{"id":30048,"date":"2016-07-15T07:30:01","date_gmt":"2016-07-14T21:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=30048"},"modified":"2016-07-14T21:40:36","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T11:40:36","slug":"joel-benji-madden-good-charlotte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2016\/07\/joel-benji-madden-good-charlotte\/","title":{"rendered":"Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Good<\/a>
\n\u201cGood Charlotte in 2016 is a truly, completely independent band which is for us we\u2019re really proud of because we didn\u2019t have the confidence in our twenties to think we could do it on our own and we are now at this stage in our career where we\u2019re not afraid of being smaller to be free.\u201d<\/p>\n

From release: Good Charlotte has had a long history in Australia. Their radio-ready pop-punk sound captured on albums such as their 3 x US platinum (2 x Platinum in Australia) breakthrough \u2018The Young and the Hopeless\u2019 and over 10 million combined sales from their 5 albums sold worldwide. Good Charlotte\u2019s last studio album, 2010\u2019s \u2018Cardiology\u2019 (Gold in Australia) debuted at #3 on the ARIA Chart and featured two of the most played songs on Australian radio in 2011 with \u2018Sex On The Radio\u2019 and \u2018Like It\u2019s Her Birthday\u2019. Now Good Charlotte are set to release their sixth studio album \u2018Youth Authority\u2019 on Friday, July 15, via the Madden Brothers\u2019 own label MDDN, distributed worldwide through Kobalt.<\/p>\n

While in Sydney, we sat down with Joel and Benji Madden to talk about the return of Good Charlotte, the band\u2019s new album \u2018Youth Authority\u2019, Australia, touring, motivation, and much more\u2026<\/p>\n

It’s been six years since the last Good Charlotte album, why was now the right time to give the world a new release?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> Felt like it man, I think we had gotten the chance to step away from Good Charlotte for a while and we also got a chance to also fall in love with it again and that was kind of the thing. We actually felt like when we kind of shut everything down, we felt like we took it back like for ourselves, at a certain point it felt like it wasn\u2019t ours anymore and we weren\u2019t making decisions for ourselves and if you want to make genuine records that\u2019s the only way the record is gonna be good. So it just felt like we needed to, and I couldn\u2019t tell you how many records we\u2019re gonna make now that we\u2019re back together, I couldn\u2019t tell you because it\u2019s really just going to be going on how we feel, not about anything else. So we had worked with a bunch of younger bands and we did The Madden Brothers record and the whole thing like Joel was like \u2018I don\u2019t know if I want to make another Good Charlotte record, I don\u2019t know if I ever want to make another Good Charlotte record, the only way I want to do it is if I feel like I have something to say, or if I feel like it\u2019s real, like I feel like I can\u2019t live without making a record\u2019. Then that feeling came back\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> Yeah and we got together and we started making the record there was a real buzz, you could really feel that energy
\nBenji:<\/strong> I think you can feel it on \u2018Life Changes\u2019, that\u2019s actually the first song we wrote and we did when we got back together, so I was like that has to be the first song on the record.
\nJoel:<\/strong> I feel like by the end of the record we got our swing back, I almost feel like I would like to make another record because we have been playing live so much and there really is something about playing together as a band\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> It\u2019s special, man\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> Yeah, and the music is born out of that, so I feel like I would be interested now after playing together for months and all these tours that we\u2019re gonna do\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> The next record is gonna be good, the next record is gonna be bad ass, this record is kind of a warm-up but\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> I feel like the next record will be the best record we ever made.
\nBenji:<\/strong> I\u2019m proud of this record though because it\u2019s just genuine, you know?<\/p>\n

If this is a warm up then I can\u2019t wait to see what you do with the next one because I love this record.<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> Oh you do? Man, thank you that means a lot.<\/p>\n

So what was the feeling like from you guys when you sat down and heard the full product for the first time?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> Yeah it was really good, man\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> It\u2019s special\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> We had a really badass guy mix the record, Ben Grosse and when we got the record and I listened to it I was really proud, man\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> I think it made you appreciate things differently and I think it\u2019s just interesting at this age and listen to a record that you made and as a band I like it, I like the playing on it, I like the drums, I like our drummer I think he\u2019s a great drummer, I like the choices he made, so I got to hear those choices as a fan listening for the first time once I heard the record mixed and when I got the complete record. Like I got to hear what our bass player played, and what our drummer played, and the guitar, little accents on the guitar, and I like playing with my band, but individually I like them as players and musically I find that this record has some layers to it and I really enjoyed the choices they made. So it was cool to hear it complete.<\/p>\n

It’s been quite some time since you worked with John Feldmann too, why was he the right guy to help make this record?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> This record was like I think the thing was we\u2019d never actually made a record with John, we\u2019d only ever done a song with him, or written songs on whatever. We finally made our John Feldmann record.
\nJoel:<\/strong> We wanted to make a John Feldmann record.
\nBenji:<\/strong> We\u2019ve been a fan of some of the records he\u2019s made and we\u2019ve been friends for yers so we finally made out John Feldmann record.<\/p>\n

