[dramatic music]
\h\h\hmale narrator: On this episode of "My Life on MTV,"
\h\h\hthe Golden State has had no shortage of great rockers.
But in the MTV era, these two stand out
as being some of the very best.
- My dogs, Linkin Park.
\h\h\h\h\h- And Green Day. I’m a big fan of Green Day.
narrator: Following their own \hrules, it was their music...
- We needed to do something \h\h\hspecial and different.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: And their individuality...
\h\h- We might piss the neighbors off.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: That connected them to fans.
- Green Day gets better and better every time.
narrator: And MTV was there \h\hfrom the very beginning.
- I don’t really like cameras \h\h\h\hin my face that much.
narrator: We watched them \h\hgrow from garage bands
\h\hto Grammy winners before our very eyes.
\h\h\h- We were young and dumb, and we didn’t know any better.
narrator: We’re busting \h\hopen the archives...
- It’s time to go behind \h\hthe scenes. Come on.
\hnarrator: Sharing everything they did for our cameras only.
\h\h- All rules are meant to be broken.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: This is "My Life on MTV."
- It’s going down.
- Without MTV, who would we be?
- Ladies and gentlemen...
[hip-hop music]
Rock and roll.
- So, at the top of the show, \h\h\h\hyou’re going to say,
"Hey, we’re Linkin Park."
- What’s up, you guys, \h\hwe’re Linkin Park,
and--oh, wait.
- Fasten your seat belts \h\hand wear your helmets
for the wackiest ride \h\h\h\hof your life.
So, let’s go!
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h♪ Yeah! - ♪ No turning back now
narrator: Part heavy metal...
- ♪ Everything you say to me
narrator: Part hip-hop...
\h\h\h- ♪ I know just what it feels like ♪
\h\h\h\h♪ To have a voice in the back of my head ♪
narrator: Part electronica...
- ♪ Burn it to the ground
narrator: Linkin Park created \h\h\h\h\ha brand new sound...
- ♪ I won’t be ignored
narrator: And the result...
- ♪ Give me reason
narrator: 100 million albums sold worldwide.
- You just talking about it
makes the hair on my arms stand up.
\hnarrator: All this from a close-knit group of kids
\h\h\h\hfrom the L.A. suburb of Agoura Hills, California.
- We have six guys,
\hand we’ve really grown up together.
- You are so dumb. \h\h\h\h[laughter]
You know, we’re just like \hfans that write music,
and we enjoy what we do.
- I actually played in a band with Brad
when I was in high school.
Mike Shinoda had been down \hto a bunch of practices.
- How you feel, baby? \h\h\h- I’m excited.
- Brad’s roommate was Dave,
who most of our fans \h\hknow as Phoenix,
and my friend from \hcollege was Joe,
who’s our DJ.
Our mutual friend recommended
this guy that he had heard from Arizona.
- Chester was the last \hpiece of the puzzle.
[Linkin Park’s "Papercut"]
- We had showcased \hfor every label.
Everybody turned us down.
- Twice. - Twice.
- You can’t give up.
You just have to keep doing what you wanna do musically
and hope that people will \hreact from a fan level.
- ♪ It’s like I’m paranoid \h\hlooking over my back ♪
\h\hnarrator: The band was eventually signed,
but would their distinct sound \h\htranslate to album sales?
- ♪ I cannot take \hthis anymore ♪
\h\h[Linkin Park’s "One Step Closer"]
♪ Saying everything I’ve said before ♪
- Hi, I’m Serena Altschul \h\h\h\h\hwith MTV News.
Southern California rockers Linkin Park
seem to be one step \hcloser to stardom.
The boys dropped their debut \h\h\halbum "Hybrid Theory."
- For Chester and Linkin Park,
their technique of \htotal innovation
has paid off big time.
- Linkin Park, yeah, \h\hthey’re amazing.
\h- You know, rock’s really starting to make a comeback.
- My favorite’s Linkin Park.
- ♪ I need a little room \h\h\h\h\h\hto breathe ♪
When we made that video,
nobody told me that they were going to hang me upside down,
and when they yanked me up, \h\hmy head almost exploded.
[laughs]
♪ Break
narrator: Their fan base was getting bigger by the second,
but Linkin Park was unable \hto crack the TRL Top 10,
which had been taken over by Limp Bizkit,
boy bands, and Britney.
- We knew what we had, and we knew what we were capable of.
narrator: Linkin Park was set \h\hon winning over new fans,
so they hit the road, touring relentlessly.
- We still have to earn respect.
It’s not just granted to you. \hYou have to work for this.
