This is an interview taken from “Rage Magazine”, a French rock magazine. Thanks to Matias Moreira for typing this up and helping me translate from French to English. This is Part 1 of the interview, Part 2 with Chester and Rob is coming within the next few days. Rage: Does writing with 2 vocalists sometimes yield different points of view on a subject that you and Chester want to express? Mike: I don’t think that it changes our point of view or what we want to say. Chester and I have a very great work relationship. It’s a question of dynamics, each time that one of us want to express something strong, the other helps push in that direction by trying to interpret the other’s thoughts to make the lyrics better. I don’t think that there’s a subject that we have discussed together on which we don’t agree, or for which we haven’t found the right compromise that reflects our problems. Rage: Hip hop is also a very important element in your culture and in your music, do you think that the public's reaction has changed when they think of Linkin Park? Mike: It's difficult to say, you can't really speak about the hip-hop scene, there are many branches, like sub-cultures such as rock music. There are the fans who are very attached to the underground, but who also like new, unique music and who really enjoyed our work with X-ecutioners, for example. Certain kids will not understand what we bring to Hip Hop because that's a part of our culture and it's not just an extension of our tastes...We try to touch the most people possible, but evidently that doesn't work with everyone Rage: Is there a certain storyline behind the lyrics of Somewhere I Belong? Mike: That’s interesting, because before Hybrid Theory, we were all young, not really concerned about the business of the industry, and we had to face a lot of strong emotions, of anger, of confusion, and all that was found on the album. Today, I have a feeling that we have left a lot of our teenage frustrations behind us, as stupid as that may seem, we are more mature, and that stays in the music. Somewhere I Belong is a title which is more optimistic than our previous titles, it speaks volumes for who we are, to know and understand what world we are a part of, and if it feels good. It means to not be caught up with what you have left behind you and to appreciate life day-by-day. Rage: You have encountered people from all around the world, do you have the feeling that the state of the planet, world politics and the economy have influenced the way you write? Phoenix: We were really pushed while writing of ‘Meteora’ over the months of its creation. Our lives weren’t guided by the creation of the album, but in the end, I think unquestionably that we have infused a more positive feel than Hybrid Theory, almost a spiritual theme. It’s like without us realizing, our maturity pushed us to write to make our fans desire to go strive for a better world. That isn’t really the case when you listen to the lyrics.