Mike and Anna on HuffPost Live

If you missed Mike and Anna stopping by HuffPost Live, you can watch the video on their site (or below).

KROQ's Kevin & Bean Interview With Chester 5/2/13

If you haven't had the chance to listen to Chester on the Kevin and Bean show a few days ago, you can do so here. I finally got around to it. It's a quick interview over the phone where he talks mostly about the upcoming MusiCares event. Listen/Download at CBN.

Here's a funny quote:

"Even after I neutered myself I still had children. It's like the craziest thing."

TheRatRocks Interview With Chester

Chester did an interview with TheRatRocks back in 2010. At around 6:28, Talinda calls out to Chester from the other room and he answers her. Check it out below:


Thanks Jessica for finding this interview and sending it in. :)

KCAA Interview With Samantha

Check out this interview that Samantha did on the KCAA Radio show back in January. Lots of interesting things mentioned like the distribution of a song that Chester did in 2001 with Cyclefly called "Karma Killers" and her upcoming reality tv show with the working title "Hollywood Houseguest".


You can watch the interview at youtube below. I have also upload a MP4 of the video here in case you want to download it.

Quote:

"They have got to be the nicest, most professional, hard working guys I have ever seen, to date, in the music industry. To date! I mean, I'm not even in their day to day life besides parenting; co-parenting, and when I hear new music from them or I see things they've done or work with other artists that work with them...they're just the most talented group of musicians..."

Chicago Tribune: interview with Chester

I've just now seen this nice little interview that Chester did with the Chicago Tribune. Here are a few excerpts:

Q: Ever wonder why you got picked?
A: I wish it was a popularity contest, and we got like, voted in, because then it would be easy to tell other people, 'This is how we did it ... ' It's not something we deserve. It's not like I was born into this world to be a rock star. ... Everyone's special, everyone has their own story. I like to go to the grocery store. I like to pick my kids up from school. I like to do my laundry. I just like to be a normal person. It's hard for me to think about myself as a big rock star.

Q: Do you get to do those things unmolested, for the most part?
A: Yes, I do. We don't have to deal with paparazzi. People who recognize me are fans of the band. I do get stopped on a daily basis. I just stop and say, 'Hi,' take a picture if they want one while I'm waiting my turn at the deli. That's something that's really important to us, to maintain some level of normalcy.
Q: If you snub someone, do you feel bad all day?
A: Yeah. There's definitely days — I'm only human, and I have bad days too. There's days when I might be at a meet-and-greet at a show and not be very present, or maybe I'm not feeling very well and I don't give 100 percent. Some people can be a little too excited (laughs) and maybe a little offensive. There are times when I wish I could have taken something back or handled something differently, because seeing me, to that person it was very exciting. Me seeing me, to me is not very exciting.

Read the rest here. :)

SeeTheMuzik interview with Linkin Park fans

Everyone has surely seen this by now but I wanted to post it anyway. SeetheMuzik did an interview with two 13 year old fans after the Linkin Park show Tuesday night. It's such a good read. :)

Read here.

"Burn it Down" inspiration

The guys of Linkin Park drew inspiration for “Burn It Down” from their experiences with the negatives that come with celebrity life. “People build up a certain celebrity or musician or actor or whatever and they’re popular one minute and the next thing, you know either they’ve done something wrong or they’ve done nothing wrong and there’s just a bad rumor that goes around about them and then everybody’s attacking that person,” multi-instrumentalist Mike Shinoda told the Huffington Post. “We’ve actually lived through that as a band.”

Read the rest...

Linkin Park Fan Corner interview (with me)

Over at Linkin Park Fan Corner, AdieK84 is doing a series of interviews with some of the biggest Linkin Park fansite admins and I am grateful to be included as one. You can read the interview here! Thanks again AdieK84. :)

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. :)

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

Chester's interview with BBC Radio

Just thought I'd post this even though I'm sure most of you have listened to it already and I am just behind. ;)

In Chester's interview with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe, he mentions his family for a bit. Some pretty funny comments in there. He talks about how many kids he has and how he could have a pretty interesting reality show...You can stream it here and download it here.

The whole radio interview is a good listen so check it out and enjoy.

