Linkin Park co-founder and vocalist Mike Shinoda recently sat down with Howard Stern on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show to discuss some of the heavier times in the band's history. Shinoda spoke about the late and great Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in 2017, saying "Nobody knew the depths of [his depression]."
"It was hard, and in the midst of all that… he'd just go missing and come back obliterated, like you couldn't even talk to him," said Shinoda. "There was an element of Chester that was very fun sometimes when he was that way and then usually the next day it would be like so dark. He's super hungover, he's angry at everybody, yelling at everybody."
Shinoda also noted that Bennington seemed to be at his happiest when he was singing, saying "He was born for this. I feel like him singing vocals on albums and on stage was as happy as it got. Like, that was as good as it fucking got, so I always feel good about that."
Shinoda also spoke a little about the upcoming Meteora 20th anniversary reissue. Shinoda played Stern two currently-unreleased Meteora songs "More The Victim" and "Fighting Myself," saying the latter was only recently discovered and completed.
"['Fighting Myself'] was one that I knew was in the batch somewhere," he said before explaining that until someone from management sent him a note, he had no idea Chester's vocals existed for the track. "He's like, 'Dude, I think I have something you're going to want to hear' and he sent me a version with this vocal on it."
"It's like an old photo. It can be bittersweet but to have forgotten that it existed and then to hear it and be teleported back there, that's a gift."
Linkin Park will release Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition on April 7. The Limited Edition Super Deluxe Box Set of Meteora features:
- Six additional unreleased songs, plus demos, b-sides, live shows, and never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage on five LPs – Meteora, Live in Texas for the first time on vinyl, the previously unreleased Live in Nottingham 2003
- Four CDs – Meteora, LPU Rarities 2.0, Live Rarities 2003-2004, and Lost Demos
- Three DVDs, including four previously unreleased concerts – The Making of Meteora/The Art of Meteora/Work In Progress, Veterans Stadium (2003), Live in Seoul (2003), Live In Manila (2004), and Live in Denver – Projekt Revolution 2004.
- A 40-page book, 36” x 24” poster, litho, sticker sheet, stencil, and hi-res download card
There's also the Deluxe Vinyl Box Set featuring the aforementioned LPs and CDs, as well as various standalone configurations. Get 'em here.
