-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69902\/1\/wu-tang-clan-rza-interview-final-chamber-tour-farewell-2026\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"GettyImages-2266072250\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/64-12-825-549\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441687.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">\u2018There\u2019s been tears\u2019: RZA on the final days of Wu-Tang Clan<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69905\/1\/beabadoobee-dazed-spring-2026-cover-signing-magculture\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Beabadoobee Dazed cover signing\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-976-2001-1331\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441688.jpeg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">What went down at the beabadoobee Dazed cover signing <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69843\/1\/kim-gordon-selects-what-to-listen-to-watch-read-syllabus-spring-2026\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_S1_KimGordon_01\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-244-1035-688\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440607.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Kim Gordon selects: What to listen to, watch and read<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69755\/1\/7-of-beabadoobee-s-best-collabs-all-i-did-was-dream-of-you-new-single-2026\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"beabadoobee, \u201ctalk\u201d youtube still\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/312-134-2178-1449\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/9\/1439180.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">7 of beabadoobee\u2019s greatest collabs<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36835\/0\/universal-music-s-brit-awards-afterparty-in-manchester\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Olivia Dean and Lola Young\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441441.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Photos from the Universal Music\u2019s BRIT Awards afterparty in Manchester<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69888\/1\/precious-renee-tucker-solange-approved-pianist-going-viral-on-tiktok\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Precious Renee Tucker\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-2069-1376\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441342.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Precious Renee Tucker, the Solange-approved pianist going viral on TikTok<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69841\/1\/effie-south-korea-hyperpop-rap-k-pop\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_P2_DasomHan_YumiChoi_03\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-1350-898\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440602.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">K-pop disruptor Effie: \u2018Conservatives usually hate my music\u2019 <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69838\/1\/spring-2026-favelas-7-young-brazilians-speak-on-the-future-of-baile-funk\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DC291_U3_SB_Speakerbox_Paulo_Almeida_09\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-903-600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440597.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">On the funk line: 7 young Brazilians speak on the future of baile funk <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69829\/1\/tems-da-zed-quiz-brits-interview-happiness-hennessy\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tems for Dazed winter 2022 3\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/142-0-756-503\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1330\/4\/1334212.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Tems knows the true secret to happiness<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"swiper-slide list-element\">\n<div class=\"scard-latest__section\">\n<div class=\"card-latest__wrapper\"><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69831\/1\/2hollis-room-service-spiked-with-pcp-spring-2026-video-interview\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"hollis thumb 2\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-0-1082-720\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440408.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">2hollis is worried about secret cameras in hotel rooms<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69818\/1\/cobrah-torn-good-puss-swedish-dance-music-dream-night-out-club\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF3495 2 (1)\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/176-225-1735-1154\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440244.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Cobrah\u2019s dream night out involves tequila, candy and raving with aliens<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69761\/1\/watch-beabadoobee-ai-slop-gen-z-stare-zayn-malik-chopped-or-not\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"bea thumb 3\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/36-0-1082-720\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440239.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">beabadoobee used to have a secret Zayn Malik fan account<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>The year is 1996, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-prodigy\">The Prodigy<\/a>\u2019s \u201cFirestarter\u201d is making its debut on <\/span><em><span>Top of the Pops<\/span><\/em><span>. Families sit around the TV in their living rooms, and watch as vocalist <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/43604\/1\/keith-flint-the-prodigy-rave-anarchist-obituary\"><span>Keith Flint<\/span><\/a><span> \u2013\u00a0with devil-horn hair and thick black eyeliner \u2013\u00a0screams and writhes around in a Tube tunnel near the abandoned Aldwych station. Soon, complaints will flood in, claiming that the video promotes arson and traumatises innocent children, ultimately leading to a ban by the BBC.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><span>I got a note sent from the <\/span><em><span>Top of the Pops<\/span><\/em><span> producers saying, \u2018You got me in a lot of trouble,\u2019\u201d says the director Walter Stern, looking back on the video 30 years on. The thing is, he hadn\u2019t even technically broken any rules, being well-acquainted with the guidelines on what was deemed too transgressive for daytime TV. The Prodigy, seen through his lens, were simply so scary by the standards of polite society that they were deemed unbroadcastable. In the end, Stern adds: \u201cThe BBC are very silly. Every time they ban something, they just make it bigger.