Written by In 2001, it was easy to be suspicious about Linkin Park’s authenticity. The band came out of nowhere as a complete package – memorable songs, great videos, spiky hair and parachute-sized jeans that were horribly in fashion. Their Hybrid Theory debut was so accessible, it shifted a over a million copies in a matter of months. ‘They must be a boy band,’ said many as the six-piece were rapidly becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet.
So less than five months after their album was released, this writer traveled to an unseasonably chilly Spain where the band were main support to Deftones on their 2001 European tour…
Linkin Park are huddled together in a European backstage area. The room’s ambient temperature would do well to keep a fine wine chilled as opposed to keeping one of the fastest rising bands of the last six months in good spirits – and warm – until their coveted support slot on the Deftones current European tour.
Latest Videos From Louder
With sales of their debut album Hybrid Theory hurtling well past the one-million mark, the band seem oddly relaxed amid the attention directed at them.
“We’re just amazed at the reaction we’ve been getting,” says frontman Mike Shinoda, from behind a cloud of his own warm breath. “Every day brings us a new opportunity as we’re so grateful for everything. We’re not taking one second of this for granted.”
Here’s the minutae of California’s newest stars, beginning with guitiarist Brad Delson, who, it turns out, doesn’t wear his headphones offstage.
Born in December 1977, Big Bad Brad Delson – “that’s my first, middle and last names”, he attempts to have us believe – is Linkin Park’s headphone-wearing guitarist. He is a terrible liar, too.
“I hate all of the guys in Linkin Park,” he quietly murmurs. “I’m sure they all hate me too, so it’s a mutual relationship. I’m kidding. These are all my friends and the fact I get to hang out and tour with them is amazing.”
Which guitarist influenced you in your formative years?
Brad: “I’m only 23, but I’ve been playing guitar for about 12 years now. It was the late ’80s and bands like Guns N’ Roses and Metallica were the coolest bands so I tried to grow my hair long. It was really curly and I tried straightening it chemically and it ended up dying on me. I had to cut it off and start over. Right now, I’m really inspired by Dave Matthews‘ creativity. I don’t try to sound like him, though. I also like Steph from the Deftones, too.”
What has been your highest point so far?
Brad: “Every day of the last year has been phenomenal. We’ve been a band for about five years and we’ve worked really hard. We weren’t looking to get signed at first, but seemed to put a lot of hard work into it and write as good songs as we could. Recently it’s been like a dream come true in terms of getting to make a record and going on tour with great bands. The fact that all these things are happening now, I’m appreciating everything.”
What was the first ever Linkin Park gig like?
Brad: “We thought it might have turned into a disaster, but we ended up getting a publishing deal after our first show. We somehow got on the bill with System Of A Down and SX-10 – Sen Dog from Cypress Hill’s band – and it was packed. This guy who had been interning with the music industry came after work and was really excited and made us an offer straight after the show.”
How would you respond to the allegations that Linkin Park are, in fact, a boy band for the nu-metal genre?
Brad: “That’s really funny, actually. I see that rumour on the internet. People could make up a rumour that I’m sleeping with Hillary Clinton and people might believe it. It’s not true. We’ve known each other since we were little. The reason that people might think that we’re this manufactured boy band, honestly, is because we’ve all got short hair. We don’t look like these old metal heads and people think that we’re so young, we couldn’t have got it together to make a band. Whatever.”
Is there someone telling you what chords to play in your headphones?
Brad: “No! Actually, I’m not sure why I wear them. I started wearing them a while ago and got used to it and thought it would be a good idea to keep wearing them. That’s all I’ll say about it. That’s more than I told Rolling Stone, at least.”
Are you worried that Linkin Park are riding the dying waves of the nu-metal genre?
Brad: “The whole idea about this band is to blend different styles of music and I think that’s exciting, regardless. When you take two styles of music and put them together, it’ll always be interesting and new. So, that phenomenon in itself is not going anywhere. Boundaries between musical genres have been breaking down for quite some time now. Kids these days don’t listen to one kind of music. They could be listening to Nine Inch Nails and the Black Eyed Peas. In terms of fads that go on in music, sure I think the styles we’re drawing from are very current, but our focus is on our songwriting. That’s timeless.”
For someone who enjoys “beating the crap out of the drums”, drummer Rob Bourdon is surprisingly shy and reserved off-stage. Born January 20, 1979, Bourdon is the baby of the band who likes to play the piano when time permits.
“I used to take classical lessons when I was younger and was forced to keep going,” he explains. “I learned something from them and it’s a great emotional outlet, too.”
Which bands influenced you to take up drumming?
