What Are My Thoughts About Chester Bennington And Linkin Park?

How's it going my gumdrops? Above is a gif of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell with Linkin Park/Stone Temple Pilots' Chester Bennington.

Before dying, both had performed Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike." "Hunger Strike" was originally sung by Chris Cornell and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. 

After publishing last Thursday's blog, Jesse asked in the comments section:

"The lead singer of Linkin Park has been found dead. What are your thoughts of him and his band?"

I was going to publish my answer in the latest Song Saturday blog, but changed my mind. 

Even though Jesse's question is music related, I will answer it in today's Q&A blog. 

Personally speaking, I did enjoy listening to some of Linkin Park's songs, when the band debuted with their album Hybrid Theory. 

At the time, Linkin Park debuted, when I was on my way out of high school; I became of age in 2000.

If you were someone, who grew up and enjoyed listening to both Rock and Rap Music, you had a chance to enjoy "the best of both worlds" so to speak. Because I listen to more than 1 music genre and sub-genre, I was open-minded to Rap-Rock.

Most older Gen Xers (currently in their late 40's to mid 50's), Baby Boomers, and some Millennials despised "Nu Metal" because they were not fans of Rap, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock, or Grunge Music.

Rock Music containing elements of Rap, Hip-Hop, Funk, Alternative Rock, and Grunge was like the late 1990's equivalent of Glam Rock. Glam Rock became labeled '80s Hair Metal.

The "Hair Metal" branding was a label used to mock Glam Rock much like "Nu Metal" is a label used to mock Alternative Metal bands such as KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Staind, Slipknot, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, etc. 

Both Glam Rock and Alternative Metal attracted fans from more than 1 music genre, sub-genre, and sub-culture.

They also attracted more female listeners, which led to some of us soon becoming their fans. In addition, Alternative Metal attracted some from the Goth Rock genre and sub-culture.

Alternative Metal is more aggressive and angsty much like Grunge Music. Alternative Metal is also considered to be "Aggro Metal." Most "Nu Metal" bands were condemned, demonized, and ostracized by narrow-minded critics, who really cannot accept change.

Looking back, KoRn, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park received the most vilification. Those that were Rap-Rock bands, during the late 1990's and early 21st Century began changing their music to sound more like Rock, later in the early 2000's and 2010's, including Linkin Park.

The "Nu Metal" sub-genre reached its pinnacle, when The Deftones, Coal Chamber, Slipknot, KoRn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and many others became more popular among younger Gen Xers, Millennials, and Xennials (those born on the cusp of Gen X and Y) in 1998.

Meanwhile, over the last 3 years or so, I have noticed the amount of hatred directed at Chester Bennington after The DeLeo Brothers from Stone Temple Pilots chose him as Scott Weiland's replacement. 

Nearly 3 years ago, I published a Song Saturday blog about Chester replacing Scott.

Song Saturday: Scott Weiland VS. Chester Bennington? You Decide! (2014)

Allow me to reiterate, I NEVER hated Linkin Park's Chester Bennington. As much as I liked listening to Linkin Park as a young adult in my late teens and early 20's nearly 2 decades ago, I was and still am a much bigger fan of the original Stone Temple Pilots. Chester had some HUGE shoes to fill, when it came to replacing Scott Weiland. The late Scott Weiland is irreplaceable as STP's former lead singer. 

Now, the same can be said about the late Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. It is so tragic that BOTH frontmen became friends with each other before dying.

After it was announced that Scott Weiland died from a drug overdose in December 2015, I remember reading how upset Chester was as a friend and fan of his.

Because Scott was an idol of Chester Bennington's and was even Scott's replacement for Stone Temple Pilots, Chester took his death really hard; Chester was really grief stricken over Scott Weiland's death. His grief echoed over social media.

Then, Soundgarden, Temple Of The Dog, and Audioslave's Chris Cornell died from a supposed suicide, 2 months ago. In case you missed last Song Saturday, I encourage you to read it.

Everything about Chris Cornell's "suicide" feels odd. The same can also be said about Chester Bennington's suicide. After reading Neon Nettle's article about Chris Cornell learning about an "elite" pedophile ring, that he was about to expose, it adds to my suspicions. I believe he and Chester Bennington were murdered.