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>BBC censorship definitely backfired in the case of \u201cFirestarter\u201d. The lead single from <\/span><em><span>The Fat of the Land<\/span><\/em><span> became the group\u2019s first number one on the UK Singles Chart (where it stayed for three weeks) and went on to be their most iconic track with fans around the world, re-entering the charts after Flint\u2019s death in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-14-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by <span class=\"nowrap\">Walter Stern<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/0\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019\" class=\"img\" height=\"1699\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/281-263-2549-1699\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441804.jpg\" width=\"2549\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/1\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441792.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/2\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-251-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441795.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/3\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-47-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441790.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/4\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441791.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/gallery\/36852\/5\/the-prodigy-firestarter-by-walter-stern\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-3000-2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441793.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 14 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>When it first aired in the mid-90s, \u201cFirestarter\u201d also marked a shift in direction for the group itself. Keith was still building his \u201cmanic\u201d persona as he made the transition from dancer to vocalist, alongside Maxim, while Liam Howlett\u2019s production was becoming less rave-centric and leaning harder into punk. <\/span><span>By 1996, Stern had already filmed a few music videos with the Prodigy \u2013 including \u201cVoodoo People\u201d and \u201cPoison\u201d \u2013 and didn\u2019t shy away from any of the internal chaos of the group as it evolved. \u201cThe idea with all the videos was to focus on them as individual characters, not as some coherent band that were all mates, and on the same side,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was more like a band kind of pulling itself apart.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That said, Stern\u2019s video for \u201cFirestarter\u201d came about by accident. As the story goes, the Prodigy had commissioned a very expensive video by another filmmaker, but binned the final product because they didn\u2019t like it. With just a tiny budget left (only enough to shoot in black and white), Howlett reached out to Stern and asked him to step in. Luckily, the filmmaker already had a location in mind, and the rest, as they say, is history. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Stern tells us more about the \u201cFirestarter\u201d video and its legacy below, and you can find some rarely-seen images from the shoot in the gallery above.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"6d7dce4b-df77-4669-a412-b41001466e72\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441793.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.33\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2251\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441793.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Walter Stern, <span class=\"nowrap\">XL Recordings<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>After the Prodigy reached out to you to film \u2018Firestarter\u2019, how quickly did things come together?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern:<\/strong><span> It was a very last-minute thing. There wasn\u2019t really time to discuss any ideas [because] they were behind schedule. The track was going to be released, and they didn\u2019t have a video. But I\u2019d been talking about doing a video with Leftfield, and they wanted to shoot on a Tube train. When we were reccing the station, we wandered down some tunnels and started looking around, and thought, \u2018Actually, this is a lot more interesting\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So when the Prodigy came to me, I had this location in mind. I took them to the location, showed them around, and there was pretty much no discussion of ideas. Keith already had his idea for his character; he was starting to get a bit more manic, and it was more or less his show. We probably only had a week and a half from that conversation to actually shooting the video.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m not even sure we should have been allowed down there&#8230; There was a lot of asbestos sparkling in the Tube tunnels, and the usual rats\u201d \u2013 Walter Stern<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Maybe you don\u2019t want to admit this, although it <\/strong><strong><em>has <\/em><\/strong><strong>been 30 years now: were you actually allowed to shoot in the Tube tunnel? Was it legal?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>Scouting it the first time probably wasn\u2019t&#8230; We were only supposed to be on the platform, to have a look, but then we went off on our own, down the tunnels. There, we found the big air shaft where Keith does some of the vocals, and other bits and pieces that we liked. They let us get away with a lot, let\u2019s put it that way. I mean, you can see [members of the Prodigy] attacking the tracks with an angle grinder.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I\u2019m not even sure we should have been allowed down there, because it was pretty unpleasant in terms of toxic chemicals. There was a lot of asbestos sparkling in the Tube tunnels, and the usual rats and the rest of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But <\/span><em><span>all <\/span><\/em><span>the videos were&#8230; I wouldn\u2019t say particularly <\/span><em><span>illegal<\/span><\/em><span>, but lacking in permissions. XL Recordings [the record label behind <\/span><em><span>The Fat of the Land<\/span><\/em><span>] was really good like that. Usually, you have a lot of people throwing in their opinion, saying, \u2018It must be this, or it mustn\u2019t be that.