Something happened after '98 or '99.
I can't stop suspecting he just partied a little too hard post FOTL, bringing all the fuzz, gigs, fame, free girls, drugs and general mayhem. I'm not joking when I say I guess he lost a little brain power along the way. Just compare interviews from like '95 or so to the ones these days or even 2004 or something. He once had something to say, some really clever bits about music, about other acts, about Keith, about the differences in the countries he's seen, about his vision. Now he's just kind of an empty shell and he really looks bad since a while.
I know I'll sound just like the next retro buff, but I love watching their old shows, where Liam is switching disks on the W-30, jumping around and the whole thing feels fresh and so energetic. It just looks like hard work and endless fun. I read the book from Martin Roach a couple of years ago and I loved every bit Liam had to say in there. It covers their time up until '95 or '96 or so and Liam tells a lot about how he perceives music, where he gets his samples from, how he's writing differently every time he starts songs, how he and Neill met and started doing music together, how he saw and felt the band at that time and what his next ideas for them to morph into something new yet again - it's really deep and helps to dive into this inspiring and astounding mind of Liam.

All this evaporated somehwere between '98 and '2002 or so. I consider the Dirtchamber his last true great move. I think he was still in the zone at that time, cos that thing is a creative blast and like all the other Prodge stuff back then it's one of a kind and so unique, it hasn't been paralleled before or after.

Well, time to close my little retro thing here. I'm just glad "I was there" and consider myself lucky. But at the same time it's sad to see how something wonderful can stop working and fall to mediocracy.

Something happened after '98 or '99.

These guys are all 40+, and you all want them to be the 20 year old electronic punks they once were? Step back for a moment and think...

MODS - you all need to delete this stupid opinion-ating on this topic, enough is enough. I come here daily to check up on my favorite band, not hear people cry about what they think the band is doing wrong.

I guess I slightly agree with you, to a point. It's just non stop these days with the negativity in here! The band is fucking awesome, and I enjoy listening to anything they put out!

Either I'm getting fat, or once I hit 30 I felt as if my life advanced 10 years! Tell me your secret

I'm 34
I've always gone by the saying in human traffic
"when the come downs out way the good times then you know the party's over"

im still going for it so stop giving up before your time guys

All good. The negativity is definitely here and I can't say I'm saying only flowery things about them, but I also read a lot of positive words. I still think they're a hell of a band and do one of the coolest life shows I've seen.
Plus, for 40+, they're pretty fit and lots of others of their time went for quiet route long ago. I just noticed that Liam has gone through a major change in a really short period of time and that shows in many aspects. But yeah, it's part of the whole R'n'R-thing, probably.

Me turning 30 was a little downer also, and others here were having similar experiences. But, honestly, I had the mini version of this when I turned 20 already. It comes and goes, and I always try to take this (pressure) as a motivation to eat and live healthy, as I see no other positive use in this feeling of pressure. Logically speaking, of course. Can't say I handle this strictly enough to talk about it