Justin

Plus he just recently explained on stream how these things work. Mike can't unilaterally decide "I'm going to release whatever we still have in the vault from the Meteora era". Decisions like that involve LP's management, their label, the rest of the band, etc. It's weird when people act like Mike is doing all he can to block anything from being released in order to spite the fans lol. Like how would that thought process even work?

Yes. I just hope the band don't think of it like "If we play live and Mike can't belt it out like Chester could on ND or scream the bridge of Faint, is it even an LP show anymore?" because the answer would still be yes. However modified the live shows would have to be and however any future music would sound, those 5 guys could continue on the LP name with the understanding that while the era of Chester Bennington is over, they can still honor his memory.

I mean, I personally think they should have Mike as the sole vocalist now so I agree with that. Even if it means future LP songs won't have screaming anymore, that's fine. That would be part of LP being in a new era, etc. I don't even think they need to get a touring vocalist to do Chester's parts. I would rather them just retire a lot of stuff, have the audience sing (ITE, OSC, BIO, etc.), and have Mike sing what he can. Mike can pull off pretty much anything from OML and a decent amount of stuff from the past. If it came down to it, I would prefer them using playback for Chester's vocals rather than brining someone brand new into the band. That's just my personal feelings on it. If LP returning with Mike as the only vocalist would mean retiring songs like Faint and others that can't be pulled off by Mike or the crowd, that's fine.

Yeah I can see it being something LP thought would be cool and different that turned out, over time, to not be as cool as they thought it would be lol

The entire world shut down in March 2020, so I think expectations were recalibrated at that time for anything LP related. Everything in the world came to a halt. Anything LP were working on wouldn't have been an exception to that. I wouldn't "blame them" either if they did decide to end LP, but I also feel like if that was the decision they arrived at they would have said it by now. Instead, they've literally said the opposite and said LP is not done. Of course LP can't return as the LP we remember. Chester is gone. It's going to be different no matter what. I think we should all be open to that, though. Nothing that LP does in the future would ever change what they did from 1999-2017. That is a legendary music career and one of the best runs in history in my opinion. That era is over, though. The only way to move forward for them is to look at it as a completely new beginning. It's not about comparisons or trying to replicate the past.

According to Mike, they did that on purpose because the band wanted a roller coaster dynamic on the album. They talked about it on stage at the iHeart 2014 show.

I asked Mike on Twitch if he and Chester's parts for that song, which would include Hardly Breathe, were old demos (LP or otherwise) or if they were made specifically for that song. He said they were made specifically for that song. EDIT: Just realized that lpliveusername already answered this and linked to Mike's exact quote lol.

Could be next stream, could be multiple streams. He doesn't have a dedicated Q&A time. He doesn't answer questions every stream. So we just have to wait and see. https://streamable.com/ywj7x4 His stream from April 19th.

Somebody did ask him about that song. He read the title and part of the lyrics and said he has no idea what it is. Somebody could try sending that YouTube clip, but he doesn't always open links. Sometimes he does, and sometimes he'll decline and say something like "Guys I don't want to be opening links on the stream".

I totally agree with this, and I think most people who saw any of those shows live definitely felt that vibe. Especially during the nightly stories he would tell about Chester before leading the crowd into a massive sing along of In The End or Numb or Heavy, etc. Mike was providing catharsis for the crowds he played for while also achieving it himself.

There's almost no chance that Mike would say anything other than "I don't remember that one specifically, but we had a lot of demos from back then that didn't go anywhere." Maybe it's worth a shot, but Mike's memory is notoriously bad and it only gets worse the farther back he's asked to remember.

