Linkin Park: "We're Famous, But We're Not Celebrities"

Linkin Park recently spoke to UK broadsheet newspaper The Guardian in Moscow, Russia and the article has now been posted online. The interview with Chester and Mike covers a lot of ground from the band's past; including a lot of personal issues Chester went through earlier in his life. Read some excerpts from the article, and check out the full Guardian interview below.

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Mike & Chester on the Success of Hybrid Theory:
"When you come out of the gate with a record like Hybrid Theory, from a business point of view it's really dumb not to keep on doing that," Bennington says, all smiles, his big, black earrings and tattooed arms the only visual signs of his nu-metal past. "But we aren't a manufacturer. We are artists, and we've gone philosophically back to where we were writing music before we sold a record. When we were excited about a song, not because … " ... Rapper and multi-instrumentalist Mike Shinoda butts in: " … This is going to be a hit!"

Mike & Chester on Changes in Sound and Within the Band:
Chester: "I realised I didn't have that inner beast anymore," ... "I didn't want to scream."
Mike: "If we'd made another record like those first two, we'd have made the same record until we split," Shinoda says, revealing that the band have also rekindled – and in some cases begun – intra-band friendships. "But we realised we didn't have anything to prove to anyone. Linkin Park can be as lyrically or sonically adventurous as we want." "Music can be political in a way I never felt before – performing certain songs in Red Square or Tel Aviv can really affect people," Bennington says.

Mike on Chester's Drug Issues:
"The tours we did in the beginning, everybody we toured with was either drinking or doing drugs," Shinoda says. "I can't think of any that were sober. So you take someone who already has a hankering for drugs and … " ... "I partied with everybody," Bennington says. That didn't help build bonds with the rest of the band – who were more into pot and booze, and had no idea their frontman would be sitting on the tour bus tripping. He says he knew what their response would be: "Fuck, man. Look at what we've got going here. What the fuck are you doing?"

Chester on Cyber-Stalker, Devon Townsend and Being Famous:
"It's not fun to put someone in prison,"he says. "Ninety-nine percent of fans are great. We're famous, but we're not celebrities. I can go to the grocery store and the post office. People say: 'You signed up for this.' No, actually, we signed up to make music, not to expose our families to crazy people. But now it's all about the music. And we're only getting started."

Read The Full Article At The Guardian

It's a really interesting article that goes into detail on a lot of subjects we've heard the band discuss in the past, and is definitely worth a read as Linkin Park take a break from touring and if you have the time.

Source: The Guardian via MSC
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I think one of the most interesting lines was "That didn't help build bonds with the rest of the band – who were more into pot and booze". I always thought Chester was the only drug addict/pothead in the band. That's interesting.

I love reading interviews like these because even though some of them are uncomfortably personal, they reveal so much about the group that you never knew before.

*EDIT* LOL @ everyone else pointing out that same part.

 

I think it's important to note that it was the interviewer who noted the other band members were into "pot and booze", and not Mike or Chester, who atleast were not quoted as saying that. They were probably just casual drinkers and smokers who did it occasionally, I don't think they were by any stretch "addicts", lol.

Loved the last quote of Chester saying they were just getting started. I feel sorry for any fan who wants to hear Chester scream all the time, because you're going to be severely disappointed on the next album.

 

I also cringe whenever I hear Chester talk about being molested as a child. I know it's therapeutic for him to let this stuff out and I'm happy that he has the strength to share his experiences, but I just can't imagine the years of anguish and almost irreparable damage it caused to him. If you look back and consider all the things Chester has revealed he's gone through over the years, it's inspiring that he made it through all of that. He could've gone the way of Layne, and the world could've lost another great musician...but instead he got the help he needed and sobered up. Good job Chester. Here's to hoping the rest of your life goes a lot better than the first half.

 

Yeah, it's not a big deal, haha.

 

That's a really, really, really (and did I mention really) incorrect stereotype .

Of the probably 150 people on FB I know who are American, a good 80% of them do not smoke pot. Also at my work, the majority of the people I work with don't smoke pot either. And I personally, do not smoke pot. So sure it's not that notable and you're right, but your statistic is very incorrect.

 

Yeah that's the only reason why people noticed it.

It doesn't bother me, if anything it makes the guys even more likable then they were before. It also explains some of Mike's old lyrics from In The End (if he was one of those 'pot smoking band members')

 

oooopp.......sorry ben.

 

Oh dear god . Do I sense a topic getting derailed with pot jokes?