Rob: “I started playing drums when I was in elementary school – third or fourth grade – after I went to an Aerosmith concert. My mom actually knows Joey Kramer (Aerosmith drummer), so I got to go backstage and see the whole production. It was so exciting and I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. From that day forward, I became interested in playing music and the drums in particular. From the age of 10. When I got into High School, I got into a lot of funk, like Sly And The Family Stone, James Brown, Tower of Power – a lot of groove-based stuff, because that’s what I found interesting. The beats are amazing. I was just intrigued by the rhythms.”
Are you worried about the expectations of the band’s second album after becoming so big so quickly after the release of Hybrid Theory?
Rob: “Not really. We try not to think about the future too much. Right now, we’re just concentrating on touring and promoting this album. We’re just really excited about everything. For the next year, we’ll be touring solidly. We’ve been playing songs like Forgotten for four years now, and they’ve been refined and adjusted over the years, but it’s still cool to play it every night.”
Is Linkin Park your first band?
Rob: “No, I started playing in bands since I was around 13 years old and I’d cover songs like Smells Like Teen Spirit with my buddies. That’s when I met Brad and we played in a band for about a year. It was rock meets rap and funk. We were called Relative Degree. We practised a lot and played one show. And it fell apart after that.”
What’s been your personal low-point since joining the band?
Rob: “I miss home and my friends. We’re gone for months at a time and when we come home, by the time we get settled in, we have to go on the road again. It’s hard sometimes, but it’s all part of being in a band. We’ve been touring constantly pretty much since the album came out.”
How would you describe your fellow band members?
Rob: “I’d say Chester is probably the most emotional of the band. He’s a passionate guy and puts all his soul into whatever he’s doing. Phoenix is easy-going and cool to get along with. Joe is really creative. Mike, as far as engineering and production goes, is a genius. He’s a wizard with computers. He and Joe are really artistic. Brad is the smart guy of the band. He’s very intelligent.”
Joseph Hahn, along with the blue-haired vocalist Mike Shinoda – whom he met at art college – is the band’s DJ and visually creative force behind their video for One Step Closer.
“I studied illustration and took a year off and worked in special effects,” he explains. “We did designs for monsters and prosthetics. It’s helped band-wise, because they pretty much leave all the art stuff to me.”
Born on March 15, 1977 in Dallas, Texas, Hahn can be found using a skipping rope to keep fit after Linkin Park have played.
As the band’s DJ, how long have you been manning the decks?
Joe: “Right after High School, I think. I enrolled at art school and that’s where I met Mike (Shinoda). We were both into hip-hop and stuff and that’s where it started. When N.W.A. started, I really got into it. It was so different. Gangster rap is overplayed now, but at the time, it was cool. A very exciting time.”
Did you ever play metal albums?
Joe: “Oh, yeah. We all grew up listening to everything. I think our generation is more open to all kinds of music. I think Napster made it so much more accessible.”
How do you cope with touring for long periods of time?
Joe: “Just take each day at a time. It keeps you in a good frame of mind to know it’s paying off and people are buying your albums. My back still hurts from carrying all that equipment and packing it into an RV. It’s been tough and dangerous, but we’ve paid our dues.”
What’s the best thing about touring in a band like this?
Joe: “We’re reaping the benefits of making Hybrid Theory and because of the album doing well, we’re getting to see the world and we get to tour with some really cool bands and been around people we admire. It makes touring fun and it’s getting better and better.”
Bassist Phoenix (“that’s my full name”, he protests, although it’s really David Farrell) was born in Boston, Massachusetts on February 8, 1977 and lived five years in the city before moving to Orange County.
A big animal lover, Phoenix lists his two favourite people as his girlfriend and his dog – “I’m a huge softie for pets”, he explains.
What was the bands most trying time?
Phoenix: “When we were first starting out, Brad and I were college room-mates, so we’d drive together to practise. He’d have a Marshall amp and head in the trunk and I ended up having a tiny practice amp in the back. We’d go to the cheapest practice areas and have to set up our own PA. That took ages. We’d rent the room for two hours and spend most of the time setting up equipment. Then we’d take it down – for two years solid. Since then, it’s been amazing every day.”
What’s your past musical experience?
Phoenix: “When I was in High School and messed around in bands with my friends. I played guitar and most of my friends did too, so I learned how to play the bass. I’d always played instruments including the violin, but that isn’t very cool when you’re in High School.”
On the band’s album artwork, you’re missing from the line-up. Why?
Phoenix: “When I finished college, we were called Xero and we were changing our name to Hybrid Theory. I ducked out of the band to play with another band for a year who I’d played with too. It was a prior commitment, and I toured with them for a year. When I was out of the band, they hired a bass player and Brad did most of the bass work on the album. I came back in October.”
What personal quality do you bring to the band?
