Wildfire: My Ten Years Getting High in The Prodigy

by Leeroy Thornhill

Wildfire tells the story of the first decade of The Prodigy from the perspective of original member Leeroy Thornhill, fully illustrated with entirely unseen photography from the earliest raves, to Japan and the United States in the late '90s, by which point the band were one of the biggest on the planet.

Rave pioneers whose sound also encompassed hip hop, punk and rock, The Prodigy arguably had as much influence on contemporary pop culture as the Sex Pistols and these extraordinary images from Leeroy's personal archives capture the wild energy, ecstasy and abandon from the moment they dropped their first hit 'Charly' through the three albums which became the ubiquitous soundtrack to the Experience, Music for the Jilted Generation and Fat of the Land.

Beautifully designed in five colours with archival ephemera, and contextualised by Leeroy himself with candid and often hilarious stories describing the band's wild adventures and eccentric encounters as their fame and popularity spread 'like wildfire', this is the ultimate visual journey into the world of the original 'electronic punks'.

Genres: Nonfiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2024

Reviews

[Sral Noim]

As a long time fan of the Prodigy and someone who's interested in reading about rave culture, this book would be a sure shot. But then it wasn't.

The good:
- a nice photo album with a unique inside view of the group
- the tall tales section with genuinely funny anecdotes
- the legible love Thornhill carries towards the group members and his respect for them

The bad:
- a large part of the book describes touring, which boils down to a list of dates, locations and artists they met along the way and is too repetitive
- overall quite superficial: I'd expected some more details about the creative process or Leeroy's deeper reflections.

Even the sections dedicated to his band mates, although genuinely affectionate, are somewhat generic and could apply to almost anyone.

I think that's really my criticism on Thornhill as a writer, rather than me questioning his intentions or debating his artistry.

Overall: not a very good read, but you'll also read it quite fast, so mandatory for self proclaimed fans of the Prodigy

[Wayne Purvis]

I bought the signed edition of this book but found it was more a picture book of memories than a tell all memoir. I'm sure hard-core fans of The Prodigy will enjoy it.

If you're looking for juicy secrets or a detailed story of drugs and hedonism then this book isn't it. I found the title misleading.

[Tomask]

Great for any fan of The Prodigy, Leeroy or electronic music in general. Also check out the audiobook when looking through the pictures.

[Jenny Dawe]

Loved this warm, positive look back.

[dickus]

liked hearing leeroy talk of all his fond memories in the audiobook