Linkin Park helped a generation of alt-rock listeners channel their emotions, from anger to sadness to triumph.
“In the beginning, I was just recording to capture everything,” he says.
“I didn’t have an intention beyond that.”
Credit: Frank Maddocks
“As things went on, things started to not be so dark.”
Were you ever tempted to take time off?
The way I was doing it in the beginning of this album was not work.
It was more like meditation or reflection.
Just sitting down with sounds and picking through stuff and vibing out and recording.
Some of these songs sound like Linkin Park, but many of them don’t.
What prompted you to explore different sonic directions?It was intuitive.
How did you decide that was something you wanted to go forward with?
He’s a very even-keeled kind of person and energy.
He has a perspective.
I have a ton of respect for the guy.
I asked for his guidance.
He said, “Your situation is not like other ones that you’re thinking about.
It’s not AC/DC.
It’s not Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters.
It’s not Chris Cornell.
It’s not any of those things.
Your dynamic and chemistry and responsibilities in your band are different from any of those groups.
You’ve got a different dynamic.
So that’s what we did.
I decided to sit and write.
As I was finishing, I thought, “I should do this again tomorrow.
Because I’ll capture something that’s different from today.”
You did a show last month and you have more concerts lined up.
Was there ever any hesitation that you would play these songs live?
I love getting on stage and playing.
The real question for me was, what kind of show is it going to be?
For the moment it’s a one-man show it’s just me on stage.
I’m playing about a third new stuff, a third Fort Minor, and a third Linkin Park.
It’s a unique kind of show and it will probably change over time.
With this album and this moment in time, it’s very unfinished in a sense.
Tomorrow, I could add people to the stage.
