Chris

The reality is that the older fans need to put their money where their mouth is if they want old school LPU. LPU has shifted this way because it is the new tried-and-true formula for fan club profits. And since the newer, younger fans often don't even know what they're missing, there's zero reason for things to change. Unless there's actually a significant shift this will continue because it helps the band's bottom line considerably. Less exclusive fulfillment, lower overhead, etc. VIP and fan club programs in 2026 simply aren't what they were in the pre-streaming era. They aren't nice extra perks as much anymore, but increasingly important revenue streams alongside touring, helping fund projects since royalties and physical sales have shrunk. The industry has adapted by extracting more out of superfans and Linkin Park is following suit. For better or worse (I'd say worse as a fan). I wish the band would stand out more since historically they had a fantastic fan club. But as others have said, unless people vote with their wallets, there's little incentive to change the model. They've likely been heavily advised on this by management and business management. This is what works when people continue to subscribe and put their money into the program.

Let's go Nash! I'm super excited they're coming back to my town. I'll be in the pit for the show. Would love to match some faces to usernames if anyone is so inclined! Thanks for the shoutout on my "My December" post as well, Dylan! Hopefully they'll play it.

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That feels a bit too convenient to me personally... Also didn't Mike say that "She Couldn't" was written from scratch when Chester joined the band, or something to that effect? Aside from the scratch sample not existing prior to 1999, obviously.

Fantastic interview. One of my favorites the band has done recently. We rarely get to hear from Joe this much, much less in a format dedicated to his hip hop influences. Talking about the craziness of working with the legend that is Rakim. Convincing Jay-Z to do the Grammy's mashup after he had gone all in on heading up Def Jam. And they talked about the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, who Joe loves, which makes perfect sense since his early sample choices are so clearly influenced by their battle records or those released by the individual DJ members like Qbert. There's a ton of good stuff here. Comments are great too, seeing the band getting the credit they deserve from hip hop heads.

Ah yeah I hear this now. First time listening to these instrumentals but I hear it in there. Does sound pretty likely to be scratched. Only other thing that comes to mind is string noise from a guitar, but given the rhythm and chords on those that seems quite unlikely. There is another tone sample directly after the "Planet Rock" loop on TGSB - the other two samples are paired up there so it wouldn't be the most far-fetched. But also I can't imagine it sounding it like that exactly. I'll have to run through it on my stuff when I'm not traveling.

Not scratches per se. It's most likely running through his tables, but this is the same thing he does on "And One," cutting the crossfader without any sample manipulation, using the exact same Afrika Bambaataa sample he did on "And One." He has the loop on Tasty Gas Station Breaks from the Orient. Joe's just cutting the crossfader in rhythm; no actual scratching speed manipulation. Also does a similar thing with his sample on the bridge of "Runaway."

FYI, this is incorrect. Not sure why it's on Linkinpedia. "Forgotten" does not use any samples from "Change the Beat (Female Version)," and that WhoSampled entry is incorrect. Both TGSB (which has the actual "woo-hah" sample) and the leaked multitracks of the song clearly show these are not at all related. You can also clearly hear a lack of vocoder on the "Forgotten" sample (the end of CTB is vocoded). If that sample is related to anything, it's "Woo-Hah! Got You All in Check" by Busta Rhymes or the song that inspired that song, "8th Wonder" by the Sugarhill Gang. Could be a nod to one or both of those tracks, as I've played with the vocal samples from those songs on battle break records and the a cappella versions, and it doesn't sound like a direct sample. For demonstrative purposes, here are some five-minute takes I did with both samples, scratching to show the difference: https://vocaroo.com/1obwspP6Lyx5

Hell yeah

No idea what happened to the post you responded to, but in a Rolling Stone interview published in 2002, Rob mentioned that he had past issues with alcohol. He was quoted as saying he got "way into partying" in high school but had been sober for five years. But I don't like to speculate about their lives, so that's the extent to which I'll go.

See you all in Nashville - hit me up if you'll be there! Would love to meet up with some others in the pit. If by chance there's anyone traveling to the Nashville show by car, please please please make a note of this: use the parking at the library on Church Street. Best parking in downtown (price-wise) Nashville by a very long shot, while being only two blocks from Bridgestone Arena!

Bridgestone Arena winning for us Nashvillians. All that's left is to wait for the pre-sale to open up.

LPU says: "Passport Plus memberships purchased starting September 5th, 2024, and onwards will have access to an exclusive pre-sale when available." So that sounds like yes.