I was a teenager back then, angry about the scolding that I had received from my parents for scoring low marks. I felt as if I was stuck in mess because of my education stream choice. I wished that I could somehow go back in time and change my choice, but that wasn’t going to happen. The only way that I could let go of my frustration was by listening to music.
The first rock band that I was ever introduced to was Linkin Park. It was among the best music that I had heard during my rebellious teenage years. So in order to blow some steam off, I used to do what I felt was the best method. That was to stay awake till 2 am, wait till my parents were asleep, put on my headphones on, play Linkin Park songs on full volume and start headbanging till early morning till my neck started paining.
The first Linkin Park song that I had ever listened to was “In the end” and it was Chester’s voice that got stuck in my head. It was so full of raw passion and emotion. The only comparison of what I felt was that of a pressure cooker releasing all its steam.
So I used to try and sing Chester’s lyrics and although I was really bad at singing, it felt really good.
The second song that I had ever listened to was “Numb” and I was completely blown away by the lyrics. It was something that I could relate to at that time. I had started feeling a lot like a social outcast in my family and this song just hit the spot for me.
Then came “Points of authority” and “Crawling” and the list continues. Listening to a Linkin Park song was almost similar to pushing the reset button of the PC, everything went back to being normal again.
This made me read a bit about the band and Chester. I read about how he was bullied in school and was later addicted to drugs in his teenage years and was able overcome his drug addiction. His life was a story of how one could rise up again after falling down. He was someone who was cherished by many people of my generation.
Over the years things changed and I wasn’t a rebellious teenager anymore. My taste in music expanded and I started liking other genres of music.
Although I would occasionally listen to Linkin Park, it wasn’t on the top of my playlist anymore. Then on the night of 20th July 2017, I read the news about Chester committing suicide and it brought back all the old memories.
It was difficult for me to believe how a fighter like him could commit suicide. Then again, I guess some emotional wounds don’t heal till the end.
No matter what, you will always stay alive in our hearts and memories forever. Goodbye and rest In Peace, Chester Bennington !