May 26, 2014 8 Questions With: Mike Shinoda
Unless you’ve been under a rock for a good decade, Michael Kenji Shinoda hardly needs an introduction. In the unlikely event you don’t know, he is a prominent musician, record producer, songwriter, and fine artist from Los Angeles. He is best known for his work with two-time Grammy winning, multi-platinum rock band Linkin Park, who have sold over 50 million albums worldwide. The label “musician” only hints at Shinoda’s versatility – trained in classical piano, interested in jazz, blues, and hip-hop, he is the principal songwriter, keyboardist, rhythm guitarist, rapper, and one of two main vocalists for Linkin Park, and he also rhymed on the Fort Minor side-project with an impressive array of co-collaborators and producers. While pursuing his music career, Mike also studied at Arts Center for Design in Pasadena, graduating in 1998 with a B.F.A. in illustration, which explains his hands-on approach to artwork, handling many of the band’s visual assets with bandmate Joseph Hahn. Shinoda has also collaborated with several brands as a guest artist, notably with DC Shoes and Kidrobot, as well as exhibiting fine art at several prominent galleries around LA. In 2006, he started a college scholarship at Art Center College of Design, funded by proceeds from his own art sales at galleries and online. Similarly, Mike and his bandmates started Music For Relief, a 501(c)(3) organization comprised of musicians, music industry professionals, and fans, to support disaster relief and combat climate change and has been involved in relief efforts around the world. The band and organization were awarded the UN Global Leadership Award in 2011. Mike is also a co-owner of SRS Haiti, a plastic and styrofoam recycling company based in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. He hopes to fuse the environmental and social good of the SRS program with his talents in branding and the arts. You can follow Mike on Twitter, Instagram, and learn more at the Linkin Park website too.
What are you currently working on?
I’m prepping for the release of our new Linkin Park album, which is called The Hunting Party. It comes out on June 17th here in the US; we have a European tour that starts on May 30th, and continues in the U.S. in August. The album sets a new bar for us, and we want to make sure the live show is our best yet.
How would you describe your job?
I’m probably more of a “creative” than a “musician.” I’m constantly jumping from project to project, usually in music and visual art of some kind. And whether it’s music, painting, or design, I see it as a “whole brain” process. It’s a term I started using a lot during our most recent album sessions, because there was such an important interplay between the creative and logical sides of the brain, to allow the creative brain to get uninhibited momentum without logic, and to make enough time for the logical brain organize things. My best work is a balance between logic, meticulous attention to detail, and elements that are unexpected, wild, and illogical.
What does your average work day look like?
Right now, I’m definitely in a music mode. On this most recent album, I would usually show up around 11am or noon, and stay until around midnight, about 5 days a week. In addition to singing and rapping, I can play most instruments we usually use on our songs, so my “routine” actually has a lot of variety.
In contrast, when we’re on tour, I typically get back from a show at 2am, and wake up around 10am. So I’ll eat some breakfast, go to the gym, and maybe spend some time in the morning taking in the local sights, then work on some music in the hotel room or plane in the afternoon.
Where do you find inspiration?
Usually people.
What’s the best thing about living and working in LA?
I grew up in LA, and although I’ve traveled everywhere, I can’t see myself ever permanently leaving Los Angeles. I love the diversity, the food, the music, the art, and the ability to get to the beach or the snow in about an hour. Some young people talk about how bored they get in their home town–I’ve never had that problem.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up?
A painter. I ended up getting my BFA in illustration from Art Center College Of Design in Pasadena. I still paint and draw, but when it comes to our album art, I usually choose to work with other folks whose work inspires me and captures something about the music. Our new album art was done by James Jean and Brandon Parvini, for example. But I occasionally still pick up a brush.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Big Sort by Bill Bishop.
What’s your favorite post-work destination?
I don’t really have a favorite “post work” destination, because my “work” doesn’t really stop. It can be anywhere I am, pretty much at all times, and it’s very demanding. But my work is fun, it’s with my friends, and I get to choose what I want to do. I’m very grateful for that. It’s the best kind of “job” to have.
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