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Livewire's One on One
By Phil Bonyata
Publicity photos
Chester Bennington Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) and Brandon Boyd (Incubus) interview

On the Phone
August 2, 2012


The 2012 Honda Civic Tour, featuring Linkin Park, Incubus and Mutemath is coming to a venue near you while promising to leave a cleaner footprint in its wake.
As the world becomes more aware that our most valuable asset, our planet, is in peril - music stars are using their voices not only to entertain but also to make a change for the better.
Livewire's Phil Bonyata recently chatted with Brandon Boyd (Incubus) and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park) on what it means to "go green." Linkin Park and Incubus will continue the tradition of a "Green" Honda Civic Tour in 2012. Linkin Park, Incubus and Honda Civic Tour and supporting Power the World to raise awareness about people who have no access to energy and to fund cleaner energy solutions.
To learn more and pledge support for sustainable energy for all visit www.powertheworld.org.

Livewire: Hey, you guys are committed to green energy on the Honda Civic tour. Do either of you wear your political affiliations on your sleeve, especially in this pivotal presidential election year?

Chester: Well, I know that within Linkin Park I've honestly never heard anyone talk about who they want to vote for, for example. I think it's something that we kind of take very personally. It's so funny, I was watching some comedy show the other day and they were making fun of how Americans won't talk about who they're going to vote for.

It's such a secretive process. Whereas if you go overseas or something people are talking about who they're going to vote for and who they don't like all the time. It's no big deal. But here in the United States it's a little different for us. It's such a private and personal moment to kind of choose who you think is going to be the best leader. And the last thing you want to do is influence somebody else to vote based on what they think of you as opposed to what they think of the politician they're voting for.

So we definitely don't really kind of brag about who we're going to vote for, but we do talk about the things that are important to us. And the things that are very important to us at this point are really making sure that our tours are as environmentally friendly as possible, and also giving back to our local community as well as the world community that has been so good to us. So those are the things that matter to us. And in terms of the green movement and other things, one of the reasons why we're so keen on that is because (Indiscernible) and the tie between natural disasters and what we're doing as a society to the planet. So if we can counterbalance some things or offset some things that we're doing just naturally through the way that we (Indiscernible) things on a daily basis, if we can make that more efficient and less wasteful, then we can provide families with renewable energy sources, so they don't have to burn garbage, they don't have to burn dung.

Those things actually go a really long way in terms of helping with the recovery process of a natural disaster. So for example if a community is deforesting the areas around their villages, and let's say a hurricane hits, OK, now all of a sudden not only did the wind destroy the homes that so many people are living in, but it's also now created flooding and mudslides and all of that kind of stuff.

Those things become very difficult and very costly and time-consuming in terms of the recovery project. So if we can encourage people to use the solar-powered lightbulbs, for example, that we're giving out, via Power the World, instead of chopping down trees, when that hurricane does hit, it's amazing how roots hold the soil together. [laughs]

Brandon BoydSo those are the kind of things that we're interested in. I don't necessarily know that either of the future presidential candidates are really thinking that way. So that's where it's kind of like I'm not sure exactly how political our green movement is.

Yes, it's more of a purpose-driven green movement in terms of just wanting to be more clean and efficient with our tours so we leave less of a footprint when we're out there. But the big picture really is the tie between, you know, the effect that it causes in terms of the natural disasters that hit. So if we plant more trees and put more oxygen in the atmosphere, hopefully the storm systems aren't so tough every year.

If we, you know, could help people have clean water and have access to renewable energy sources then they can focus on agriculture and they can focus on getting jobs and stuff and making money as opposed to hunting down water. Or moving a village because it's been destroyed and there's mudslides and all sorts of stuff happening. So hopefully that answers your question.


Brandon: Chester makes a lot of wonderful points, you know, and, um, I think that any type of meaningful movement and/or meaningful change that's going to occur if you were to measure it based on who people were voting for and/or who even gets elected, it's like watching water boil. It's infuriating to try and hang anything worthwhile or legitimate upon that process even though it is a valuable process and an essential one. My point is, I truly believe that most of the meaningful change if not all, is going to come from the ground. And I think it's wonderful that Linkin Park has the Music for Relief Foundation, and is able to make waves and make moves on the ground there.

We've been trying very hard and very joyfully with the Make Your Cell [Sounds Like] Foundation for many years to do the same thing, both with environmental causes, but also with humanitarian efforts, to inspire people as opposed to, hang our hat on a politician or, you know, stuff like that. It's a, like I said it's an infuriating, fascinating but infuriating process.

So I think that we're just in a very blessed position to be able to have even, you know, a remote influence on the ground here. I think that's where the most meaningful change is coming from.



Honda Civic Tour
Sat 08/11/12 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
Sun 08/12/12 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Tue 08/14/12 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Wed 08/15/12 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Fri 08/17/12 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Sun 08/19/12 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amph. At Encore Park
Tue 08/21/12 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills
Wed 08/22/12 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Fri 08/24/12 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sat 08/25/12 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center
Mon 08/27/12 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
Tue 08/28/12 The Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Thu 08/30/12 Englewood, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Tue 09/04/12 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Wed 09/05/12 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Fri 09/07/12 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
Mon 09/10/12 Chula Vista, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

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