Linkin Park ‘s Mike Shinoda has opened up about his relationship and experiences with departed bandmate Chester Bennington in an emotional new interview.
During the chat with Kerrang!, the iconic nu-metal rhyme-spitter shares some insights into what it was like spending years in a band with Chester and what kind of person he was.
It comes after last weekend’s blockbuster all-star tribute concert to the late LP legend, during which Shinoda debuted a powerful new original song he wrote in honour of Chester.
During the benefit concert, Blink-182 also teamed up with Linkin Park for a rendition of ‘What I’ve Done’ and Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes joined them for a (somewhat controversial) rendition of their Hybrid Theory mega-hit ‘Crawling’ .
Catch 5 of Mike Shinoda’s quotes about Chester from his new interview, which are pretty much guaranteed to shatter your heart all over again, below.
5 Heartbreaking Quotes From Mike Shinoda About Chester Bennington
5 Heartbreaking Quotes From Mike Shinoda About Chester Bennington #1
“I spent more time with Chester than anyone else in my adult life, except for my wife. We were always around each other. People would say we were like brothers, but we were different because brothers are bound by blood. Technically we were dudes in a band who could break up and walk away from each other if we wanted to. I think it’s more exceptional that we never did that.”
5 Heartbreaking Quotes From Mike Shinoda About Chester Bennington #2
“It was funny, because he was the kind of guy that when you would compliment his voice, especially early on, he would look away. He would deny it, or he would make a self-deprecating comment. While one part of him really enjoyed being the centre of attention, another part of him ran away. That was part of the beauty of Chester."
5 Heartbreaking Quotes From Mike Shinoda About Chester Bennington #3
"He was inspired by a wide range of singers at different points in his life, people like Dave Gahan, James Hetfield and Freddie Mercury. I would occasionally remind him that he was in that category, but he never agreed with me."
5 Heartbreaking Quotes From Mike Shinoda About Chester Bennington #4
"He never acknowledged that he was, but in the past few months, dozens of artists have reached out publicly and privately to let us know what an inspiration Chester and the band have been. We’re just so very grateful.”
5 Heartbreaking Quotes From Mike Shinoda About Chester Bennington #5
“He deeply loved his wife and all his kids. His family is really complicated in terms of blood relation, adoption, and whatever… I’m not a perfect parent, nobody is, but Chester had the very best intentions. He had such a huge heart and he loved his family more than anything.”