“Wh
hen we get too comfortable, that’s when we
gett lame. When people are too comfortable in
the
eir lives, relationships, jobs, whatever, you take
thin
ngs for granted and become neglectful. It’s
like a broken bone…”
in his buddy’s garage. “The neighbors would come outside
and watch us,” he fondly recalls. At the age of fifteen, he
was asked to be in a cover band and once he was on
stage for the first time, he was hooked. By the time he was
sixteen, he made his first record. At eighteen, he released
his second record. Now, at 39, he has released his seventh
album, and has no intention of stopping.
Instead of letting trials and tribulations cripple him, he uses
it as fuel to keep him going - to be better than what anyone
has dared label him as. You can hear it in his lyrics and
voice. There is a sense of rawness that we can all relate
to, but are often too scared to come to terms with. That
is real pain and emotion you’re hearing and feeling when
listening to his music. That darkness is what keeps Chester
going and it translates in his music. The competitiveness
in him fuels him to crush and destroy, to set records, and
his athletic side energizes him to perform with larger than
life intensity. His stage presence is like a defibrillator to the
core of his audience, and his energy packs quite the punch.
And he delivers it with a realness that is unmistakable.
Watching a crowd of thousands simultaneously belting
out lyrics to a Linkin Park anthem is unforgettable. And
that’s the thing about their music. It leaves its mark on you.
Ultimately, his music is a product of something meaningful
to himself and the audience, giving us an escape that we
all need. Chester refers to it as a battle within himself, but it
is more so a juxtaposition that allows him to be the artistic
genius he is today.
“There’s a part of me that as a little kid, was abused,
scared, and afraid of confrontation. Being scared all the
time and the smallest guy around, I got to see the way
people who aren’t ‘normal’ are treated…the people who
are ‘weaker.’ After you’ve endured some stuff when you’re
young, you understand that it’s just pain, it’s just a bad
feeling and eventually, it will go away. Part of me is a really
competitive guy. I think to myself, you’ll beat this asshole.
It’ll hurt after the race is over. It’s then, that I can focus on
something else that makes me feel better. And then there’s
another part o b