Linkin Park Ever evolving, ever changing

Esme found this article where Brad talks to PhilStar.com about A Thousand Suns and how the band keeps chaninging and evolving. He also mentions his Little Kids Rock organization:

“What’s really cool about being in this group is that there are so many diverse opportunities not just for creative expression or for business. But it has also put us in a position to help people. I am personally interested in it, and it’s something I enjoy doing,” Brad said. Brad, who graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a degree in communication studies, has actually set up with his wife a scholarship fund that annually awards four-year scholarships at the UCLA. He also sits on the board of directors of a nonprofit org named Little Kids Rock, which gives out free musical instruments and instruction to children in underserved public schools throughout the US.

Read more here! It is a good one.

'We're famous, but we're not celebrities'

There is an interview that Mike and Chester did with The Guardian while in Moscow, that you all might want to read.

"Because it wasn't just the war," he says. "It was fear in their neighbourhood and everything, for years. My dad remembers being in school with my uncle, and the teacher would say outright to the class that the Japanese were second-class citizens and shouldn't be trusted. Before the war my family had a grocery store and a barber's shop, but after internment it was destroyed and they had to start again as strawberry pickers. But they won't talk about it. I wanted to tell these stories because nobody else will."

Read the whole article here!

Chester interviewed by Phoenix New Times

UOTS: What about you personally? You were in Saw 3D last year, any plans to do more acting?

CB: I don't know, man, that was a pretty bad movie. It was fun. I don't actively go out and audition for movies. I've got a lot of stuff going on between the five kids I have at my house and my wife and Linkin Park I barely had enough time to squeeze out a Dead by Sunrise album. I think that I'm really stoked, I'm really happy where things are right now and I'm kind of enjoying the ride I'm on. So I'm just looking forward to making the next Linkin Park record, I'm looking forward to finishing this tour and getting back into the studio. All I want to do is sit in the studio and make new records, that's all I want to do. That's my goal. I want to get back into the studio as soon as possible and make some more music.

-SOURCE

3 of Chester's favorite songs

Chester did a guest DJ spot on Becko's show on Triple M and was asked to pick three favorite songs from their library.

My Chemical Romance - "Sing"
"I really love the band. They're a band that like to push themselves and really try new things and still stay true to who they are as a band.

The Living End - "Prisoner Of Society"
"This is one of those songs where every time the song comes on I crank it up as loud as it can go and I sing at the top of my lungs.

"Me and my wife, we literally bang our heads and go crazy. I'm surprised we haven't crashed our car while we've been driving.

"I've played shows with them and they're an amazing band - extremely talented, solid musicians and some of the best guitar playing around.

The Clash - "London Calling"
"This is one of those songs that is timeless. It feels like it could be as relevant today as it was when they wrote it.

"It's a classic song. It has a great vibe. I love this band and this is one of their best songs.

Mike in Metal Hammer: Anna's favorite band

MikeShinodaClan posted some scans from Metal Hammer and in the interview Mike talks about records that have impacted him. He also mentioned Anna and that her favorite band is The Doors.

Click here and login to see the scan. I will try and post a quote here later. I'm about to head out the door...

Thanks Chowpuck for letting me know about this! :)

"There's a magic ... that everyone who does what we do is chasing."

Check out Mike's "Defining Moments" over at NoiseCreep! Chester is there in the video too.

Chester the cool dad

In a two part interview with Dasding, Chester talked about a variety of things including his family and about being a dad. Good interview, check out both parts!





Thanks Tensh_iie for the tweet. :)

Kerrang interview with Chester

You can check out scans from this weeks Kerrang where they talk with Chester about Linkin Park and his family at MikeShinodaClan.

Thanks Tensh_iie for the tip!

Herald Sun Australia interview

Chester was interviewed for Herald Sun AU:

Setting out on a long world tour for Bennington, 34, means putting in advance time with his family - he has a wife and five children (four of his own plus a niece) that touring often necessitates leaving behind.

They won't be joining dad in Australia before Christmas as the kids will still be stuck in school, where, as their proud dad tells it, they're excelling.

"My oldest son has taken up music, that's all he does all day long, every day. My niece is a high honour-roll student, and in a cheerleading squad. And my second to oldest son is a baseball player, he wants to play basketball, and he's also a high honour-roll student."

They're all brainiacs, by the sounds of it. Not the run-of-the-mill rock 'n' roll progeny.

"Yup, they're geniuses," Bennington laughs, "and I have no idea why."

Read more!