Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has recalled his past struggles with substance abuse and how it took its toll on the band. Speaking with Metal Hammer, he offered of his earlier years:
“I was on 11 hits of acid a day. I dropped so much acid I’m surprised I can still speak! I’d smoke a bunch of crack, do a bit of meth and just sit there and freak out. Then I’d smoke opium to come down. I weighed 110 pounds. My mom said I looked like I stepped out of Auschwitz. So I used pot to get off drugs. Every time I’d get a craving, I’d smoke my pot.”
He continued:
“In 2006, I had a choice between stopping drinking or dying. I did some counseling with the guys and they really opened up and told me how they felt. I had no idea that I had been such a nightmare. I knew that I had a drinking problem, a drug problem and that parts of my personal life were crazy but I didn’t realize how much that was affecting the people around me until I got a good dose of ‘Here’s-what-you’re-really-like’. It was a shock. They said that I was two people – Chester and then that fucking guy. I didn’t want to be that guy.”
Somewhat ironically, Bennington later goes on to reveal his father was a police offering:
“My dad – who is a retired police officer – loves Linkin Park and has always been supportive of me. I think he loves it a little more than I do, actually. The reason why he’s always supported me is because this is what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve never backed down and I think he respects that. We’re not a cliched rock band where everyone is messed up on drugs. We’re all decent people, so that makes me proud too.”
The band spent a good portion of the year in the studio recording a new album for a 2017 release.
