But here, on the soundstage at the Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood, Joe looks alert and engaged. Never ones to waste any days off, Linkin Park are here to film the video for the song 'Crawling', one of the tracks on their million selling 'Hybrid Theory' album. Working closely with the video's dircetors, the Brothers Strauss, Joe practically vibrates with a focused intensity.

"This is all up my alley, sinse I was designing make-up effects myself before the band took off," he explains. "This is what I want to do somewhere down the line again."

The Brothers Strauss - whose computer animation skills were put to extraordinary use on the promo for Red Hot Chilli Peppers 'Californication' - are directing the band against 'green screen', enabling them to superimpose Linkin Park inside their own animated world. Dressed in khakis, collarless shirts and jackets, the band mime to the playback in high style. Singer Chester Bennington handles most of the vocals on 'Crawling'; co-frontman MC Mike Shinoda plays guitar (as he does when the song is performed live) and occasionally leaps in with a rapid fire verse or two.

Though they've been here since seven o'clock this morning, the guitarist Brad Delson admits this has been easier and faster than they could have hoped.

"We shot 'One Step Closer' underneath a subway," comments the six stringer. "That experience made this one seem like cake."

As the main vocalist, Chester is the last to wrap. He performs alongside the video's star: a girl of medium height, dressed in moody black garb.

"She basically plays the hero who is the main focus of the emotion and insecurity," explains Chester, when he's allowed to take a break. "She's going through a little bit of a crisis in her life for whatever reason, and this video is a discovery of those things that she's feeling."

Both Chester and Mike have high hopes for the computer graphics segments, but both of them find it difficult to describe what they haven't actually seen yet.

"It's going to be something like an 'ice cave' exploding and forming all around us," sates Mike as he views a video tape of live footage taken from the Dragon Festival, a hip-hop/metal extravaganza held last January in nearby San Bernadino.

"That was a pretty cool show for us to play, which is why we filmed it," says Mike. "A friend ours has been working on it, and that was a rough cut I was looking at for the song 'Points Of Authority'. We're not sure what we're going to do with it yet, but it turned out really good and we're really excitied about it."

By the time the production shuts down around eight in the evening, most of Linkin Park have left the studio, eager to spend what little time they have at home with wives, girlfreinds and families. Tomorrow, Europe - as well as another 11 hour flight - beckons...

Words: Joshua Sindel Photos:Lisa Johnson