Neon Nettle: Chester Bennington Was About To Expose The Truth Behind Chris Cornell's Death

The fact that both Chris and Chester were in the middle of trying to save abused children and had evidence, that reveals the truth about an "elite" pedophile ring, makes me believe that they were both murdered.

I believe someone was sent to permanently shut them up by killing them and setting their deaths up to look like suicides. 

A few skeptics are laughing, while rolling their eyes at yours truly about such claims, but anything is possible.

Why is everyone so quick to believe, that Chris and Chester's deaths were suicide? Ever have that needling feeling, that something doesn't feel right?

This is how I feel about Chris Cornell's death. His "suicide" has been needling me, since May.

What lead singer happens to be in the middle of working on and releasing a new album, going on tours, and SUDDENLY chooses to commit suicide?

These are questions more people should be asking themselves. 

Like I said last Song Saturday, this exact same incident happened with Michael Hutchence from INXS 20 years ago.

It has been claimed, that Chester's depression echoed through his songwriting, along with being grief stricken by Chris Cornell's death, since May. However, people cannot be "happy" and book tours, then suddenly hang themselves the next second.

Call me Nancy Drew, a crazy "conspiracy theorist," or delusional, but my intuition tells me that foul play is being hushed.

Whether or not you were a fan of Linkin Park or Chester Bennington, more people should show not only sympathy, but also empathy.

Family, friends, fans, and band members now must cope with a huge loss of someone very close to them. 

1 Godson, 6 children, and 2 widows are also in mourning over the loss of their father, Godfather, husband, and ex-husband.

Hopefully, this answers your question Jesse!

Let's Take A Somewhat Grim Look Back, Then Say Goobye To 2016!

So, how was your YuleChristmaHanukkah? Hanukkah's still being celebrated (if memory serves me right), in addition to Christmas. 

Don't forget that Orthodox Christians don't celebrate Christmas Day, until January 7th.

The Orthodox Christians are somewhat lucky because all their presents will be on clearance! 

You may be wondering, "Anna, what did you get for Christmas?"

Shoes, candy, clothes, jewelry, a snow suit and rain boots like I wanted for having to shovel up all our snow, 4 pairs of ear buds and head phones, an Abstract Art painting by Kersten Hackney (college best friend of nearly 15 years), glycerin bar soaps, another cordless mouse for my other laptop, and another winter coat for this Christmas.

Hopefully, you were able to enjoy the holidays despite all the tragedies we keep learning about in the news. 

Lately, I dread turning on my TV and laptops because it feels like there is a celebrity death toll almost everyday.

This most definitely applies to legendary actors, actresses, and talented music icons.

I am sure many of you will probably roll your eyes at me for continuously mentioning Stone Temple Pilots' Scott Weiland. 

Even though Scott died last December, I believe his demise triggered a domino effect because mostly iconic musicians died, throughout this year.

Speaking of dead music icons and legends, the death of Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister on December 28, 2015 was a brutal segue into this year. 

At the very beginning of 2016, we all lost David Bowie, who was mostly a HUGE musical influence on the late Scott Weiland and so many others.

Very much like Lemmy Kilmister died 4 days after his birthday from Prostate Cancer, Congestive Heart Failure, and Cardiac Arrhythmia, David Bowie privately died from Liver Cancer 2 days after his birthday.

Then, the day after Valentine's Day, Prince's protegee Vanity died from Renal Failure. Literally 2 months later, HE died!

Everyone knows that people die everyday by the seconds. However, I have NEVER in all my life ever heard about so many LEGENDARY entertainers dropping like flies literally by the nano second the way they have in 2016.

2016 has been a really cruel and shitty year for so many of us, that we can't wait for it to be over. Without a doubt, 2016 EXCEEDED my expectations of being a horrible year. 

So many lives have been taken, during this year. Lately, I have even cried about it.

Whether it was just the average man, woman, child, or an iconic celebrity, loved ones have been in mourning. 

All these deaths will surely make grief counselors and funeral homes richer, if not already.

Let's all hope and pray that we can survive 2017 without there being so many deaths in general. 

To end this year, I was going to publish 1 Song Saturday and 1 Cartoon Sunday blog but I changed my mind. These last 2 weeks have been extremely exhausting. If I have ENOUGH time and energy, I will publish more blogs at the start of 2017. 

With that being said, RIP George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and to all those who lost their lives in 2016! 

