September 1, 2024
A band beloved by millions and largely ignored by critics gets an admiring history from the senior director of music atBillboard. Originally considered part of the nu metal scene that included Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot, Linkin Park was never actually part of any scene. A forgettable first gig in November 1997 at the Whisky a Go Go under the name Xero (the author describes them at that time as "a rap-rock rough sketch") was one of their rare performances that was not a showcase for record company scouts. By the time their first album, Hybrid Theory, came out in 2000, most rock critics had already written them off as manufactured. But music company executive Jeff Blue took an interest in the band, mainly because guitarist Brad Delson was his intern, but also because he heard promise in the mixture of hip-hop and metal in rapper/composer Mike Shinoda's bedroom demos. When lead singer Chester Bennington, with his emotional range from boy-band sweet to grunge-tinged furious, joined, the chemistry gelled for the monster hit-maker Linkin Park was to become. Lipshutz's fondness for the band from his teenage years doesn't blind him to their imperfections, but it puts him firmly in the fan camp. He does his best to impress with sales figures and details of the band's creative processes. He argues that Bennington's emotionally raw lyrics, rooted in his troubled past and struggles with addiction (he died by suicide at age 41 in 2017), connected with fans viscerally, and he suggests they may have contributed to a sea change in attitudes about mental illness, both in rock and in society. Probably won't change many critics' minds, but a must-have for Linkin Park fans.
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October 7, 2024
Billboard journalist Lipshutz debuts with an effusive ode to rock band Linkin Park. He begins with their shaky debut performance in late-1990s Los Angeles, writing that the band—then called Xero—opened with a “haphazard” set during which guitarist Mike Shinoda wore blue goggles and a white beanie to feel “more like a performer.” From there, Lipshutz covers the group’s early influences (2Pac, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Nirvana), their efforts to craft a rap-rock style that distinguished them from bands like Limp Bizkit, and their struggles to sign a record deal. They first tasted success with their debut single, 2000’s “One Step Closer,” but were catapulted to fame by “In the End,” which stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 38 weeks in 2001. At the heart of the book is Lipshutz’s call for the band to be recognized for its artistic merit and “cultural impact,” which he hammers home in overblown prose. For example, in describing how singer Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in 2017, impacted fans by singing about depression and addiction, Lipshutz writes, “Chester gripped a microphone harder than anyone, and in so doing placed his fingerprints upon the world.” Only Linkin Park diehards need apply.