Stone Temple Pilots singer Chester Bennington says former frontman Scott Weiland had departed the job long before he was officially fired.
The Linkin Park vocalist was brought in by STP to replace the sacked Weiland in 2013 and has so far featured on one EP, High Rise, and is writing new material with the band. But Bennington says he doesn’t see the transition as him filling Weiland’s shoes.
He tells The Columbus Dispatch: “For me, it wasn’t inserting myself in someone’s shoes. I felt that position had been vacant for a long time. Even though Scott was there, honestly, I don’t think he had ‘been there.’
“In the initial conversation we had, I said, ‘Why do you guys want to give up your legacy?’ It’s kind of a scary thing, but the music is too deserving, too good, to not have a chance to continue. People come to a lot of pre-judgments. A lot of them are going to be mad about it. But the idea of creating something new means you let the other thing go.”
As for his work with Linkin Park, Bennington insists there will always be “angst and doubt” to inspire the band’s dark lyrics. After suffering a broken ankle this year, he was forced to undergo surgery and Linkin Park had to cancel a number of tour dates.
He adds: “Trust me, life will never leave you without angst and doubt and questions. You may think getting your big job or killer interview or buying that house or getting the car or degree is going to change your life and fix things. It’s going to come and go, like everything in this universe.
“There still are things that pull the darkness out of you: Your parents die, you get in a car accident, your leg snaps and everything is taken away. I’m never going to be in a situation when that well is dry.”
