I hadn’t intended to write another music-related post so soon after my article about Kendrick Lamar but something of interest happened last week and it got me thinking about it on a broader scale.
If you’re here to read something about health, I promise to make a tie in at the end so I hope you’ll stick around for the ride.
Note: I’ve posted a lot of external links in this article so, feel free to click on the bold words for those links as a point of reference.
Last week, Linkin Park made the announcement that they would be reuniting, recording a new album, and touring again, all with a new lead singer and drummer.
If you don’t know who Linkin Park is, that’s perfectly okay. Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, came out in 2000 and I was managing a music store when that album came out. It was a HUGE success. To date, it has sold over 32 million copies worldwide.
Linkin Park was a band that showcased not one, but two vocalists: Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. Shinoda would provide a combination of singing and rapping while Chester would sing/shout/scream.
I will say that I am not their biggest fan. I really liked their first two albums, the aforementioned Hybrid Theory and the follow-up, Meteora, but my appreciation of them dipped and waned over the rest of their career as much of their sound changed.
What I would like you to appreciate was that Chester had a voice and a presence that was unique. So much so, that when he took his life in 2017, it was a huge blow not only to the fans of the band but the music industry as a whole.
Of note, within a relatively short time frame (2015-2017), we would also lose other iconic frontmen like Chris Cornell (Soundgarden/Audioslave) and Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots/Velvet Revolver).
When any popular band loses its singer, there are a few points of consideration:
-Do we continue with another singer who will perform all of our hits with us, presumably under the same name?
-Do we disband and start something new under a new name?
-Do we disband and leave the legacy intact?
Consider The Doors who basically never replaced Jim Morrison except to do short stints of gigs with other guest singers.
Or think about Joy Division, who transitioned into the band New Order after the suicide of frontman Ian Curtis and arguably went on to more success without him.
Or, take the case in point with Linkin Park:
They not only opted to reunite after 7 years but they chose a very capable singer in Emily Armstrong (formerly of Dead Sara). Emily has the pipes to replace Chester and even if her voice isn’t a dead ringer for his, it’s close enough to give fans something they’ve been missing since Chester passed.
If we compare against the two examples above, Soundgarden and Audioslave have not tried to replace Chris Cornell since he passed. However, Stone Temple Pilots replaced Scott Weiland with Jeff Gutt. Jeff not only sounds pretty close to Scott, he even emulates some of his stage presence and fashion sense. They’re currently on a world tour performing all of those hits they wrote with Weiland. (As an interesting aside, Chester Bennington actually recorded an EP as the vocalist for STP at one point as well.)
I’m not going to say what I think is the “right” decision to make. A band is more than just their lead singer but depending on that lead singer and the catalog of music left behind, one could make the argument that the remaining band members deserve to go out and make a living doing what they love. There is still an audience who will pay to see the show.
And that’s assuming that you took the news well.
I took a screen shot of a comment that a fan left on social media.
It read:
“No, Linkin Park.
That’s not it. That’s not it by any stretch.
When he sang, we felt that.
When he screamed, we fucking felt that.
He spoke to our tortured souls.
He allowed us to feel what we felt.
Make a new band. And stop shitting on his legacy.”
This is where I will try my best to pull the narrative back to how we might improve our health.
We, as people, are somewhat resistant to change.
Some more so than others.
Many of the people I work with are in committed relationships that have fallen into a pattern of comfort that in many ways provides a sense of security and consistency but might not always be health-promoting.
One person may decide they want to lose fat or get stronger and the other person in their life may not want either of those things (either because they’re not ready or because they don’t want to take the same path).
Friction tends to begin here because the status quo will be disrupted.
There is a part of you that will remain fundamentally unchanged: you will still be a loving, caring, vibrant person BUT you also may look at your diet differently, your body differently and your social life may have to shift to accommodate those changes. That shift will either be accepted by those close to you or met with resistance.
And resistance may not always be evident, but subtle in nature. It’s almost as if you’ve got permission to improve yourself but not if it highlights the insecurities of those around you.
In consideration of the Linkin Park fans, some people are not willing to allow Linkin Park to move on in this way. Any new singer potentially tarnishes the legacy of Chester and they are not going to be okay with that. They might accept the remaining members to move on with a new singer and drummer under a new name but how dare you call it the same project when that person could never fill Chester’s shoes.
I get it.
I am painfully passionate about certain bands and I’m not sure how I would feel if I loved a certain singer but someone else tried to fill their shoes.
Perhaps it’s because I’m not a dyed in the wool Linkin Park fan that (as of this writing) I find the change to be refreshing. The band sounds familiar, yet rejuvenated, and I am certain they will sell a tremendous amount of tickets to their shows.
Somewhat surprisingly, within 24 hours of the band’s announcements, the new singer is already facing some scrutiny for alleged former affiliations.
As a result, cancel culture may strike again and time will tell if it’s warranted.
I write this as a drug addict in recovery: Some people accept your change and some people resist your change even if change is in your best interest.
That said, I think a certain rebirth is necessary, if not crucial for the evolution of a person. I would not want to be 20-something Jason again for any amount of money. I want to be the best 40-something (inching towards 50-something) Jason because he’s the one who changed the most, and I believe, for the better.
Out of respect to the legion of Linkin Park fans, those who accept the new direction and those who don’t: You can allow your love for the band to remain with those albums Chester created with them or you can see where the road leads with Emily. Just like when Chester was alive, Mike Shinoda had a lot to do with the music and lyrics you heard and he remains part of this new chapter.
But when it comes to how we change our own lives and the change you are embarking on for yourself, I hope your support system (your dyed in the wool fans) give you the love and support you need with as little resistance as can be.
(Photo edited and adapted from Getty Images)
