Mike Shinoda: Nobody Knows The Depth Of Chester Bennington's Depression

Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington (Instagram @linkinpark)

JAKARTA - Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda appeared on SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show" program last Tuesday.

Sitting down to talk with Howard Stern and co-host Robin Quivers at SiriusXM studios in Los Angeles, Shinoda reflected on the 2017 suicide of vocalist Chester Bennington.

He admits that it was a dark period that made him experience a number of emotions, including anger.

"Yeah, there have been times when I have felt that way," said Mike. "I'm sure it's the same for other people. Anyway, even the fans. And that's natural; it's normal. It's one of the stages of grief – the anger is there."

Asked by Stern if it was difficult working with someone struggling with depression like Chester, this was Shinoda's words.

"Nobody knows his depth. When I met Chester, I didn't know his story. When I got to know him, I often found myself saying 'I've never heard of a crazy upbringing, a crazy childhood."

"Running wild in the streets and doing drugs on the roof of his high school, barely getting out of prison. And that's what makes our dynamic like that. I didn't grow up like that."

"I feel like an outsider because I'm a mixed-race kid who doesn't have a community to belong to. I'm half-Japanese. I don't speak Japanese; I don't look like Japanese. White kids think I'm definitely not white. Latin kids started talking to me in Spanish; I don't speak Spanish. I'm always on the move and don't have a 'home."

Stern then asked if Chester was a difficult person to deal with the whole time they were at Linkin Park.

"No, not all the time. The early days were more difficult because we didn't know how it was going to go. Like at the start of the Hybrid Theory album, we were still just getting started," said Mike.

"There's this part of Chester that's really fun sometimes, and usually the next day he'll be, like, really dark. He's so drunk; he gets mad at everyone, snaps at everyone, and you're just, like, 'Let's get through today.'"

Bennington's death was ruled a suicide after his body was found in July 2017 at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

In numerous interviews, Chester has been candid about his battle with mental health, saying he grapples with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse.

His struggles with drug and alcohol addiction led him to rehab twice around 2006.