Herald Sun: Linkin Park's anchored frontman

Here's a great article from the Herald Sun:

LINKIN Park frontman Chester Bennington is used to scrutiny.
However, on their last world tour, Bennington took careful note of one considered opinion - his six-year-old son, Tyler.
Bennington says: "He has travelled more in his short little life than most have done in their lifetime. He has no idea he's done that."
Bennington is also finding joy in watching Tyler try to piece together the puzzle of the music, the performance, the crowd, the reaction, and how his 36-year-old father fits in all this.
"It's so cute," Bennington says. "He saw people cheering and thought: 'They're all here to see my dad and my uncles'. "He made that connection. He knows there is something special here. He realises dad does something different from what other dads do.
"It's interesting to see kids figure out how people view their father differently."
To most others, Bennington is a songwriter and the primal howl in Linkin Park, one of the biggest rock bands of the new millennium.
Hits include In The End, Somewhere I Belong, Breaking The Habit and Numb.
Their new album, Living Things, a return to the crunching intensity of Hybrid Theory (2000) and pop structures of Meteora (2002), will be released tomorrow.
"Our goal is to challenge ourselves creatively," Bennington says.
"We want to make music that doesn't play it safe.
"That's easier said than done when you've been doing it for 12 years and it's your fifth record.
"It can get easy to become complacent in your career and deal with things you know you're good at."
Bennington says the new album is more personal than their last record, a concept work called A Thousand Suns.
He explains: "Living Things deals with more issues on a human level, a personal level."
Bennington says he and co-writer Mike Shinoda wrote about characters more than specific experiences.
"Our lives are different, so we come from two perspectives," Bennington says.
"I remember saying to Mike: 'When I was a kid, my parents got divorced and that made me really sad. I want to write a song about it.' And Mike goes: 'Well, my parents never got divorced. I have no idea what that feels like.'
"But, somehow, it works. We end up with songs with multiple layers and points of view."
Yet, in the multi-platinum world of Linkin Park, one voice is always loudest: Family.
In the liner notes of the new album, Bennington thanks his wife Talinda, and children Jaime, Isaiah, Draven, Tyler, Lily, Lila and Alyssa.
He says: "My wife and my children give me a perspective that is necessary to stay a normal person.
"They allow me to see life for what it truly is, and what is important.
"Being a rock star is awesome, but it is not a real lifestyle. It's very secluded.
"It's awesome to make music at this level, but ultimately, what we want out of life is to be regular people.
"We don't want to experience life as rock stars on a pedestal.
"Family brings you back down to earth. It keeps you tied to the things that are important," he says.
Linkin Park will tour Living Things, including yet-to-be confirmed dates in Australia.
Bennington says their ferocious live shows keep him connected to the memory of the wide-eyed fan he once was.
"A lot of people can sing, and there are a lot of talented people out there for what they do. But I'm not sure there are many people who can do what I do, the way that I do it.
"When I get up on stage scream and yell and deliver ... I feel everybody wants to do that.
"At that moment, I'm speaking for all of us."
The singer says he recognises himself in the fan in the front row shouting every word of every song.
"There is something about that one kid who got there early, got his tickets first, and ran up to the barricade and waited all day to scream as if they were in the band.
"I remember being in that place, looking up at my heroes. There is nothing better than being that for somebody."

Thank you everyone hat tweeted and emailed me the link! Much appreciated. :)

Elka's 1950's photo shoot + other twitter pics

Have you all seen Elka's 1950's themed photoshoot picture? I love it!  :)

https://twitter.com/#!/ElkaBr/status/201906143885406208/photo/1

Thanks Kamila for the email!

While I was on her twitter, I saw a few other pictures I had missed. Here are links in case you did too...

The boys made her bed up on Mother's Day:
https://twitter.com/#!/ElkaBr/status/201915048250191873/photo/1

Elka has a talent for painting! Love this Giraffe and Lion she did:
https://twitter.com/#!/ElkaBr/status/195010063532957696/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/ElkaBr/status/195010287085166592/photo/1

Jaime playing piano:
https://twitter.com/#!/ElkaBr/status/195009606609670144/photo/1

Chester's interview with The Edge

Chester called in to The Edge and did a quick interview (in his quiet dad voice) during naptime. He talked mostly about his family, like Jaime wanting to be a composer and how he feels about the kids getting tattoos...It's definitely worth checking out. :) You can stream or download it at LPTimes!

"If you had to have a dad, I'm a pretty cool one to have." -Chester

Los Angeles Times Interview

LA Times:

“I made my mind up three years ago: I don’t want to scream anymore,” said Bennington, 34, stepping into the studio after a drive up from home in Orange County, his hair cut close to the scalp. “I think all of us at that point were going, ‘If I keep doing this, this is just what I’m going to keep doing for the rest of my life.’”

He attributes his willingness to step into new emotional territory to his experience raising four boys (ages 4, 8, 13 and 14 years), along with a widening of his musical tastes: “I’m a father now. I’m inspired to sing that way.”

“When I was 20 years old, I would have told you ‘I hate the Beatles. There is no way I will listen to that,’” added Bennington, whose personal model then was the roaring creep show punk-rock of the Misfits. “Now, I would tell you that I love the Beatles, and I didn’t figure it out until I was 27: ‘Oh. This is what everybody … talks about.’ It was weird. It was like all of a sudden I like broccoli. Now I love broccoli.”

Via LPTimes.

Quick post - twitter

Elka made a return to twitter and Talinda let Jaime and Isaiah tweet from her account today to answer some questions. They sound like two very nice young men!

Surprise Flagstaff trip!

TalindaB: Good morning! Woke up Jaime, Isaiah,Alyssa up early to suprise thm w/ a trip to Flagstaff for snowboarding!!!
about 5 hours ago from Echofon

Chester attended Kids' Choice Awards

Here's a picture of Chester and Draven. Sadly LP didn't won. I'll try to find more pics soon. ;-) [click on the pic to see it bigger]
I found 2 more pics with Talinda, Isaiah and Draven....have no idea who are those girls and boy in the glasses (?)
On the first pic with Chez and Tal i think that Talina has a tatoo upon her left ankle and on the right too...?

Chester and Isaiah attend Lakers Game on March 28

Here are some pictures from Chester with Isaiah at the Lakers Game on March28

The Benningtons now parents of four

I meant to post about this earlier but I totally forgot. :)

In a recent interview n the Kevin & Bean show Chester revealed that he has adopted Jaime's brother. So that makes 4 children for them now!

"I do have three boys and I adopted my oldest son, his brother, I adopted him as my own so I guess I have four."