Mike's Response To Rock Music Sucking

Discussion in 'Linkin Park Chat' started by Jack_Farrell, Sep 10, 2013.

  1. #1
    Jack_Farrell

    Jack_Farrell KTTK is Chester suicide-diving off a cliff naked

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    http://pigeonsandplanes.com/2013/09/rock-music-sucks-response-mike-shinoda/#item3_252916

    I saw this on LPLive and I wanted to voice my opinion on this matter:

    Integrity is subjective. Numbers are not. Today, for those of you who aren’t up on the latest of Linkin Park, we haven’t slowed down. Linkin Park is one of the biggest bands on YouTube; we’re the biggest band on Facebook, and we still headline most major rock festivals in the world when we go out on tour. We’re not a “legacy act,” riding out classic hits on tour like The Stones and Roger Waters, playing shows for nostalgic middle-aged crowd—instead, we’re constantly striving to innovate, in the studio and online with our fans. Every album we’ve released in the last 10 years has debuted at No. 1 in at least 20 countries.

    I want to speak out here and say that those numbers were gained by giving up part of the innovation they were going for when they created Xero - the lyrics, those fans he calls LP's sleepers cells.

    And we don’t really want to be, as individuals or as a band. Our fans sit in the shadows, like little sleeper cells all over the world, loyally supporting the band at every turn.

    On the article he says:

    This month, my band will put out a song with Steve Aoki that blends both our styles. And our next album will probably have nothing to do with the Aoki song, or even sound like our previous album. Because lastly, the other half of the problem (yes, the third half), is the most important of all.

    After all, it’s not just about moving forward, it’s about the direction in which you move. Baker’s piece wasn’t just about “rock” as a genre being less popular. Rock is very popular on a middle-level, the level that doesn’t trend worldwide on Twitter and get talked about in late night monologues. Baker makes a point that the rock music has gotten, in his words, “pussified.” Where’s the rock that’s about innovation, energy, aggression, catharsis, passion? Where’s the explosiveness of The Shape Of Punk To Come? The ferocity of Master Of Puppets? The boldness of The Downward Spiral?

    And THEN he says:

    Where are the carnivores? At the end of the day, it will never be about one song, one album, or one band. A movement requires leaders who are restless, brave, and fucking disruptive. I’m in the studio right now. I’m looking for ways to do it myself. I hope my peers and their fans are as well, because it’s the only way we’ll be able to force Pigeons and Planes to write a post called “Everything But Rock Sucks Right Now and It’s Depressing.”

    They played this on Hong Kong on their third to last show last August:

    01. TINFOIL
    02. Faint (SINGLE)
    03. Papercut (SINGLE)
    04. Given Up (SINGLE)
    05. With You
    06. Somewhere I Belong (SINGLE)
    07. New Divide (SINGLE)
    08. VICTIMIZED (w/ QWERTY)
    09. Points Of Authority
    10. LIES GREED MISERY (SINGLE)
    11. Waiting For The End (SINGLE)
    12. Breaking The Habit (SINGLE)
    13. CASTLE OF GLASS (SINGLE)
    14. LOATR/SOTD/Iridescent (SINGLE)
    15. The Catalyst (SINGLE)
    16. LOST IN THE ECHO (SINGLE)
    17. Numb (SINGLE)
    18. What I've Done (SINGLE)
    19. One Step Closer (SINGLE)
    20. BURN IT DOWN (SINGLE)
    21. In The End (SINGLE)
    22. Bleed It Out (SINGLE)

    I see lot of classics from 2000 and 2003 there Mike, even the songs that aren't singles are classics, I counted only 3 and a half MTM songs and only 2 ATS songs, and only 5 songs from your 12-song new album, for your new album tour. All that innovation, it's crazy.

    [youtube]gsh7mBAtKGQ#t=957[/youtube]

    What I always ramble on about the V/C/V/C/B/C thing with Dave, to remind people about the mentality they had during the ATS-era and the mentality they're in right now.

    After hearing that Chester would be joining STP, and even when it's not like he really ever had big input in the songs, the somewhat letdown LT was and now ALTNC's extended preview, I doubt LP will be able to really get back into the challenging music mentality they imposed themselves when creating MTM and ATS, and their music quality will steadily decline over the next years.

    I said it a year ago, and I still believe that after 2 albums, LP will go poof. I'm almost sure that Mike will become a producer, I no longer feel that he has the energy to do Fort Minor-esque collaborations and side-projects.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2013
  2. #2
    Qwerty19

    Qwerty19 Well-Known Member

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    ...

    I don't get it when you say "I'm afraid they won't go back to the mentality they had when makin MTM and ATS". To me, it's evident that they still had that same mentality with LT, and Mike's statement in this blog post prooves it once again. Those 3 records were made with the goal of not sounding like their predecessors.

    Mike, by saying that their next record will be different again, prooves that he and the band still have that mentality. When he insists on the importance of innovation, he further prooves it. That you don't like short V/C/V/C/B/C songs or personnal lyrics or GUITARZ or whatever.... doesn't change anything about LT being made with a creative mentality. The final output is not always a good indicator of the process. For example, and let's be honest right there, how many people do you think would find out that a simple alternative record like MTM is the product of a 3 year process?
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2013
  3. #3
    brady

    brady I am the LPA LPA Super Member

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    How in the world is LOATR/SOTD/Iridescent Ballad Medley a single when it doesn't even exist except in live concerts?
     
