The Fire’s Out – Prodigy’s Keith Flint Dies

The man who once fronted the properly ‘dangerous’ band, Prodigy, has died. Keith Flint, who wrote “I’m the fire starter, twisted fire starter” lived fast and has died relatively young. Not quite fifty, he was like Roy the Nexus replicant in Blade Runner. Tyrell, tells him, “The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long… …and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy.” so in serious rock n’roll years, this was living to 100. I have NO idea how the hell Iggy Pop and the Stones are getting away with it. Rest in raving mayhem, mate… The song was the inspiration for the name of the classic VW van that a bloke called Geoff Kerss built. An unstoppable SPL monster that beat everything to death in its path. It was once a fire engine for a factory. hence, Firestarter. Whole story here: https://www.adamrayner.net/quake-warning/

And as that fire cools, I had another startling bit of news in from the Volvo folks. I utterly adore my XC70 Polestar. But it is a true unicorn. If you go to the site that shows you how many of your model are on the UK roads, well, mine comes up at sixteen. And I have only ever seen one like it at the place that sold it to me. https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/volvo_xc70_se_lux_awd_t6_auto

And it is absurd.. the last of its kind. I am so sad, as the era of the fast Volvo, ushered in with astonishment as it won all the Touring Car races until it got banned for being an estate car, by the 850R T5 is over with the XC90 T8 being the end.

Mine is a T6, and has a bonkers amount of power and torque and is speed limited electronically. It took me two years of ownership to find that. Yet in future, from 2020, there will be no Volvo that goes faster than a top speed of 180kph or 112mph. It is true, along with the linear-fretty-nanny ‘collision avoidance system’ that merely beeps and flashes at you, like a bad passenger distracting you, (mine is switched off, as it nagged me around suburbia, unable to realise that I have to weave around parked cars on roads narrower than in Sweden) Volvo view the driver as the annoyingly weak link and wish to make their cars 100% no-death-casualties at ALL, by design by 2020. This is in keeping with the entire DNA of the company but also kills the thing that made these wonderful rugged, reliable and capacious yet uncool cars… cool for while.

So a day of endings.. thank gosh that that Volvos last so long! ME at Volvo press event: “Is it possible to get my T6 de-restricted?” Volvo SENIOR exec: “I don’t think anyone within the franchise will do that..it has something to do with the car lasting a long time..” I was shut down… and slunk off embarrassed. I mean 138mph is frickin’ fast, with 0.60 of six seconds dead. A little more with 0.4 tonnes of me and full glamp palace on board.

Take care now and avoid the old BOOMPH-tinkle…