Geki

Or that myself and a lot of other people didn't even know there was a LPU M&G because it was never mentioned, yeah. I don't really care that much anymore because I've met Linkin Park and Chester so many other times in my life. I would have liked to meet Mike in NYC but no big deal.

Yeah. I mean I hate to be a buzzkill to some people but if the tragedy had never happened, the band would still be on tour for OML. They probably would have wrapped up touring for the album around September of this year, or maybe even like November, like they did with THP. And then 2019 would have been them working on a new album and probably Summer 2020 is when we would have seen a new album. Maybe even later, what if the band wanted a longer touring cycle for OML and they wanted to play in 2019 for OML, too? It's going to take time for the band to heal and rebuild and come to terms with it all and learn how to operate together again. Look at what Mike said in that recent German interview from a few days go. ''We have no plans. Sometimes we meet and go to dinner or also to the studio. A few times we were making music, but just for ourselves. Not with the goal to create something to publish. We have to arrange with the situation. We have to find stability. We have to create new versions of our lives. That needs time. Whatever happens to Linkin Park, we are friends and we are a community. We will always stay together, whether we will be doing music again or not. I simply love the guys and I think they do too.'' It's obvious they will need a lot of time and time to rebuild, heal, etc. It sucks but look at how big the tragedy was. I was surprised that they even wanted to continue on, initially. I think they will, it'll just take some time, and when they're ready, I think it will be as a 5 piece and they'll put out an album, tour, etc.

It'll be a while. And nothing is certain. But if they do come back, I think it'll be as a 5 piece and they'll do shows and album etc. But I wouldn't expect it soon. It will take time, like Mike has said. It sucks but you can't blame them at all, even if they wanted to call it quits. Super tragic situation and Chester was a big piece of Linkin Park. At least they left us with tons of stuff, I think they will probably continue eventually as a 5 piece though, it'll just be a while.

So what's up with the 2006 intros for the shows? They are all different. Were they the intro of the venue or LP's? Osaka has some Japanese (I assume) girl singing, while Sendai has the Godzilla sounds. Not sure what Tokyo had.

Probably not but you if they are, you won't find one better than NYC. He should release it on Apple Music/Spotify/etc. or something.

Well that's a b.s. system. Back when Linkin Park had Meet & Greets, it was posted how to enter and eveyrything. Maybe Mike just didn't want a lot of fans going or something. Because I would have loved to go if I was chosen. Oh well, doesn't matter now, it's already over. I mean if there was no notification on it how am I supposed to know that I need to go to the contests page on LPU's site? LPU has been an error infest shithole of a site since like 2006, no offense. I think the last time I actually went on that site for fun was in like 2004 or maybe 2005. All the way up until 2017, there were many notifications on Meet and Greets for LP.

Great interview.

It's really hard for me to talk about Chester or this stuff. But I felt like I had to. And I agree with your post 100%. Chester was just in really bad shape in 2015-2017. Chester said in interviews in 2017 that 2015 was ''the worst year of his life'' and that 2016 wasn't much better. And it's obvious 2017 pushed him under the edge. During that CNN interview with Talinda recently, she says that he had shown the signs, she just didn't know at the time because she wasn't as educated on it as she is now. You can't blame her. 2017 clearly wasn't ok for Chester and I think Chris Cornell really pushed him over the edge. The backclash of OML, while not the reason for his suicide, I agree that he reacted differently to it than past criticism of LP. He was just very raw and vulnerable in 2017 and it's obvious when you look back now. I honestly hate talking about it but I miss Chester so much and I know everyone else does, too. I don't think I have healed much at all compared to some people but I knew it would be hard for me. But I agree that there is no sense in trying to decipher the past or pass blame, etc. Chester suffered for a long time and it finally overcame him. It's fucking tragic as all hell, but when you're that far down, it's hard for someone to ''save you'', so to speak.