\hnarrator: Linkin Park’s monster first year peaked
with a trip to the 2001 VMAs.
- You guys wanna touch the Moonman
or hold the Moonman \h\hfor good luck?
- Ah...
narrator: Would this be \h\ha night to remember?
both: Fatboy Slim, "Weapon of Choice."
- Limp Bizkit, "Rollin’."
narrator: Even though the band lost out on both nominations,
it was their live \hVMA performance
that left everyone \h\hready to rock.
- The three-time platinum \h\hsound of Linkin Park!
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Radio City wasn’t ready for
the distortion, drums,
\h\hand Chester’s trademark scream.
- ♪ Just like before
♪ I need a little room \h\h\h\h\hto breathe ♪
- ♪ ’Cause I’m one step \hcloser to the edge ♪
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hboth: ♪ And I’m about to...
- ♪ Break
\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: They got a standing O
and shot to superstar status \h\h\h\hall over the world.
- [speaking Spanish]
[rock music]
- All right, I wanna hear all of you guys singing,
with Italian accents \h\h\hand everything.
It’ll be great. You guys do it.
\h- Any Linkin Park fans around? Yeah?
- Every day, there’s \hinsanity going on.
\h\hYou know, all the cameras and people screaming at you,
"Hey, look at me."
\h- We’ve actually hired all those photographers
to follow us around,
\hso we’re actually losing a lot of money as we speak.
\hnarrator: After hustling for more than three years,
TRL came knocking.
\h- Please welcome Linkin Park to TRL.
[cheers and applause]
We haven’t had you on the show,
\h\h\h\h\h\hand I’m just-- I’m glad that you’re here.
I’m a huge fan of your band.
\h\hI think you guys-- the record is so sick.
- Thank you.
- This is the World Premiere \h\h\hon TRL for Linkin Park.
It’s called "In The End."
- ♪ I tried so hard
♪ And got so far
♪ But in the end
♪ It doesn’t even matter
- Joe thought it would be a good idea to have a rain sequence,
so we actually stood there for \habout four hours soaking wet
\h\h\h\h\hwhile they refocused each camera before each shot.
[hip-hop music]
\h\h\h\hnarrator: Linkin Park returned to the VMAs in 2002,
hoping to leave as winners.
- And the winner...
both: Linkin Park!
[rock music playing]
\h- It was that moment where we’re all kinda freaked out,
standing as a deer \h\hin headlights.
- Wow.
[cheers and applause]
Mainly, thanks to the fans for making this all happen.
Thank you.
\h\h\h\hnarrator: And once their second studio album
"Meteora" dropped,
they hoped their VMA luck \h\hwas changed for good.
- The award goes to Linkin Park.
- Linkin Park!
♪
- Thank you to all you guys.
[Linkin Park's "Somewhere I Belong"]
narrator: At the top of their game,
the band was ready to give back to the people
who mean the most to them.
- We have the best fans on the planet.
- We've got everything,
from kids who have tattoos of our artwork
to a kid who works at a hamburger joint
and sneaks a Linkin Park sticker on the burgers
before he sends it out the drive-thru.
- ♪ I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong ♪
narrator: But burgers and tats had nothing on
Linkin Park's high-energy live shows,
packed with rabid fans.
[Linkin Park's "Numb"]
- What's up y'all, this is Chester from Linkin Park,
and welcome to my crib.
All I watch is MTV and HBO,
because "The Sopranos" live there.
[rock music]
narrator: Soon, members of the band needed room to breathe
and began focusing on their own projects.
Mike Shinoda had his hip-hop group, Fort Minor,
and Bennington worked with rock supergroup
Dead by Sunrise.
- I have a show debuting on the "Cooking Channel."
I microwave a different frozen pizza each week.
narrator: Though Linkin Park denied they were on hiatus,
it had been a minute since the band's last studio album.
- Yo!
narrator: Fans were getting needy.
- It has been almost four years
since Linkin Park's last album hit stores,
but now the guys are finally ready
to unleash a follow-up.
narrator: The album's first single, "What I've Done"
instantly made an impact.
- In the Top 10 for the first time in over four years,
it's the boys of Linkin Park.
[Linkin Park's "What I've Done"]
- ♪ Erase myself
♪ And let go of what I've done ♪
narrator: But the song didn't just get on TRL...
- For the very first time,
congratulations to the boys of Linkin Park at number one.
Linkin Park at number one.
- And that's the fifth time that video landed on top.
♪
narrator: "What I've Done" spent
23 straight days on the countdown.
