The Prodigy's Maxim burnt his art "like a bonfire" after Keith Flint's death
He decided to destroy a collection of artwork based on the 27 Club after deciding it "didn't feel right" in the wake of his bandmate's death
The Prodigy's Maxim has revealed that he destroyed a collection of his own artwork after the death in 2019 of his bandmate Keith Flint.
Speaking to Metro, Maxim said he "painted a lot of art" around the time of Flint's passing. "It's another form of expression for me, just like the band and like designing my own clothes," he told the publication.
Maxim continued: "Over 10 years ago, I had this concept of doing some artwork with people who'd passed away at 27 and died from drug overdoses. The 27 Club – people like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. I always just tried to push the boundaries of art and because it was drug overdoses, I did these paintings with pills. After that, quite a few people started using pills in their art too.
"But it got to a point where I didn't feel it was right – and it was probably because of Keith. After he died, I destroyed them. I burnt them like a bonfire in the back garden. I saw people creating artwork after Keith... cashing in. I didn't want to be any part of that and I vowed not to do musicians then."
Flint died by suicide on 4th March, 2019, at the age of 49. A toxicology report found that he had alcohol, cocaine and codeine in his system at the time of his death.
Speaking about the impact of Flint's death on him, Maxim told Metro: "I can't actually remember that time. I think I blocked it out. When you're in it you can't imagine getting through it, but here I am four-and-a-half years later. Of course, the dynamic has changed. He's not here. We go on. But his spirit is here."
The interview came ahead of a new exhibition of artwork by Maxim, which opens today (Wednesday, 15th November) at London's Clarendon Fine Art.
The Prodigy are set to kick off a tour of the UK tomorrow (Thursday, 16th November), which will take them to Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Brighton, Cardiff, Birmingham and London.
In March of this year, The Prodigy marked the fourth anniversary of Flint's death, with Maxim and bandmate Liam Howlett describing his spirit as "living, breathing and snarling deep within the beats, bass and heart of the band, unfadeable and undeniable".
