Linkin Park’s New Video, Released Right Before Bennington’s Death, Echoes His Pain
Just hours earlier today (Jul. 20), Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington was confirmed dead, in what police reports are investigating as a suicide.
But just hours before the first media reports, Linkin Park released the music video for their song "Talking to Myself." In light of Bennington's death, both the video and the song have taken on a whole new meaning.
The video uses split screens, alternating between full-color and black-and-white shots of the band performing the song live and recording in the studio. The shots of Bennington feel particularly haunting as he sings "You say I can't understand / But you're not giving me a chance / When you leave me, where do you go?" His fading in and out of color almost feels like an echo of his struggle with mental illness and addiction.
In a 2016 interview with TeamRock.com, Bennington and the band described their experiences watching the singer go through his darkest moments. Bennington detailed a moment when the band went to counseling together, and his bandmates had described what living with him was like. "They said that I was two people – Chester and then that f--king guy. I didn’t want to be that guy."
With the band's comments in mind, lyrics like "I admit I made mistakes / But yours might cost you everything" hit with a sharp pain. The song sounds almost like a conversation between Bennington and himself, and it's going to be extremely difficult to separate this video from his heartbreaking death.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you prefer texting, send the message "HELLO "to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention's website if you live outside of the United States.
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