I wish EVERYONE a very happy, safe, and more prosperous new year!

Song Saturday: Puddle Of Mudd Block

How's it going lurkers? You may recall that there wasn't a Song Saturday blog, last week. Last Saturday, I shared details about my mother's seizure on Wednesday, April 15th. This has been another chaotic week. Luckily, there hasn't been any life threatening issues. 

Compared to last week, my mother has been doing much better. Yesterday was my youngest aunt's birthday and we'll be celebrating my mom's birthday tomorrow.

Once April is over, I will be so glad. You seriously have no idea. 

Speaking of last Wednesday, it appears that Puddle Of Mudd's frontman Wes Scantlin is having a worse time than the rest of us. 

First and foremost, Puddle Of Mudd has been around, since The Grunge Era. They released a single last September titled, "Piece Of The Action."

On April 15, 2015, which was on the same day my mother had her seizure, our local NBC (Channel TMJ4) reported that Puddle Of Mudd's Wes Scantlin was arrested. 

He was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct after an incident at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport, which happens to be in my county of WI.

[TMJ4:] "Puddle Of Mudd's Vocalist Wes Scatlin Arrested" (2015)

Wes Scantlin really needs to get his shit together. I always enjoyed listening to Puddle Of Mudd's music. My mother even bought their Come Clean album, when I was in my college freshman year. She loves their song, "Blurry." 

Because I normally do not watch TMJ4, I had no idea about Scantlin's arrest, until I read about it on HardDrive Radio's Dirt page.

According to HardDrive Radio's blogger, Roxy, Scantlin's booking agency told Blabbermouth that the vocalist was NOT  in jail at the moment and that the band “will be performing all shows, including last weekend and all upcoming shows.” 

Puddle Of Mudd was scheduled to perform on April 16th in Wilmington, NC. Supposedly, the sheriff’s office had NOT  released any further details regarding the incident and the nature of what happened has yet to be disclosed.

Wes Scantlin has been developing quite a rap sheet much like Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots. 

BTW:  Those 2 have a connection to each other but I will explain more about Scantlin's connections later. Over these last 3 years, I have read news about him at least several times online. 

Between September 4, 2012 and April 15, 2015, Puddle Of Mudd's Wes Scantlin has:

* been arrested while traveling on a cross country flight from Boston to L.A. BECAUSE he was high on cocaine. The airplane made an emergency landing in Austin, TX where he was charged with public intoxication.

* domestic violence charges both in 2012 and 2013. In May 2013, Wes Scantlin pulled his ex-wife by her arm or shirt and began dragging her.

* Last April 16th, during a show at Trees Dallas, Wes lip synched and had a meltdown on stage. He threw a microphone and beer into the audience. This was along with threatening and attempting to PHYSICALLY ATTACK several audience members at a show in Scottsdale, AZ. Also, Wes Scantlin was criticized for his lip synching, during the same show.

* As mentioned in the preceding video, he was arrested at Denver International Airport for riding on the baggage carousel and ending up in the restricted area, on January 16, 2015.

* April 2, 2015, Scantlin had ANOTHER meltdown. Earlier this month, he smashed his guitar, headphones, and part of the drummer's kit.

I wonder if Wes Scantlin managed to pay Ryan Braun a visit, before he was arrested at Mitchell International Airport here in WI. 

Recently, I learned that Wes is the cousin of Miss Missouri Teen USA's Melana Scantlin and Ryan Braun. Here's where it gets more interesting:

Ryan Braun is the baseball right fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. Braun has also been in the local news, during these last 2 years. 

Ryan Braun LIED to his fans and everyone in the media about using "performance-enhancing drugs."

Talk about family scandals! Since it's Song Saturday, I thought I would share 3 of Puddle Of Mudd's music videos. 

One of them is my mother's favorite ("Blurry"). Another is my favorite ("Heel Over Head") and it has been stuck in my head all week. 

Last but surely NOT  the least, Puddle Of Mudd's new single.

1) Puddle Of Mudd "Blurry" Come Clean (2001)

 

2) Puddle Of Mudd "Heel Over Head" Life On Display (2003)

3) Puddle Of Mudd "Piece Of The Action" [NEW SINGLE] (2014)

Song Saturday: Scott Weiland VS. Chester Bennington? You Decide!