Anyone who is gonna sit there and blame people who insulted One More Light is an asshole. And I'd have no problem telling that to anyone. Chester suffered from mental health issues for his entire adult life. And I can also remember a time back in 2007 when everyone was pissed at the sound of WID and MTM and they bashed the band at any chance they could get. I'd argue to say it was even worse back then, and then again with ATS, it might even have been worse. Chester knew that not everyone would like the sound, he has said it during like every interview from 2007 and on. He even did an interview in 2017 where he said that when they put out SIB and Meteora, people even gave them shit back then. Chester also attempted suicide in 2016 keep in mind, I know people don't like to think about that, but he did and that was before Heavy and OML even dropped. He also has had attempts prior to that and he's always had mental health issues. So even though those comments might have bothered him, and I'm sure that he did take them to heart, it's not the cause of his suicide. And I'm not saying you were saying that KlaytonShinoda, but I've seen some people say stuff like that, and I wanted to speak my mind on the topic. Other than that, it's a good interview for what it's worth. Thanks for the share DexLP.

There will be more German shows, for sure. I don't understand why Mike or the rest of Linkin Park don't just move to Germany, honestly. They play more there than anywhere else in the world. At least they used to from like 2008 and onwards.

Do you have to be part of like a secret group or something to get info like that, just like the Meet and Greet in NYC that I knew nothing about even though I've been a member of LPU since 2003 and used LPU to buy pre-sale tickets.

My WID shirt came in the mail yesterday. Pretty damn epic shirt. Wearing it now. Good material, comfy, promotes the best album of all time, and awesome design. Can't complain.

I loved the part about Make It Up As I Go. Mike said K.Flay's vocals for the chorus were recorded back in the OML recording sessions but Mike didn't like the song at that point and he knew they'd have to put it on the backburner; it wouldn't be ready in time for the album, etc. Mike said he basically re-did the beat, etc. about 6 months ago. It does sound like OML kind of though. They worked on so many styles for OML. Just like that A Perfect Circle track, Eat The Elephant, that Chester did with Billy.

It's a tough subject. Anger and resentment is normal in dealing with grief from suicide like pointed out. It's just hard because I can't picture Mike without Chester or in the past, Chester without Mike. They were brothers..

The problem is that none of those songs are on main albums, only super hardcore fans will know what you mean. I agree that Lift Off is a really good song.

I think the entirety of Over Again, Hold It Together and Can’t Hear You Now.

Well, Mike resents Chester. It’s clear based off of many lyrics on the album and the way he talks about him. I don’t think that Mike understands mental illness fully and I don’t think that he understands that Chester didn’t mean to hurt him or his brand or whatever. I do wish there was a song like Looking For An Answer, too. But maybe that’ll come in the future. Looking For An Answer blows away everything on this album besides Can’t Hear You Now, IMO. I think if you’re looking for ‘’I miss my friend’’, you have the other members of Linkin Park for that, because they all have expressed that and have never shown any sign of resentment or anything. They probably care more about losing a good friend than some brand that was 20 years into their career already anyways. Like they put out seven fucking albums and did world tours since 2001. And have won Grammy’s and many other awards. I mean I can get where Mike is mad that his brand is destroyed or whatever but he should get over that and accept that Chester wasn’t trying to hurt him or his brand and that he lost a good friend.

I knew eventually we would see a bad review. Pretty stupid review, though. Basically, they just say that the album is boring and the lyrics and vocals are also boring/bad. It's also obvious that the person hasn't even listened to Linkin Park since like Hybrid Theory or possibly Meteora, since they think the sound of Linkin Park is a rapper, a ''rager'' and a DJ with turntable sounds. I don't think that the reviewer has heard MTM, ATS, LT, THP, OML and everything in between all of those. And it's annoying how they compare it to Fort Minor and especially at the end when they say it doesn't sound as good as Fort Minor or old Linkin Park, well no shit, it's not either of those, Mike said that it wasn't either of those, this is it's own thing, so why even compare? And they failed to review more than like 3 tracks so really it's not even in depth review or anything.

