Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Reveals What He Told Chester Bennington About ‘Imitating’ Scott Weiland

0
162

In a new Kerrang article, Linkin Park singer/guitarist Mike Shinoda discussed Chester Bennington’s early singing style.

“Even though we’d sent Chester our songs beforehand, he later admitted to me that he’d never done a screaming or yelling part on a track before. That was shocking to me. He could do it better than anyone I’d ever heard. Once we’d started working together, he would sing songs, we would write new stuff, but often times he would fit into the imitation of another singer.

I’d say to him, ‘Dude, you sound a little bit too much like [Depeche Mode’s] Dave Gahan there, or [Jane’s Addiction’s] Perry Farrell, or [Stone Temple Pilots’] Scott Weiland.’ There were some really special moments later on in my apartment when we decided to find his voice.

Chester could sing very sweetly – we could work with that – and over the course of those few months there was this process of exploration. Usually it was just me and him, sitting in my room in my apartment, writing things and having him sing them into the mic. He was figuring out how to use his instrument and what felt good to him. I didn’t know it back then, but I was producing.”