Phoenix: “We have different talents in the band. Brad, Rob and myself take an interest in the business side of the band too, so we have the nous to tell when someone is trying to rip us off. We managed ourselves until there was too much going on to look after ourselves full-time.”
Can you tell us something about Linkin Park that would surprise your fans?
Phoenix: “I think a lot of people are surprised that the six of us are really excited and motivated by meeting new people who appreciate the album. After shows, we always try to hang out and make ourselves available to say thank you to our fans. That surprises people a lot for some reason.”
Another day, another hair colour. Now proudly displaying a aquamarine shock of hair Mike Shinoda – born February 11, 1977 in Panorama City – oozes the kind of infectious laid-back vibe we imagine comes with growing up in California.
Labelled a technical genius by the band, it was Shinoda who was the band’s sole frontman, often joined by friends on a temporary basis. Currently nursing an eye injury after his contact lens ripped.
Was rock music your first love?
Mike: “Not really. I took classical piano lessons for 10 years – and my parents said it would be good to get into college. I got sick of playing classical music, so I started to learn jazz. Through that, I got into hip-hop and loved the beats. Ever since I was 13, I’ve rapped over my own beats. I’d copy people’s styles and kind of got into my own thing. I hate narcissistic, money-driven rap. I’ll listen to it and appreciate it, but I can’t identify with it.”
What’s usually on your stereo?
Mike: “I listen to Jurassic 5 and the Roots, you know, as that’s what I can relate to. I always listened to Run DMC and Boogie Down Productions, too.”
What metal bands influence your vocal style, then?
Mike: “I used to mix up the music, and made mixtapes with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthrax and Rage Against The Machine. Those are the kind of bands that caught my eye. And when I was getting a band together, that’s what I based it on.”
What did you think of Chester when you first met him?
Mike: “He actually crashed at my place the first night we met. We got on really well from the outset and he’s cool to get along with. We’ve more or less hung out like best friends since day one.”
What was it like being the sole frontman before Chester joined?
Mike: “I only actually sang on my own for around two months. When we did shows, I’d get friends to do the other vocals and it was really fun. It’s strange though, whenever I’ve written vocals, I’ve always written them with two people in mind. I think it adds a cool depth and vibe to the songs.”
The resolutely English-sounding Chester Charles Bennington was born in Phoenix, Arizona on March 20, 1976 at the ungodly hour of 3:25am. As one half of the dual vocal attack, Bennington exudes an uncompromising passion about the band he fronts.
“We’ve put our lifestyles at stake to do this and we believe in ourselves 100 per cent,” he says. “And I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
You’ve quite a collection of tattoos. What do they represent?
Chester: “They all symbolise something. My left hand has my engagement finger tattooed, and my wife has the same tat too. And yes, we did it before Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. I got that done because I couldn’t afford a ring and my friend had a tattoo shop and did them for free. The flames on my arms represent the Aries part of my fire sign. My left shoulder has a Pisces symbol and a Japanese Koi carp on my right. I have the album design on my left calf muscle. My back piece is six arms spread out and was done by my friend, who said it was a visual representation of how I reach out and grab the audience. I thought that was nice. It’s a good piece of art. My wife has a tiny dragon on her butt and I’m getting that enlarged. And I want ‘Linkin Park’ somewhere, too.”
What does your family think of what your band has achieved?
Chester: “My dad – who is a retired police officer – loves it and has always been supportive of me. I think he loves it a little more than I do, actually. The reason why he’s always supported me is because this is what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve never backed down and I think he respects that. We’re not a clichéd rock band where everyone is messed up on drugs and we’re all decent people, so that makes me proud too.”
Linkin Park are a nu-metal boy band. Discuss.
Chester: “That’s one of my favourite rumours. I respond like this: if you want to believe that, there’s nothing I can say or do to make you change your mind. I’m not going to go out of my way to disprove it. If they care about the band, it’s as simple as clicking on to the internet to read our biography. There’s plenty of information about the band on there. But the people who say or believe those rumours aren’t fans anyway. That’s cool, but we’ve actually been a band for around five years. The only weird thing about me joining the band, to be perfectly honest, was a friend suggesting I check them out.”
Are you aware of the pressure that your second album will bring?
Chester: “Amazingly, this band works better under pressure. We’re not going to worry about outselling Hybrid Theory, because you cannot count on those things. You just have to go in and write songs you like and do things that make you happy. If you can do that, then you’ve succeeded. We never imagined this kind of response and it’s a great thing to be part of. To attempt to match this for that sake alone is ridiculous. I’m confident that people will enjoy subsequent albums. The more pressure the better, I say. It drives us to do our best.”
A version of this article originally appeared in Kerrang! issue 845, March 24, 2001.