All good points, but to be fair we had confirmation that LP were working together at least in the late 2019 - early 2020 range. As soon as the pandemic hit and artists started doing live streams, Mike said he straight up didn't want to do that and that live streams of performances with no crowd aren't something he is interested in doing. So pointing to a lack of some kind of acoustic event or streamed show doesn't really support the assumption that they're done. There's no question LP isn't the priority right now, but I think that's partly due to the pandemic and an inability to have a proper live show. If LP were working on an EP or an album of some kind, I don't think they would just drop that without some kind of huge marketing campaign complete with a tour announcement. Whatever they do would have to be impactful. Streaming an acoustic set of all older songs, as cool as it would be for us, I don't think that have the same big impact that they would want to announce their return as a band. I also don't think they would want to drop new music during a time where live shows with crowds can't happen. I've always had the impression that they wouldn't want to do anything as Linkin Park until they're sure it's perfect. Maybe you're right, and they'll wind up disbanding,. I'm not saying you're wrong. I just think that LP would make it definitive if they were sure about it. I don't think they'll unofficially break-up and just continue to give intentionally ambiguous answers about the future of LP forever.

I love how everybody has their own clever/unique name for publishing, and then there's "Rob Bourdon Music" lmao

If this were true, what would the incentive be for him repeatedly and explicitly saying that LP is not "done"? It's known now that LP was actively working on new material before the pandemic.

Sometimes I wonder if Mike is being genuine when he says things like "I don't even know what that demo even is. I don't remember it at all." or if he just wants to find an easy way to avoid giving an actual answer lol. We know Mike keeps his finger on the pulse of the LP fanbase, visits here, etc. He knew about PB hype. Does he really have no idea what Thoughts That Take Away My Pride is?

He did it for kids on TikTok. Ever since Remember The Name made the rounds on there, he’s taken a bigger interest in that platform. I’ll look at it from another perspective, though. I think it’s dumb and pointless, yes, but then again I’ll just ignore it and pretend it’s not a thing. He released it for streaming. I streamed it once, and now I’ll never stream it again. No harm, no foul. I don’t use TikTok, so clearly I’m not in the target audience for a release like this.

Maybe it’s a real release, but still a troll, and Mike will announce something real alongside this release after it’s revealed to be a joke.

I’m not attacking Mike, but it’s a little disingenuous to pretend that he’s a starving artist. He’s worth many millions of dollars. I can see him doing the NFT thing because he sees it as exciting and cutting edge or whatever, but it’s not like he’s on the edge of poverty because he hasn’t been able to tour for a year.

I still don’t understand what it is about NFT’s that has him so excited.

Jeff Blue looks like he could be Channing Tatum's father lol

“If you want me to make an album, then show me you want me to make an album.” HAHA what?! Mike... Don’t go down this path, please. I get what he’s saying, but it very much feels like he’s saying the quiet part out loud every time he says this. Like, it’s obvious that Happy Endings doing huge numbers would make an album release more appealing to the label and to Mike himself as an artist who makes a living through his music. You don’t need to literally spell that out, though, because I think it’s risking giving the perception of an album inspired by potential sales rather than for the sake of the art.

Mike literally posted a pic of him with Billie Eilish a few days ago, and her brother (and songwriting partner) tweeted about the day Mike put his number in Finneas' phone. So I actually wouldn't be surprised if a Mike Shinoda/Billie Eilish collab does happen soon.

This is what I was thinking. You worded it better than I did lol. I especially thought this after the Billie Eilish and Finneas photos he posted. And for the record, I'm not saying being strategic in that area would be a bad thing necessarily. This is Mike's career, and it's how he supports himself and his family. There is a business element involved with who you decide to collaborate with. I get that.

Yeah the clothing is just Mike's style. It is jarring to see him alongside 20-21 year olds, though. I understand and appreciate what he's doing, using his platform to elevate younger talent, but I would love to see him collab with some more well established artists.

Yeah, the band has always been like that. I respect it. They're all very protective of their private lives and respectful of each other in that way as well. They were all acutely aware of Chester's struggles and did all they could to be there for him. I believe that Mike and the rest of LP used the OML writing sessions as a sort of therapy for Chester as well as themselves. They mentioned starting the sessions with no music, and instead asking questions like "Are you ok? What's going on in your life today?" They would talk about everything, and then craft those feelings and experiences into lyrics and then eventually into full songs. I really believe that writing Heavy and Halfway Right was therapeutic and cathartic for Chester and that he was doing better after a really bad 2016. He seemed more open about his feelings which was a good thing. He looked really healthy and happy as well. Chris Cornell's passing is what derailed everything. It seemed like Chester just never recovered from the depression that followed.