Brotherly Love
Sitting in the lounge of a New York City hotel, Good Charlotte's frontman, Joel Madden, 24, is singing "Many Men (Wish Death)," his favorite 50 Cent song: "Many men...wish death upon me..." Just as you're laughing at the idea of anyone wishing death upon the most down-to-earth, fan-loving punk in the music biz, his twin brother, Benj, the band's guitarist, chimes in with the rest: "....Lord, I don't cry no more, don't cry looking to the sky no more."
The guys may not have a price on their heads, but they've had their own trials and tribulations. When Benji and Joel were 16, their father abandoned their family (including their mother, older brother Josh and younger sister Sarah), leaving them so broke that they were temporarily homeless. The experience provided the Waldorf, MD., pair with the material songs like "The Story of My Old Man" ("I don't know too much about too much about my old man/I know he walked right out the door, we never saw him again/Last I heard he was at the bar doing himself in/I know I got that same disease, I guess I got that from him"). Such deep, personal songs have earned them a devoted fan base and driven their sophomore disc, The Young and the Hopeless, to platinum status. And then there's All Things Rock, the twin's popular MTV show about, well, all things rock. These days, things don't sound so hopeless after all....
You guys put out your first record three years ago, but now you're bona fide stars. What's the fame like? Are you hitting lots of Hollywood parties?
Benji: I've actually never been to one. I've been to bars that are hard to get into. We'll stand there for a half an hour looking at our shoes. I don't like places where you have to "be someone".
Joel: And then you'll get these famous people who try to be down.
Benji: Sometimes you'll watch [a famous person] be totally stuck up, and then they'll walk over and be like " Yea bro." And your like "If you didn't know who my band was, you'd be treating me just like you treated that person!"
You guys also become heartthrobs...
Benji: Yet I still don't have a girlfriend. Can you help me out with that? It's funny when I get a letter from a girl saying, "You're so hot." I always think, "Oh, they just like me because I have dyed hair and tattoos. They haven't looked close enough."
So you don't buy it?
Benji: I don't think I ever will. When I was 16, my best friend and I were sitting in his room, listening to music, and from out of nowhere, he looked at me and said "You're ugly." I didn't say anything, and we just went about our day. But it will never leave me. Ever.
Joel: Everybody has body issues - no one's comfortable in their own skin.
Do you want a girlfriend?
Benji: There are times when I would give anything to have someone to share this with, besides my brother.
What about you Joel?
Joel: If I liked a girl, she would never know it. I could meet you and like you and you would never know, ever.
Benji: I put my vibe out, but I don't make the first move, and I won't be the first person to call. I'm afraid of the shoot down. I might say "I don't know. Maybe we should, like, kiss or something."
Joel: That's romantic.
Do you have a romantic side, Benji?
Benji: I'm romantic, but I save it. I can definitely hear my instincts calling me, though: I haven't had a girlfriend in three years....
Joel: ...And he talks about it all the time. I think he's ready to settle down.
Are there wall-to-wall groupies backstage at Good Charlotte shows?
Benji: We could definately disappoint Motley Crue.
Joel: The kind of girl we end up hanging out is a chick whose normal, who likes music. It's not the girl looking to hook up.
You're really into punk music. What do you think of someone like Avril Lavigne, who wonders why she should know who the Sex Pistols are?
Benji: She's a pop singer. It's not the most profound music ever, but she's just having fun. Why should she know who the Sex Pistols are?
Joel: I'm not even going to get into what's punk, because that's such a dumb conversation. Usually, I'm like, "They're cool, they're doing what they love." But there's just something really annoying about her.
What pop acts to you listen to?
Benji: I don't listen to pop music. There have been certain songs where I'm like, "That's pretty cool." Like the T.a.t.u. song ["All the Things She Said"]...
Joel: They're disgusting.
Benji: Can I finish? Every now and then, there will be a pop song that's catchy, but the rock world is 180 degrees from pop. Rock is less about what you look like and more about the content of your lyrics.
Joel, why don't you like T.a.t.u.?
Joel: They're being exploided. It's some old man saying, "I know what will sell!" We'll take these innocent girls, write songs for them, and get them to make out with eachother." When you're young and struggling, you'll do anything to make it. It's a new low.
Benji: Don't let me near them. I'll make out with one and break them up.