I'm glad that the EP and album has helped so many fans. I think Mike would be ecstatic to hear that, but I'm sure he already knows it. Creating the music helped him and in turn he hoped it would help fans. I'm gonna be honest, I've struggled with mental health issues over the course of my life. Obviously, I still am, it doesn't just go away. You have to manage it. Some days are harder than others. And I personally can understand some of the stuff that Chester said he was going through. So sometimes its weird for me to hear Talinda and Mike saying how much they've learned about mental health since Chesters passing, because Ive dealt with it for a long time. Idk what I'm trying to say. But some of the songs on this album have really helped me. Id say that Linkin Park songs and a lot of lyrics from Chester have related to me more, but the lyrics on Post Traumatic are very good. Its funny because I can think back to certain times or certain years of my adult life where things were really bad, or maybe not so bad, some good, etc. 2017 was actually a really bad year for me mentally. I was going through it really hard that year. And then Chester died and it really was almost close to a final blow for me. But somehow I made it through and 2018 hasnt been too bad. Its almost like I told myself that I want to live for Chester at least and for myself. Because he was always my hero and helped me through so much of my own struggles in ways he would never have known, like a lot of people. The beginning of 2018 was still hard for me. It actually wasn't as bad as 2017 in total for me, even before Chester passed. 2017 will probably go down as one of the worst years for me. Mikes music has definitely helped me this year in particular since he came out with this album this year.

It might actually be the best event you have seen so far for Mike. Camden was always an epic venue for LP and the crowds are always crazy in Camden. It also might be cool to see him in a larger venue now that you've seen him in an intimate venue. I wish I could go to Camden. Just too far for me and I don't have a way down there. I wonder if someone will record the full show knowing that it's a bigger venue, more opportunities for it to happen. Plus you have all of your crew going. It will be epic no doubt.

What songs would you have cut to make it like a stereotypical 12 song album or whatever? I'd probably cut World's on Fire, Place To Start, Ghosts and Brooding.

I wanted to make a topic on this specific song. It's my favorite song off of the album. And I love the rest of the album so that means that I REALLY loved this song. I was excited for it when the tracklisting was first announced, and then I got bummed because someone said it sounded like Until It Breaks, which I don't see even remotely, that's probably a song that I would least compare it to out of Linkin Park's entire discography. Anyways, it's just a really great song. I love the lyrics. I love the melody of the pre-chorus and chorus. I love the bridge or breakdown or whatever that part of the song is called. The verses are also amazing, easily some of my favorite rapping from Mike, ever. I absolutely LOVE the effect used on Mike's voice during the chorus and shit. Overall, it's just a really solid song. And I like a lot of closers for Linkin Park and Linkin Park related stuff, but this one is really special to me. I thought TLTGYA, Powerless, ALITS, Slip Out The Back and In The Darkness were also fantastic closers, while I thought think that The Catalyst should have closed ATS and OML should have closed out of OML. But Can't Hear You Now is up there with all of those ones that I mentioned that I thought were great closers, I really do love this song. I also want to talk about the lyrics. I've seen some people say that they think the song is very uplifting. I've also seen people say that Nobody Can Save Me was very uplifting but I never saw the song that way, I saw it as super dark. While I don't think Can't Hear You Now is super dark, I think it's kind of dark, and to me, it gives a message of Mike feeling broken but he has to continue. The verses particularly. The chorus and pre-chorus basically say that some days, he isn't perfectly OK, understandably, and some days he is ready to take on the world full force. The bridge or breakdown or whatever it's called is the darkest part of the song to me. I feel like that is Mike directly talking to Chester in his own way, something that really isn't present on the rest of the songs. I feel like a lot of the other songs on this album talk about what happened with Chester and what Mike is going through, but I feel like this part of this song is directly Mike talking to Chester in his own way. Saying things like ''You've said what can't be unheard'' or ''I've let you have your last words'', but the entire lyrics of that section is amazing. It's a song of unstability but also Mike saying he is going to power through it for the future. It leaves the listener thinking that Mike will be ready, but at the same time, saying he is also still broken. There is a lot of emotion in this song for me.

Im looking for a particular Fort Minor hat that was sold in 2005/2006. I know it was sold at the Boston show that I went to back in February 2006. It was black and gray, it was almost like a stripe like pattern, just solid black and gray stripes. And it had the old school Fort Minor logo (the FM with stars next to it) on the front. Nothing for a back logo. Anyone know where I can buy it? Anyone have it and want to sell it? I used to have the hat many years back (got it from that concert) and I lost it some time in 2007/2008, think I left it somewhere by accident. I have the 2015 FM hat. So Im looking for this one.

I wish...

Not a bad choice of songs. Crossing A Line is obvious since it’s the big single but that’s cool that he played RFMS. COG is also epic.