\u2019 They didn\u2019t have a preconceived idea of what a video should be like.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"a183f462-65b3-4897-b919-b4100146802f\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441800.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.33\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2251\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441800.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Walter Stern, <span class=\"nowrap\">XL Recordings<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>What was the experience of shooting the video like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern:<\/strong><span> It was quite aggressive, in lots of ways. The Prodigy didn\u2019t like hanging around much to do their performance, so there was a bit of tension. I think Leeroy [Thornhill] got drunk, and there was a bit of banter between him and Keith upstairs. Then, a drunken student [unconnected with the shoot] jumped up onto the main cable, supplying all the electricity deep down in the station, and was swinging from it. He could potentially have fried himself, and a woman from the London Underground told him to stop, and he jumped down and hit her, which then prompted a fight with a gaffer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The shoot itself was kind of fast and furious. Basically, we were shooting with a dolly that was travelling probably from one end of the tunnel to the other. The dolly was moving very fast, so if anyone was in the way they\u2019d be knocked over. And there was the added tension of the trains, because one of the tunnels was still used, for army exercises or other government training. The fear was that, if someone pressed a switch, a train could come down that tunnel, and there was nowhere to hide. We heard trains passing by the whole time, and there was always a sense of, \u2018I hope someone hasn\u2019t flicked that switch\u2019. So the making of it was pretty similar to what the actual video looks like: fast, quite angry, and chaotic. But maybe that just helped with the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span>Keith Flint was a force of nature, a one-off<span>\u201d \u2013 Walter Stern<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Keith\u2019s performance is particularly intense. What was it like working with him?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>By the end of the video, Keith was also feeling really sick. He was being suspended upside down, and he thought he was going to throw up on the crew below. I think he had a headache for about three days after the video was shot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But on set he was lovely, very polite, very enthusiastic, and a dream to work with. You\u2019d start with an idea of what the performance was about, and then just push it. It was all about creating some kind of energy and momentum, and he just ran with it. When we were hanging him upside down, probably about 30 feet up, that wasn\u2019t something he\u2019d prepared for, but he would make it his own. He was a force of nature, a one-off.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"b03ef7b7-83ef-48bc-9135-b410014687b6\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441802.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.33\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Prodigy, \u2018Firestarter\u2019 by Walter Stern\" class=\"img\" height=\"2251\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441802.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Walter Stern, <span class=\"nowrap\">XL Recordings<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><strong>Were you surprised by the BBC ban?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>I said to Liam, \u2018Look, obviously this is going to provoke a lot of people.\u2019 And Liam said, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s Keith, isn\u2019t it? What are you going to do? Ban him as a human being?\u2019 <\/span><span>We knew we were pushing the limits, but we didn\u2019t actually break any rules. It <\/span><em><span>feels<\/span><\/em><span> violent, but it doesn\u2019t actually have any physical violence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I remember a father talking about his daughter watching it and being shocked, appalled and traumatised by the video. A few younger people I\u2019ve worked with have said, \u2018You scared me when I was a kid.\u2019 But I don\u2019t think now you would look at it as scary, so much as just a style of performance. It\u2019s basically psychological. It\u2019s not meant to be taken literally. <\/span><span>It\u2019s just people acting in a way that\u2019s maybe too strange for [the] tastes of middle-class, heritage Britain. I think what really wound them up was just this uncontrolled, mad behaviour. Keith is glorifying himself in a very trashy way. But it\u2019s also quite a funny video.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have any advice for younger filmmakers who want to make similar boundary-pushing work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Walter Stern: <\/strong><span>I think there\u2019s a lot of intelligence and humour out there, but you can always push it more. Don\u2019t be frightened of offending people. Don\u2019t be polite, because you\u2019re self-censoring and not making what you truly want to make. Also, don\u2019t feel like you have to fit into any style of filmmaking. Just do something that interests you. Scare yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/article\/69928\/1\/angry-chaotic-story-behind-prodigy-firestarter-video-walter-stern-keith-flint&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/281-263-2549-1699\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441804.jpg&#8221;] March\u00a0 18,\u00a0 2026 Music \/ Cult Vault Music \/ Cult Vault \u2018Fast, angry, chaotic\u2019: The story behind the Prodigy\u2019s \u2018Firestarter\u2019 video On its 30th anniversary, legendary director Walter Stern takes Dazed behind the scenes of the music video, which was notoriously banned by the BBC March\u00a0 18,\u00a0 2026 March\u00a0 18,\u00a0 2026 TextThom [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1832397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1832397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1832397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1832397\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1832397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1832397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1832397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}