By Joel Conceicao
Amidst the flurry of news articles and status updates surrounding Chester Bennington’s death, one point stuck out like a sore thumb: the man was too young (and too good) to go. If ever there was a voice that spoke to an entire generation, Bennington was its sole proprietor.
Yes, there have been others who’ve inspired. But the Linkin Park frontman belonged to that rare breed of musicians who brought together people regardless of their music affiliations, whether they were teenyboppers who only listened to radio friendly hits, or head-bangers who had a taste for the hard and heavy.
His mellifluous yet angst-driven vocals, coupled with Mike Shinoda as a catchy rap foil, gave millions all over the world an outlet to express their anger in ways like never before.
As for me, I was never a particularly angry kid growing up. But I do remember being drawn to Chester’s voice the first time I heard it; just like how two opposite poles of a magnet snap together. It was raw, fresh, somehow bone tingling, and remarkably different from the top 40 CD’s my parents used to buy. I loved it.
That was the kind of influence Bennington had on people, myself included. I remember once being on this road trip to Kuala Lumpur on a party bus with strangers, and “In The End” came up. Next thing you know, everyone sang in unison, even though we all didn’t really know each other.
In that moment, the song became an anthem, a common tune for a generation lost in the mire of a digitised world where social media cripples instead of socialises. It was what you would call a ‘uniting force’, which makes the loss of Bennington more cutting, more real than older musicians that have gone before him.
But despite all his obvious musical achievements, there was another side to Bennington not many people know about, and that was his thoughtful, and quite often, brutally upfront opinions. The man was known to speak his mind, and his words will be forever immortalised, just like how his songs will continue to touch our hearts long after he’s gone.
Here are some of his most colourful quotes:
“If we look outside ourselves to find love and peace we will ultimately fail. It has to come from within. Lead by example.”
“Out is the best. Holding s*** in? That’s really what ‘Heavy’ is about. Like, ‘What the f*** is going on with me? What am I doing to myself? What am I allowing others to cause inside of me to keep me stuck?’ That moment that you can separate yourself from the action or behaviour or circumstance and look at it and see it for what it is, you’ve made that first step in separating yourself from that and getting out of that.” —March 2017 interview with Rock Sound
“Let’s all choose to be a part of the cure.”
“What do you think of people who say you sold out? I don’t care. If you like the music, fantastic. If you don’t like it, that’s your opinion too. Fantastic. If you’re saying we’re doing what we’re doing for a commercial or monetary reason, trying to make success out of some formula… then stab yourself in the face!” – May 2017 interview with Music Week
“Someone asked why I don’t sing scream about teen angst anymore? I said because I’m 41.”
“I like things that are loud and beautiful and feel like there’s a sense of accomplishment.” —May 2017 interview with Billboard
“Sometimes life delivers you a shit sandwich and you just have to EAT IT.”
“I had no idea I’d been such a nightmare. I knew that I had a drinking and drug problem, and that parts of my personal life were crazy, but I didn’t realise how much of that was affecting the people around me until I got a good dose of ‘here’s-what-you’re-really like.’” —2016 interview with The Fix
“After I blew kisses to the guys flipping me off. They smiled and gave me heart hands back.”
“The idea that success equals happiness pisses me off. It’s funny to think that just because you’re successful you’re now immune to the full range of the human experience” – 2016 interview with TeamRock
All images taken from Linkin Park’s official Facebook page.
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