Pete Wentz explains why Fall Out Boy will survive
their Greatest Hits album, Believers Never Die
PETE Wentz talks about babies, downloading, meeting his idol Dave Grohl, and how a greatest hits album doesn't mean band implosion...
You're promoting the Fall Out Boy singles collection Believers Never Die. Do song titles such as Carpal Tunnel of Love and A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More Touch Me make you wince even now?
I look back and thank God I can laugh at myself. There were times when they were so over the top. I can laugh at it in some youthful way. The titles were always relevant to the song or an in-joke with the band. But sometimes it went overboard, especially when they were stupidly long.
You must have had a thrill hearing people on radio have to back-announce your hit I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off?
We did that on purpose. We wanted to give DJs a mouthful. Then our record company came to us and said, "You can't have all your singles with all these long titles". So with Thnks Fr Th Mmrs we went cool. We took out all the vowels. Part of us always wanted to be the pirates.
Speaking of, what's your take on illegal downloading?
Our industry is so stupid about how it treats the consumer. It's ridiculous. It's patronising and attacking. The label and publishers were making so much f---ing money. There were some elite bands flying around on 747s. Then Napster came along. At that point the labels could have probably worked out some deal where the pendulum would have swung to the middle. Instead it swung all the way to the other side. I mean, I knew how much CDs cost to make and how much they were charging for them. So now everybody's scrambling.
Is that why you do your clothing line? Is it more profitable than selling albums?
To be honest, if it came down to it and I had to compromise my values, I'd live in an apartment or whatever. There are certain things I value, certain fights I don't mind picking and others I let go by. For my clothing line, I've had like a million chances to license it out and be like this, whatever, bigger thing that would give me a pile of money. But I feel like I'd lose all control and it'd be like "Pete Wentz presents" or whatever. It'd just be my name. I don't want it to be like a brand.
What about your record label Decaydance?
We never refer to Decaydance as a label, we refer to it as a gang. If you back us against a wall it's going to be us against you. All of us. It's more of the idea, and I don't see a lot of people doing it in pop, but look at Kanye West or Lady Gaga - the idea you can create (Andy) Warholian art. Your art can be clothing, visual, music - different mediums. It's cool to see people doing it. Madonna used to do it. She probably still does. I just don't follow that world. Michael Jackson did it. It went away for a bit, it became sugary and fake. It's cool to see it be real.
Fall Out Boy are taking time out. Is that a worry these days with less band loyalty?
You worry. I worry. Certain bands are gilded bands, like U2 and the Rolling Stones. They take time off and no one questions whether they're coming back. They just come back and it's the same. I was more worried about it until we went on tour with Blink-182, they're bigger than ever. I think there was so much animosity in their split, people did not ever expect to see Blink-182 together again, so that probably added to the appeal. They were around when records sold more. We came in at the tail end of that. I guess we'll see.
Greatest hits albums often are a sign of cracks appearing in a band and the record company buying time to fix them . . .
No, it's before the cracks come. As a band we wouldn't implode. We've been going for eight years - record, promo, tour. We'd never had more than a month off. Had we kept on that path, I'm sure we could have done another record. We could have gone on more tours. But then we might implode. I'd rather have a career like a Green Day or a U2 - bands with longevity rather than just flash in and grind it out. Even the Beatles, they grinded so hard . . .
You and your wife (Ashlee Simpson) didn't sell pictures of your son Bronx to magazines. Presumably there were offers?
Yeah. I've never sold a photo of my son. I'm not speaking ill of anyone by saying we didn't, it was a personal decision. We sold our wedding photos. It's wonderful people sell their photos and they either hopefuly have a great nest egg for their child or, if they're exceedingly rich, they're giving it to a charity like they say they do. We decided to be part of the entertainment industry; he hasn't made that decision. It can really screw with a kid, growing up. Growing up can be screwy anyway. And when you sell pictures, where do you draw the line at people's interest in your child's life? I still think you should be able to draw the line, but it's a little murkier because at some point you were OK with people taking their picture. Some people do it to keep the paparazzi at bay.
Bronx is in the Fall Out Boy video for Alpha Dog, though.
Yeah, for a second in a collage. Our manager asked if I wanted to edit out the part with Bronx, but it seemed natural. It wasn't like a Lion King moment, "Here's my son, watch the video!" I don't think anyone's tuning into the video to see him. Maybe one day he'll be like, "I was in my dad's video, that's not cool".
Is it true you got parenting tips from Dave Grohl?
We hung out. I've met him once or twice, but I didn't know if Dave Grohl thought Pete was cool. We talked about kids and touring. I'm a big fan.
Is he officially the nicest guy in rock?
That's what everybody says. And you're nervous because he was in these two amazing bands and you think, "What if he's not nice to me?" But he was like "Hey Pete, sit down". And I'm thinking it's so weird, he doesn't even know my name. So yeah, really nice.
Believers Never Die (Universal) out now.
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