Hybrid Theory may not carry a parental-warning label, but with as much potency as albums by Limp Bizkit or Korn, it reflects the frustration of life as a twentysomething dude- "the everyday struggle that you get stressed out by," according to MC Mike Shinoda. Stacked with catchy, pissed-off rockers like "One Step Closer," the album debuted at Number Sixteen on the Billboard 200 albums chart and within a month of its release sold 289,000 copies.

"When I met them," says Don Gilmore, "I was expecting some darker creatures. But these guys are very smart, very happy, and they're all sort of spiritual." Adds Shinoda, "The topics of the songs may not be positive, but I think people can relate to them in a positive way."

A graduate of the Pasadena Art Center College of Design, Shinoda formed Linkin Park in 1995. He talks about benchmark rap-rock moments- Run DMC and Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," Public Enemy and Anthrax's joint 1991 tour, the Judgement Night soundtrack- as life-changing events but says Linkin Park aim to take that mix one step further. "We want to make songs where you can't tell the rap part from the rock part from the electronic part," he explains.

The band landed a publishing deal the night of its very first show - before a scant crowd at LA's Whisky - but it wasn't until it recruited Phoenix native Bennington two years ago that things really jelled. "There is so much passion, so much adrenaline in his singing," says Gilmore. "In the studio, he would go off like he was insane."

For all the rage they project, though, Linkin Park want to be seen as approachable- regular guys with regular problems, who just so happen to be budding rock stars. "People see us after a show," Bennington says, "and it's like, 'Wait a second- you're supposed to be this scary guy, and you're not.'" He describes himself as a "happy-go-lucky dude" and says playing music has served as a kind of therapy to help him work through childhood trauma. "I've never talked about it," he says nervously. "I was molested when I was a kid [by a friend]." Following five years of sexual abuse and the divorce of his parents when he was eleven, Bennington became addicted to cocaine and methamphetamine in his early teens. "I went straight in the wrong fucking direction," he says. "That's where I get some of my intensity from, and I think that fuels the music we write."

"In this country, people do not think about the sensitivity of young men," Bennington adds. "It's a real tragedy. For kids to be able to listen to bands like us who are able to express ourselves-not through violence and vulgarity-I think it helps them learn to express themselves."

VITAL STATISTICS
Band Hometown: Los Angeles
Joseph Hahn (dj/samples)
age: 23
previous day job: graphic artist
Brad Delson (guitar)
age: 23
previous day job: college student
Mike Shinoda (MC)
age: 23
previous day job: graphic artist
Phoenix (bass)
age: 22
previous day job: musician
Chester Bennington (vocals)
age: 24
previous day job: coffee barista
Rob Bourdon (drums)
age: 21
previous day job: waiter

INFLUENCES
Chester Bennington
>>Getting Tattooed..It is the most painful and excruciating experience, yet at the same time beautiful and enlightening. When people look at my tattoos, I want them to see congruency and something kind of unfolding.

>>Fashion..I'm the only member of this band who needs a carrying-kit cargo case for my wardrobe. I've got shoes that go with every outfit, my underwear has to match my outfits, my socks have to match my shoes and my pants-everything is a very big deal to me.

>>Fight Club...Brad Pitt is a fucking punk-rock god in that movie. Everything about it is brilliant. I definately think it nails American culture on the head.

>>Cooking..I like to cook: That's why my wife stays married to me. I can make a steak with salt and pepper, and it will be the best steak you've ever had in your life. I think the special ingredient is love.

>>TOP FIVE ALBUMS:
1)Fugazi, 13 Songs-it has a real raw sound: It wasn't punk, it wasn't ska, it was just this weird, funky vibe that was totally different.
2)Al Green, Greatest Hits-Soul music and old R&B is probably the most perfectly perfect music ever. It's damn sexy and, man, when that boy sings, it just pulls your soul up.
3)Led Zeppelin, IV-Quite possibly the greatest rock record ever written. Every song on that record is my favorite Led Zeppelin song.
4)The Beatles, the White Album-Nobody has ever used melodies like they do, before or since. They had four guys who were just completely on top of their game.
5)Stone Temple Pilots, Purple-Scott Weiland rules the fucking stage. He owns that microphone, and that's what I want to do.

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