Image via Complex Original
It sounds funny, right? Goldie's an individual who has seen his life play out in the press for years, and in interviews he wears his honesty on his sleeve. He's truly an open book, which is something that plays out in the emotional tracks he's created over the years. As with anyone else, there are still some things that those with a passing interest in his life just don't know.
From his work in TV and Hollywood to how the Metalheadz name came to be, as well as which singer he was engaged to and what national English sports team he used to play for. Here are 10 things you didn't know about Goldie.
Goldie's Nickname Came from an Old Hairstyle
Back before he was heavily into graffiti and breakdancing in the UK, Goldie was also dabbling in Rastafarianism. At the time, he had dreadlocks, and was given the name "goldilocks" because of this. While he's not had the 'locks since he was 18, the Goldie stuck around. So while he was selling gold grills during his first stints in the US, that's NOT where his moniker came from.
Goldie was a Good Roller-Hockey Player
Before making his name within the hip-hop scene in the UK, Goldie pushed himself as a rollerskater, which lead him to being a part of the B Team for England's national roller-hockey team, playing goalkeeper.
Grooverider Helped Coin the "Metalheadz" Name
Before Metalheadz was a label, it was utilized as the "dubplate" side of Reinforced Records. At the time, Goldie was doing the art for Reinforced, and was big into branding. While you'd have the "Reinforced"-style tunes on one side, the flipside was something a bit darker, a bit more edgey and experimental, stamped with the now-iconic Metalheadz logo. Think of it as mixing the light and the dark.
At the time, it was just a logo (and one that Goldie used for a lot of his own Rufige Kru releases), and legend has it that Grooverider used to talk about wanting to play the "metal," meaning the flipside of these Reinforced releases. Add that term "metal" and what it stood for to Goldie's "head" logo and everything seemingly fell into place.
Goldie Invented "Time Stretching"
It's true. Studio experimentation with breakbeats and old guitar equipment created the unique way of stretching beats that we heard we heard in Goldie's seminal single "Terminator," a sound that came to be known as "time-stretching;" a sound that was utilized by many drum & bass producers following him.
DC Shoes Collaborated with Metalheadz Early On
Do you want to know how iconic Metalheadz has been? DC Shoes (the home of Dave Mirra and Rob Dyrdeck) has done "Double Label Projects" with a number of big atheletes and brands, but the second shoe in their first series of "Double Label Projects?" The mighty Metalheadz yellow and black.
Goldie was Engaged to Bjork
For a few years in the mid-1990s, Goldie and Bjork were romantically linked. There was definitely something magical between them; both were artists that worked within a digital realm, but their work was really about dipping into different sounds as they saw fit, and not trying to be pigeonholed. You could hear the fruits of their union in the "Isobel's Lonely Heart" remix that Goldie did, but it all ended up going down hill.
Legend has it that during one NY gig, Goldie got into an altercation with trip-hop pioneer Tricky, who had also been romantically linked with Bjork. Some say that Bjork's "5 Years" was written about Goldie, but this has never been officially confirmed.
Goldie Acted in a James Bond Film
While not his first acting gig, Goldie was featured in the 1999 James Bond film The World is Not Enough as the character "Bullion." He even got to keep his signature gold teeth for the role (although he did lose his life, natch).
Goldie is a Reality TV Star
Probably due to his unforgettable personality, Goldie's done many stints in the UK reality TV show circuit, being featured on everything from Celebrity Big Brother UK and The Games to Goldie's Band, Strictly Come Dancing and Maestro, a show where he had to learn to conduct a concert orchestra. He placed second on Maestro, which spawned a sequel of sorts, the two-part BBC piece Classic Goldie, which followed him learning how to write a score that would be played at Royal Albert Hall.
Goldie is Great at Impersonations
This is an odd one, and it might speak to Goldie being part Jamaican and being able to switch off his patois when needed, but he's very good at impersonations. Anytime he's doing an interview and needs to speak about/as a person within his life he's able to slip into the dialect of whomever he's speaking about, be them from another part of England or being down in Miami. Just check out how he kicked off the "Garage Shout Outs" during his visit to Skream & Benga's BBC Radio 1 show:
Goldie Practices Bikram Yoga
Bikram yoga, which is characterized by the 90-minute sessions that utilize 26 different poses in a room that tops off around 105°F, has been used by Goldie to not only help him clear out his thoughts, but to drop a considerable amount of weight. He's written a pretty extensive piece on how Bikram has opened his eyes, and judging by the fact that's he such a physically fit individual, you might one to take heed to the master's words.