- ♪ What I've done
narrator: But while Linkin Park
stood on solid ground at TRL,
album sales were down.
And at the VMAs...
- And the winner is...
Fall Out Boy.
narrator: The band was completely shut out.
[rock music]
- We could have easily just keep doing
the same thing over and over again,
but we didn't want to do that.
- Linkin Park have just announced
that they will be performing their latest single,
"The Catalyst," at the 2010 VMAs.
narrator: This was their chance
to remind the world who they were.
- Big show for us, you know?
- If you're playing the VMAs,
you got one shot to get it right.
- Yeah, and then the rest of your career to apologize for it.
- And now, towering over Los Angeles...
both: Linkin Park.
- ♪ God save us everyone
♪ Will we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns? ♪
♪ Whoa
- ♪ Far from the world of you and I ♪
♪ Where oceans bleed into the sky ♪
narrator: The performance was voted
the best surprise of the night,
and proved that Linkin Park was still
at the top of their game.
- ♪ Can't be outfought, can't be outdone ♪
♪ Can't be outmatched, can't be outrun ♪
[cheers and applause]
[rock music]
narrator: In the years that followed,
Linkin Park continued to tour and make music.
But in 2017,
while they were on their ninth world tour together,
the unthinkable happened.
♪
- Chester Bennington has reportedly
died by suicide at the age of 41.
Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda confirmed the news on Twitter,
saying, "Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true."
[Linkin Park's "One More Light"]
♪
narrator: Fans around the world mourned the loss...
♪ ♪
And the band released a music video
in honor of their late singer.
- ♪ Can I help you
♪ Not to hurt anymore?
narrator: And at that year's VMAs,
a former tour mate paid tribute.
- Chester was my friend,
as he was to so many.
I think about his heart,
which he wore on his sleeve,
and I remember his voice.
That voice will live forever.
- ♪ Who cares if one more light goes out? ♪
♪ I do
narrator: In 2020, Linkin Park celebrated a huge milestone--
the 20th anniversary of "Hybrid Theory."
[cheers and applause]
A whole new generation of fans can discover their music
and one of the highest-selling albums of all time.
[soft electronic music]
- Rock and roll.
- Ladies and gentlemen...
[hip-hop music]
Rock and roll.
- Um, is the tape rolling now?
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hboth: ♪ One, two, three, four!
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: They’re a band of punk rockers
that broke through to the mainstream.
- ♪ On my own, here we go
narrator: Catchy hooks...
- ♪ It all keeps adding up
narrator: Driving riffs...
[Green Day’s "American Idiot"]
On-stage swagger...
- ♪ I beg to dream and differ
\h\h\hnarrator: That energizes audiences to go [bleep] crazy.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h[Green Day’s "When I Come Around" playing]
This Berkeley, California trio
has sold 75 million \halbums worldwide.
- The whole thing about music is getting away with murder,
you know, and we did.
- Shh. - Shh.
[rock music playing]
- Me and Mike, we’ve been \h\h\h\hplaying together
\hsince, like, we were, like, 11 or something.
\h\h\h- We were actually in the same fifth grade class.
We bonded over music mainly. \hI mean, that was our thing.
- I never wanted to sing.
I just wanted to play guitar \h\h\h\hand sit in the back.
But I think Mike kind of at one point just told me
I didn’t have a choice. \h\h\h\h\h\h[chuckles]
\h\h- Our first drummer decided to go to school.
\h\h\h\h\hAnd he said, "Well, while I’m gone,
\h\h\hyou should jam with this guy, Tré."
- I let my hair down sometimes.
\h\h\h- We just kinda realized, "Okay, we have something here."
\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Between high schools,
house parties, and clubs,
\h\hGreen Day played anywhere they could.
\h\h\h\h\hFans followed, and labels took notice.
- We started out on a very \htiny, independent label,
\h\hand then there was this corporate frenzy
\h\h\h\hthat was going on with all the major labels
that are after your buns.
narrator: When they released
their first major label \h\h\h\halbum, "Dookie,"
MTV introduced them \hthem to the world.
[Green Day’s "Longview"]
\h\h- ♪ Bite my lip and close my eyes ♪
♪ Take me away to paradise
- Billie Joe, Tré, and...
\h\h- Mike. - And Mike.
Green Day.
You guys had the huge entry \hon the Billboard charts.
Was that a surprise \h\h\hto you guys?
- I don’t really know what it means, to tell you the truth.
- It means you sold \ha lot of records,
and not a lot of people have actually, like, heard of you,
and all of sudden it’s like, "Who’s this band Green Day?"
