Liam pulled a dusty VHS from his bag—the master copy, labeled UNCUT - DO NOT AIR . He slid it across the table.
The lie was whispered in boardrooms and screamed in tabloids: "The Prodigy are glorifying violence against women." The title alone—"Smack My Bitch Up"—was enough to curdle milk. Politicians demanded arrests. Parents hid their CD singles. And Liam Howlett, the band’s silent, chain-smoking mastermind, watched the firestorm from his flat in Essex, saying almost nothing.
Liam didn't look up. "Yeah."
Liam finally turned. His eyes were tired, not angry. "So you actually watched it. The uncut version."
MTV never unbanned it. But in 1998, the Video Music Awards gave "Smack My Bitch Up" a nomination for Best Dance Video anyway. The Prodigy didn't attend. Liam sent a one-sentence fax: "We'll be in the mirror if you need us."
