Mike Shinoda & Emily Armstrong interviewed on Zach Sang Show

Such a lengthy and candid interview. There were lots of details that I loved:

• The suggestion that Rob may or may have not had a hand in Emily and Mike meeting. (Huge if true)
• The fact that Emily tried to reach out to participate in the Hollywood Bowl homage to Chester.
• How Mike pointed out that Emily not being at that show was actually the better outcome (can you imagine people -and haters- speculating if that had happened?)
• How a 5 minute conversation made what is possibly the most pivotal moment in Linkin Park's resurgence (having Emily sing on TEM).
• At one point they actually had Colin "pick" what instrument he wanted (oh my God )
• Mike explaining how part of keeping the comeback under wraps was possibly down to the respect of people in the industry who cared about them enough not to do it. (This is amazing by the way, though Mike can't say for sure) There were so many people outside of their bubble who they had to talk to, but none of them went and spread the information. That's a huge testament of how not just big a band Linkin Park is, but how the guys as individuals are seen in the business, they are loved and respected.
• Them laying out the idea of having the privilege to make their first album twice. It really is a first album not just by name, but the circumstances around it. Mike and the guys despite their trajectory still felt like this time they had something to prove, people to convince. The first album is a life-changing moment for many artists out there and it's an experience they hold dear forever, and the notion of "debuting" twice is even counter-intuitive, it defies logic, (unless it's a breakaway solo album), yet they did it, and boy what a way to reintroduce yourselves.
• Mike said they'll upload sometime on their socials how Emily did the HITC scream. And in true Linkin Park fashion, they kept what she did on the first take. (We need to hold Mike to his word here and DEMAND that clip )

It was really nice to watch them relax and recall their experience during this cycle. I hope we can see some more of that in the near future.

 

Thanks @Andreina for the summary!

Definitely catching up with this interview when I get some time, looks super promising.

Edit: really cool to hear Joe feels like they unlocked something in Mike that he needs to do more often when talking about his aggressive vocals on casualty

And really interesting to know those were inspired by the hardcore punk scene!

 

Kind of admitting they don't really know what the lyrics of the songs are about most of the time

 

GREAT interview

 

I think they meant less that they don't know what the song is about but rather they know where the lyrics originate but that "death of the author" is a real thing. And that's infinitely more fascinating than straight up saying what the song was based on.

 

Lots of great tidbits in this interview. I really enjoyed watching it because all four of them seemed really invested in the conversation. Mike even outright said they're choosey about interviews and they really liked interviewing with them.

Andreina touched on a lot, but some other nuggets that I also liked were:

• Emily's comments on how she really loved Hybrid Theory and One Step Closer as a teenager starting a band, and how Chester's delivery informed her vocal work as she became a vocalist in her own right. I think that's poetic.
• Mike and Emily mentioning how they'll just hang around after rehearsals and talk, losing track of the time. I remember Mike saying at some point before about how the previous lineup was special because they all were really friends and enjoyed being with each other, which isn't the case with some bands. Really great to hear that they feel the same way with Emily and Colin in the mix (and maybe Alex...?).
• Mike talking about how bands are rarer these days but how he feels it's special to have a six person group where they're generally aligned.
• Emily talking about how Linkin Park is her first time starting/tracking vocals over fully or mostly-finished songs rather than the full band, live and collaborative, start to finish process she used with Dead Sara.
• Mike wrote The Emptiness Machine two or three years ago with only him on vocals, demoed it for a lot of people who have their finger on the pulse when it comes to hits in the industry, and got an extremely tepid response to it. The "5 minute decision" to bring Emily in for vocals (that Andreina touched on above!) changed everything.
• Mike's vocals for Casualty were inspired by hardcore bands he got into when he was much younger like Strife, Speed, Gel, or the band he says was his gateway to that genre: Helmet. More context for THP/AFN! He also said he's tried it before but didn't feel it worked until now when his voice is "older". Joe also really liked that delivery and is of the opinion that Mike should do it more.

They also talked a lot about the history of some other songs on the album! Really really good interview. Great questions asked and great responses from Emily and Mike.