How's it going my gumdrops? I just finished reading both Chester Bennington from Linkin Park and Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots' biographies. Both vocalists have more in common with each other than I think most people realize.

Chester and Scott have pasts with drug abuse and being victims of sexual abuse. 

In addition to coping with drug and sexual abuse, they have performed and released albums with Stone Temple Pilots.

Speaking of Stone Temple Pilots, the band has been feuding with Scott Weiland for YEARS. 

In 2012, The DeLeo Brothers in STP claimed that he no longer has the same vocal range and versality that he used to have. They also claimed, that Scott badly performed their classic songs, during rehearsals.

Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots were supposed to celebrate the band's 20th anniversary, 2 years ago.

They fired Scott, after he said he would be performing their songs on his solo tour.

Then, The DeLeo Brothers accused Scott of "taking money away from the band and essentially touring under the promotion of the STP brand."

Last year, adding insult to injury, Stone Temple Pilots not only fired Scott Weiland as their vocalist, but also replaced him with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. Talk about a joke and a major slap in the face!

Scott Weiland resents the fact, that The DeLeo Brothers replaced him and want possession of STP songs, which he wrote.

Scott Weiland is the main reason why they are famous.

Speaking as a a longtime Stone Temple Pilots fan, I believe The DeLeo Brothers are jealous, money hungry, divisive, and downright sickening as musicians. 

Yes, Scott has serious drug problems. Who doesn't in the entertainment industry?

I am not condoning drug abuse. However, if it weren't for Scott Weiland, STP wouldn't be famous today. I remember in 1997, 3/4 Stone Temple Pilots had a side "project" called, Talk Show.

Listening to Talk Show was like listening to a generic and embarrassing version of STP.

I noticed that Talk Show didn't last very long because Scott Weiland was NOT  the vocalist. I own most of Stone Temple Pilots' albums from Core to No.4. 

I refused to buy their 5th album, which released in 2001 because it was really bad. I believe Scott Weiland's drug problems hurt the album and the band. 

With that being said, STP should've stayed disbanded all these years instead of trying to chase after a dollar. 

If The DeLeo Brothers wanted to make Chester Bennington their next lead singer, they should've formed another band. 

No disrespect to Chester Bennington, but he does NOT fit Stone Temple Pilots. 

I know being Stone Temple Pilots' replacement vocalist is a dream come true for him, since he was a Stone Temple Pilots fan himself. Regardless, Chester Bennington CANNOT replace Scott Weiland.

It's not that Chester lacks singing ability. If anything, he has been labeled as "Chester Bennington from Linkin Park." Linkin Park is from a different era of Rock Music than Stone Temple Pilots. 

Stone Temple Pilots was a Grunge/Alternative Rock band from the 1990's whereas Linkin Park is a Rap-Rock/Alternative Metal band with some Electronica from 2000. 

We are talking about 2 different sub-genres of Rock Music and a generational gap between fans, that Chester can't fill. 

Scott is old enough to be his older brother. This is excluding the fact, that Chester is really stiff, timid, gawky-looking, and sounds prepubescent compared to Scott being hyperactive, flamboyant yet masculine, and sounds like an older man, NOT  a teenage choir boy.

Imagine Steve Smith from American Dad. Every time I see Chester Bennington performing with Stone Temple Pilots, while trying really hard to imitate Scott Weiland's mannerisms, I see Steve Smith. 

You know, Stan's song who loves singing on Amerian Dad? That's like Chester performing with STP.

I reiterate, Chester Bennington is NOT  a bad singer. I don't hate him at all because I DO like some Linkin Park songs. 

Chester is just incompatible with Stone Temple Pilots and there is a generational gap between the STP and Linkin Park fans; He's unable to assimilate with Scott Weiland's band.

Chester Bennington may have won over SOME Stone Temple Pilots fans, but he is not going to win over the majority. I am a much bigger fan of the original STP with SCOTT Weiland than the band with Chester Bennington as their replacement vocalist.

With that being said, here are 2 different concert performances of Stone Temple Pilots' "Big Empty" for today's Song Saturday. 

On MTV's Unplugged, Scott Weiland acoustically performed "Big Empty" with STP in 1993. A few months ago, Chester Bennington performed that same song with them.

Scott Weiland VS

Linkin Park's Chester Bennington

You decide!