\h\h- Billie Joe has a really big family.
- ♪ My mother says \h\hto get a job ♪
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Armed with catchy songs
\hlike "Longview" and "Basket Case,"
MTV went all in...
- Green Day. - Green Day.
- Ladies and gentlemen, \h\h\h\h\h\hGreen Day.
\h\hnarrator: And the biggest music snobs gave their videos
a big ol’ stamp of approval.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h- Yeah!
- Rip it, break it! \h\h\h\h- Break it!
- Yeah. Yeah. - [chuckling]
- Um, "Longview" was fun.
\h\h\hI never really realized how many zits I actually have.
[laughs]
narrator: Green Day booked \h\htheir first big tour.
- The Bookmobile was a traveling library
converted into an RV.
A lot of people come up to the Book--and they’re like,
"Do you have books for sale in there?"
\h\h\h\h\hIt’s like, "We don’t even read."
\h\h\h\h\h[Green Day’s "When I Come Around"]
- Woodstock ’94.
350,000 people in one place.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hboth: ♪ It all keeps adding up
- ♪ I think I’m cracking up
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hboth: ♪ Am I just paranoid
- ♪ Or am I just stoned?
\h\h- A Sunday afternoon for Green Day on the South stage
\h\h\h\h\hturned into a marathon mud fight.
- ♪ To analyze my dreams
The mud started flinging.
You know, it’s like,
if you can’t beat them, \h\h\h\h\h\hjoin them.
♪ I went to a whore
- It was pretty fun, \h\h\h\hI gotta say.
- This isn’t love and peace, \h\h\h\hit’s [bleep] anarchy.
We were having a great time
until Mike got beat up \h\h\h\hby the bouncer.
- Mike Dirnt, who was \hmistaken for a fan,
he basically got nailed.
\h\h\h\hnarrator: With their down-and-dirty performance,
Green Day was the most talked about part of the festival...
- Just two days after \h\hthey played here,
their major label debut album, \h\h\h"Dookie," went platinum.
\hnarrator: And they were more in demand than ever.
- Green Day had to pull the plug on a concert last Friday
after fans swarmed past \h\h\hsecurity barriers.
50,000 people had been \hexpected to attend,
but 80,000 showed up.
- Welcome to the 11th annual \h\h\hMTV Video Music Awards.
- I’m here with Green Day.
They’ve got three nominations \hand are performing tonight.
\hWhere are you going to put your awards if you get them?
- In our bums. \h\h\h- Really?
- Yeah, the flag wouldn’t feel \h\h\htoo nice going in there.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h[Green Day’s "Armatage Shanks" playing]
♪ Stranded
♪ Lost inside myself
\h\hnarrator: The band’s live performance wowed the crowd...
- I’m a brand new fan \h\hof Green Day now.
- I think they’re cute.
♪
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: But Billie Joe and the boys
went home empty-handed \h\h\h\hthat night...
- Why doesn’t anyone understand \h\h\h\h\h\hthat I’m a genius?
\hnarrator: And their bad luck at the VMAs didn’t stop there.
- See Green Day...
- And the winner is Aerosmith.
- See Green Day lose... \h\h\h\h\h\h- Weezer.
- See Green Day lose again \h\h\hand again and again.
13 nominations, 13 losses,
making them the Susan Lucci \hof the Video Music Awards.
- They should have, \h\hlike, a new one
that’s, like, "Biggest Idiot."
Hands down we’d win \h\h\hin a second.
- The return of Green Day,
who have a new album \hdue out this fall.
- With the release of "Nimrod,"
the band has a few surprises.
\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: With their new album,
\h\h\hGreen Day was exploring new sounds
and a new level of intimacy,
including one song inspired \hby a failed relationship.
\h\h\h- ♪ I hope you had the time of your life ♪
- Are the kids gonna get it?
People who are hardcore \h\h\h\hGreen Day fans?
- You know, I really don’t give a [bleep].
The song is really \h\hpersonal to me.
\h\h\h\hAnd before I would ever consider myself a punk rocker,
before that, I’m a songwriter.
\h♪ Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road ♪
♪ Time grabs you by the wrist, \h\h\hdirects you where to go ♪
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Fans embraced the song,
and it became an instant hit.
And once again, Green Day \hwas nominated for a VMA.
- Would it matter to win?
\h\h\h- Sure. I mean, it’s nice, you know?
\hIt’s just nice to get nominated.
- And the winner is...
Green Day!
[cheers and applause]
\h\h- Susan Lucci, eat your heart out.
