Celebrity Suicide, Or: When Idle Gossip Becomes Idol Gossip

Back in 2002 - I want to say - I was lucky enough to be introduced to Linkin Park. First song I remember hearing from the band was "Crawling" from their Hybrid Theory album (released in Oct 2000) and I was immediately addicted. The primal sound combined with emotional lyrics pulled me in and I couldn't wait to hear more of what these guys had to offer.

If you are only really hearing about Linkin Park since the loss of Chester Bennington then you really missed out, sorry to say. The history of the band is one of my favourite points of trivia. Linkin Park started off as a fairly random collaboration of musicians under the name "Xero" which fell apart when they couldn't get signed on to a record label. On the recommendation of Jeff Blue - then-VP of Zomba Music - Xero recruited Chester who was the former vocalist for "Grey Daze". Suffice to say, Jeff nailed it. Mike Shinoda - an exceptionally talented musician in his own right - and Chester combined to create an extraordinary new sound and using the talents of Joe Hahn (turntables), Rob Bourdon (drums), Dave Farrell (bass), and Brad Delson (lead guitar) the newly formed Linkin Park would become one of the most successful bands of all time.

One of the things I believe led to their overall success was their ability to experiment with and recreate their music. Following the success of Hybrid Theory in 2000 - which on its own contained some great mixes - LP teamed up with various other artists in 2002 to release Reanimation which reimagined the original cut of Hybrid Theory and was almost as successful even without the ability to grab radio air time.

Which brings me to the point of this post. One of the things I have noticed is that we love to hate celebrities. This group of people are seen as the fortunate - or downright lucky - as they make a living off of our entertainment although many times I would heartily disagree with that assessment.

One example of that disagreement would be what happened with Bennington. He was well known to have lived a tumultuous life. He was abused as a child, was bullied as a kid as he - not unlike his adult frame - was skinny and small, was a heavy user of drugs and alcohol, and recently lost a friend and mentor in Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) just a few months ago - also to suicide. Over the last few years he was on a notable upswing after appearing to be in a successful relationship, having sworn off alcohol (left the drugs behind many years earlier), and with the band having just released a new album.

The fans, though, were stuck in the past.

As I mentioned, I have been a fan of Linkin Park's work since about 2002 (maybe even sooner) and I love watching them evolve. Many "fans" disagree. In my mind, if an artist or band isn't going to evolve then they don't release a new album or don't release a new album with any kind of regularity. Linkin Park released 7 albums over a period of 17 years not including Reanimation (various artists) and Collision Course (Jay-Z). Fans know that each album will bring change and yet, as this video shows, "fans" continue to be caught off guard. What really bothers me, as a fan and as a professional, the lyrics for "Heavy" are a clear sign that something isn't right in the writers' world(s) - a thought reinforced in a February 2017 interview. And yet, a paying "fan" through something (looks like a plastic container) at Chester during the show (back to the video in the link a few lines above).

Over 100 celebrities have committed suicide (intentional means of taking one's own life) since 2000. Some dozens more have died from accidental overdoses of various drugs or combinations of various drugs. Clearly, they still hadn't found what they were looking for (paraphrase intended) - and in many cases, the entertained (as opposed to adoring) public didn't help.

Everyone should be taking a step back when another light goes out (paraphrase intended, again) and re-evaluate their actions, motivations, perceptions, values, and sense of meaning (spirituality) and, if need be, find someone who will help in that evaluation. Can we honestly say that we seek the best of and for other people? What do we expect of ourselves and those around us? Are we giving others and ourselves the room to grow? Do we live compassionately or commandingly? Do I use my words to help or to hurt?

And, do you recognize the meaning of this new logo?