  4. #4
    minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    Well, it is made up entirely of elements from three songs which were released as singles :rolleyes:

    Personally, I'm not going to get into what I think of the setlists ("Lies Greed Misery" isn't a single, by the way) because they're not really even part of the point that Shinoda makes - and, if you think that they are, well, several songs from the songs from "Living Things" were played during the "Living Things" tour cycle.

    On the whole, I agree with his assessment on the state of rock today - particularly the part where he says that rock artists (on the whole) refuse to take chances and innovate, an observation which is explored further in the comment section underneath the post. I listen to maybe two or three artists max that I would describe as straight-up rock bands.
     
  5. #5
    Vriska

    Vriska Wiki Staff LPA VIP

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    I dont think its fair to compare Mike's notes on making music to the live shows. Live shows are tailored to fans who are there to hear the songs they know; it's teh sum of their history. New music pushes the envelope. Also 5 songs is a lot. It's par.
     
  6. #6
    minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    Again, setlists are far from the crux of Shinoda's main argument here but, yes, five songs off one album is a good amount. We've been spoiled in the past, like during the "A Thousand Suns" touring cycle where the band often performed all but a few of the songs from that album in their headline sets.
     
  7. #7
    jare0674

    jare0674 There's a seat here along side me...

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    Way to take an intelligent well written article and turn it into a little bitchfest.
     
  8. #8
    Ben

    Ben Well-Known Member

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    I hate to say it, but I agree with this. You've really done nothing here but present negatively opinionated statements. You don't know where Mike is coming from, you don't know what goes on in his head. To make bold accusations about the band dissolving based on your opinions is a bit frustrating to read, honestly.
     
  9. #9
    Andreina

    Andreina Proud Venezuelan LP fan. LPA Contributor

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    Absolutely agree on this.
     
  10. #10
    ZachLP

    ZachLP Soldier since 2000

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    I think you missed the entire point of the article. Mike is basically saying that the band doesn't want to be known for their big hits and they want to continue making new music that is exciting to them. This doesn't mean LP is going to split up and Mike is going to be a producer. Mike already has production credit on albums. He has been a producer technically, and produced other artists tracks and stuff. Which is amazing, you make it seem like that is a bad thing. Chester joins STP, what does that have to do with LP or this article? Chester is amazing with STP and STP is a great band anyways, he is having fun. I just don't understand you guys. They can make music in the same mind frame as MTM and ATS. A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES is a one off single, obviously you can't judge LP's music based off of that. That's like saying you thought ATS would sound like We Made It back in 2008, which was a one off single. LIVING THINGS actually did sum up all of LP's albums basically. A lot of people didn't like it because it was the follow up to ATS and didn't follow the ATS style of writing all that much. That doesn't mean it's bad. I personally love LIVING THINGS and I'm excited to see what the next step is for the band.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2013
  11. #11
    TheZlajaZlo

    TheZlajaZlo Closing LPA Super Member

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    Anyway, that was a great article, but you've missed the point... and about your predictions about the band's future? We'll see...
     
  12. #12
    Wizardofozil

    Wizardofozil Well-Known Member

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    Linkin park should make a teen love song or a song about sex it would be a number 1 hit :shinado:
     
  13. #13
    minuteforce

    minuteforce Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance. LPA Team

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    As long as there's lots of twerking involved, yes, they'd be set!
     
  14. #14
    travz21

    travz21 Muscle Museum LPA Super Member

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    Mike and LP can talk about innovation all they want, but they need to walk the walk. If they release another album like Living Things I'm going to seriously question if Mike actually wrote that article. It was a good read regardless.
     
  15. #15
    Vdalem

    Vdalem Purrfect! LPA Super VIP

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    All people wants to do is rain on someone's parade. That's the one thing I love about LP: They don't care what you think about their music. Some people wants to keep them the same way and that would make them lame! Remember most of the bands that was around when LP started, newsflash: They broken up! Some looks like they want LP to break up. Some fair weather fans they are.
     
  16. #16
    TheZlajaZlo

    TheZlajaZlo Closing LPA Super Member

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    I'm convinced that the only thing from keeping them to do that is their label... Just look at every demo or sounds on MOATS and Inside Living Things and it's obvious what's up.
     
  17. #17
    NotEnoughYetTooMuch

    NotEnoughYetTooMuch Well-Known Member

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    Well if he's talking about rock music, and saying he's looking for ways to do what he believes rock should be in the studio, maybe they're working on a little bit more of a rock album?
    That would be a bit different from living things.
     
  18. #18
    Filip

    Filip god break down the door LPA Contributor

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    I don't understand half the words in that article tbh.
     
  19. #19
    Juliet

    Juliet Well-Known Member

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    My only beef with the article is this: "Pop radio doesn’t play us, and award shows ignore us. We’re not bitter—we actually work hard to keep the delicate balance", because those things AREN'T TRUE. And that "rock" music is classified as many different genres. Fun sounds nothing like Of Mice and Men, who sounds nothing like Fall Out Boy, who sounds nothing like Coldplay. Yet they're all classified as rock bands. I have other minor issues with it, but I can't quite put them into words. I don't know, maybe I'm just not understanding the article.
     
  20. #20
    Vdalem

    Vdalem Purrfect! LPA Super VIP

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    *sounds of crickets fill the air* I don't know either.
     

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