Thirty years ago, The Prodigy’s “Firestarter” was terrifying parents. Today, a pair of grocery store workers have managed to turn the same iconic track into something guaranteed to put a smile on people’s faces.
The two workers transformed their breakroom into their own brilliantly chaotic version of the 1996 classic, lip-syncing their way through the entire song while dressed in hairnets and aprons.
Their attention to detail is what makes the performance particularly memorable. Using everyday grocery-store items including canned pumpkin, firestarter sticks and even lettuce, they recreate the unmistakable look associated with Keith Flint in the original video.
And judging by the reaction online, they have absolutely nailed it.
The original “Firestarter” video, released in 1996, became one of the most recognisable and controversial music videos of its era. Filmed in an abandoned London Underground tunnel, its dark imagery, frantic energy and Flint’s unforgettable appearance generated huge numbers of complaints from parents.
There were reports at the time of children being frightened by the video, while Flint’s wild appearance and aggressive performance helped cement “Firestarter” as a defining moment of 1990s alternative music culture.
Fast forward three decades and the same imagery has been given an entirely different treatment.
Instead of an abandoned tunnel, there is a grocery-store breakroom. Instead of pyrotechnics and industrial darkness, there are vegetables, aprons and whatever happens to be available on the shelves.
The result is a wonderfully ridiculous tribute that has clearly struck a chord online.
With the video attracting more than 222,000 likes, thousands of comments and nearly 8,000 shares, it seems the workers have discovered the secret formula: take one of the most intimidating music videos of the 1990s, add a supermarket breakroom and two people willing to completely commit to the joke.
Thirty years ago, “Firestarter” scared the parents.
Today, it’s making everyone smile.
