Chester Bennington Blasts VMAs 9/17/08

Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington has lashed out at the organizers of the MTV Video Music Awards for turning the prizegiving into an annual mess.

The rockers picked up a Best Rock Video gong for their Shadow of The Day promo - but the singer was far from happy about the overall event, which saw Britney Spears pick up three awards and comedian/host Russell Brand relentlessly poke fun at the Jonas Brothers.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine, Bennington admits he was disappointed with the 7 September (08) event.

He says, "Where were Foo Fighters and Nickelback? Or even a band like Three Days Grace, who had a pretty big year? There was no Vampire Weekend or Daughtry. It was very one-sided."

And he accuses the show itself of "raising the bar of confusion and disarray," adding, "The VMAs are consistently clusterf**ks, and this year set a new standard.

"You had people who were invited sitting out in the streets. Plus, everybody was texting, no one was watching the show. I got super bummed out.

"I think the VMAs have completely lost touch with a broad scope of music. It was very bubblegum and Disney, which is why bands like Foo Fighters and everybody else in my group weren't there."