- 13 shutouts. You finally won.
\h- Yeah. [laughs] - How does it feel?
- It was nice. I don’t know.
It was like, that’s the first \h\htime I’ve ever walked up
and got an award my whole life \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hand was like...
narrator: Green Day was \h\hon top of the world.
[Green Day’s "She" playing]
- ♪ Waiting for a sign
narrator: They were having \hthe time of their lives.
- Or 2/3 of Green Day.
What happened to Tré?
Oh, my gosh!
You want us--
[laughter]
[rock music]
- You’ll have to forgive me,
because this is a dream \h\h\hcome true for me.
\h\hSo, who or what inspired you guys?
- Animal from The Muppets.
Beat drums.
narrator: They helped MTV \h\hbring in the New Year.
[crowd cheering]
- ♪ It’s something \h\hunpredictable ♪
♪ But in the end is right
\h\h\h♪ I hope you had the time of your life ♪
\h\h\h\h\h\h[Green Day’s "Good Riddance" playing]
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Soon, Green Day hit the studio
\hto make their most ambitious album yet.
[Green Day’s "American Idiot"]
\h\h- One day, we were just messing around in the studio
having a good time.
\h\h\hIt was like, "Oh, this is funny.
\h\hIt kinda sounds like a rock opera."
\h♪ Don’t wanna be an American idiot ♪
And then it started getting more serious
\habout the political and cultural climate.
We were like, "This is what \h\h\hwe should be doing."
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: With war waging in Iraq,
\h\hGreen Day used their music to call out the establishment.
- ♪ The subliminal mind \h\h\h[bleep] America ♪
- How’s it going?
\hI’m John Norris with MTV News here on MTVU.
Well, the new head \h\hof the class,
none other than Green Day’s \h\h\h\h\h"American Idiot,"
which sold more than \h1/4 million copies
in its opening week.
narrator: "American Idiot"
instantly connected \h\hwith audiences.
- The new songs are incredible,
’cause it actually \h\hshows maturity,
and every song could be a hit.
- ♪ My shadow’s the only one \h\h\hthat walks beside me ♪
\h- The boys of Green Day and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
- Green Day with "Wake Me Up \h\h\h\hWhen September Ends."
\h\h\h- Green Day with "Holiday." Great new video from those guys.
- Ladies and gentlemen, \h\h\h\hit’s Green Day.
[cheers and applause]
\h- You guys have earned a spot here on the TRL Touch of Fame.
Awesome. Beautiful. \hBest one so far.
- This is the 2005 VMAs, baby.
narrator: Green Day \h\hrode the success
of "American Idiot" \hinto award season.
- This is the most nominated \hgroup in this year’s VMAs,
and rightfully so.
\h\h\h\hnarrator: But would the judges agree with Sway?
both: Green Day!
- Green Day!
- Green Day! "American Idiot"!
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: Between the VMAs and the EMAs,
the band won nine awards,
including the coveted Viewer’s Choice Award.
- Thank you very much, \h\h\h\h\hand remember,
do the things that you [bleep] \h\h\h\hbelieve in, all right?
\h\hThis is what it’s all about right now.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: "American Idiot" was so loved,
\h\h\hthe band decided to take the rock opera
to a different kind of stage.
- You make this crazy record, \h\hand it’s flesh and blood.
\hI don’t think there’s ever been a bigger high
\h\h\hin the 21 years that we’ve been a band together.
\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: From the Bookmobile...
- "We don’t even read."
narrator: To Broadway,
Green Day has grown up
and claimed their place \h\h\hin music history.
♪
\h\hBut that’s not the end of the road for Green Day.
[rock music playing]
Though "Dookie" and "Insomniac"
\h\h\hrecently celebrated their 25th anniversaries,
these Rock & Roll \h\hHall of Famers
\h\hare still writing hard-hitting new music
and playing the biggest stages \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hin the world.
- ♪ We are revolution radio
♪ Operation no control
\h\h\h\h\h- With a career, it’s really about the ride.
- You have to kinda hold on
\h\h\h\h\h\h\hand, you know, go where the music takes you.
\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hnarrator: And their music earned them
a lifetime achievement award.
- I’m so honored to be presenting
this Global Icon Award
\h\h\h\hfor one of the most iconic bands in the world.
Green Day!
[cheers and applause]
- We are very grateful for an amazing career.
Thanks a lot, MTV.
Stay sexy, my friends.
\h\h\h\h[Green Day’s "Revolution Radio"]
♪
[cheers and applause]
- Rock and roll.
[upbeat electronic music]
♪