Linkin Park member and solo artist Mike Shinoda discusses mental health, his new album Post Traumatic and his family’s experience in a Japanese internment camp in a June 21 interview for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Shinoda explains how the conversation surrounding mental health has been a constant thread throughout his work, especially since the death of his bandmate Chester Bennington last year.
“It was so weird being given a membership to this club that I never wanted to be a part of,” he says. “One thing I’ve learned, in terms of mental health, we talk about it being like physical health. Mental health should be the same. Mental health is just health. The way we get to that point is to check in with ourselves.”
As the title suggests, Post Traumatic is a confessional album that explores a number of emotional themes including the healing process, loss, and self-discovery. When asked about performing the material, Shinoda notes that regardless of the setting, the songs are therapeutic to perform.
“It feels like there’s a communal element, there’s a family element…but it’s always kind of been that way. People just didn’t know,” Shinoda says.
Host Trevor Noah then switches gears toward the end of the interview, inquiring about Shinoda’s family history, specifically his grandparents’ experience in Japanese internment camps during the ’40s and ’50s.
“They took [my grandparents] to the Santa Anita Race Track and stuck them in the horse stalls. They stayed there while the government made barracks made of wood in the desert. There was no air conditioning, there was no heating,” Shinoda details. “When I hear the stories of the things that have gone on in the last week, for example, I immediately go back to those memories.”
Post Traumatic is out and available to stream on all major streaming platforms.