Man, there’s one song I have to ask about specifically, that being ‘Reason to Stay’, outstanding and not just because Simon from Biffy Clyro is on it, but is there a story you can share about how that one came about?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> I love that song too, man, Simon\u2019s voice comes in, I think it\u2019s not a shock but it\u2019s a really cool moment on the record when that song starts and all of a sudden you\u2019re like whoa\u2026 I love his voice, it\u2019s so recognizable.
\nJoel:<\/strong> And we\u2019re fans of his band. It\u2019s interesting, that song came out of nowhere because I didn\u2019t even know I\u2019d get to work with Simon, I was just a fan and then I got to meet him and we had started our record and I was like \u2018Hey we\u2019re making a record would you want to write a song?\u2019 I thought just write a song, and then we really hit it off, like we like each other and we became friends, like genuinely I really like that guy, he\u2019s such a good guy. He\u2019s so talented and everything you want as a fan of a band when you meet someone you look up to you want him to be that way and he was all of that. So it was cool, then he was like \u2018yeah we\u2019ll write\u2019 and in one day we wrote that song. The song itself is about relationships, everyone who\u2019s in a relationship understands what it means to have to decode to stay you know what I mean? In a band, in a relationship and so you really have to choose over everything you have to choose a relationship and that\u2019s what the song\u2019s about, every now and then you\u2019re looking for a reason to stay even when someone\u2019s not giving it to you you have to choose to stay, and I like it because it\u2019s just such a big rock song, an arena rock song and I think it\u2019s a really unique moment for Good Charlotte. It reminds me a lot of the song \u2018The River\u2019 we did with Avenged Sevenfold, completely odd pairing but works for some weird reason, same with Biffy Clyro, odd pairing but it works and as a fan of the band it\u2019s a dream come true to have a song on your record, it\u2019s like a token you get to keep forever.<\/p>\n

You guys practically live in Australia now, but when do you think we might see Good Charlotte back on stage here for some live shows?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> Yeah\u2026 we\u2019re hoping next year. We\u2019re not gonna be able to get back this year but early next year.
\nJoel:<\/strong> And we\u2019ll do a proper tour, it\u2019ll hopefully be a nationwide.<\/p>\n

Even before your presence on TV here you guys always had a connection with Australia\u2026<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> Really great\u2026<\/p>\n

What do you think it is about Australian audiences that just get what Good Charlotte is about?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> I think Australia relates to just our attitude and I think we\u2019ve always kind of been like really kind of underdogs and our music kind of stood for the underdogs, the misfits and I feel like Australia roots for the underdog, that\u2019s kind of the way here, everybody kind of roots for the guy that\u2019s not supposed to win\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> We\u2019ve always been pretty honest too through our everything, our music, and right or wrong whatever we\u2019ve done in our career we\u2019ve always been pretty honest about it and Australia kind of respects that for the most part, as long as you\u2019re pretty straight up with Australia they\u2019ll be pretty straight up with you and they\u2019re not gonna love everything you do but it\u2019s a pretty honest relationship, so we don\u2019t need to be right all the time and I feel like there\u2019s respect there for that.<\/p>\n

The pop punk genre is still out there going strong, but what do you see as the biggest change that’s happened to the music since you guys released your first album in 2000?<\/strong>
\nBenji:<\/strong> I feel like pop punk is having a big wave right now and is coming back in a wave. I think that if anything it\u2019s gotten more acceptable and it\u2019s more acceptable to do it on a level like we did whereas when we did there wasn\u2019t many bands doing it like that, it was only a handful, there was Green Day, Blink, Offspring and that\u2019s about it. That\u2019s only a handful of bands and when you think about other genres how many, like if you think about Metal, there\u2019s so many metal bands and so many sub genres, and pop punk is one that has never been taken seriously, and I think one of the things we\u2019ve always tried to push the pace of is like you never thought a guy from pop punk would be on a show like The Voice, you know? I mean for us we were always trying to push the limits and the boundaries of what a pop punk band can do and what\u2019s possible. I feel that now the next wave of bands that\u2019s to come\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> Anything is possible
\nBenji:<\/strong> Kids are dreaming bigger and pop punk bands are taking themselves more seriously and doing it, so I do feel like the limits have been pushed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just fun music too\u2026<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> Yeah, it just feels good\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> The energy\u2026<\/p>\n

Let’s look back at your catalogue, if there’s one song from it that you feel epitomizes Good Charlotte what would it be?<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good question\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good question, man\u2026 \u2018The Anthem\u2019 would be a key one
\nJoel:<\/strong> There\u2019s definitely some key tracks\u2026 \u2018I Just Wanna Live\u2019 would be a key, \u2018Hold On\u2019 is a key track\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> I think \u2018Life Can\u2019t Get Much Better\u2019 from the new album is a key track for us, I feel like it really embodies our band.<\/p>\n

So\u2026 basically you could say a \u2018Greatest Hits\u2019 selection then?<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> *laughs* Yeah, it\u2019s always the hits, I think that\u2019s what people identify with you with, but there\u2019s some truth to it because \u2018Lifestyles of The Rich and Famous\u2019 will always be a key track, it\u2019s so different, \u2018Girls and Boys\u2019 all our hits were so different from every other band and they are what made our band special. It\u2019s really hard to replicate that, it\u2019s a strange brand of music but it works for some reason.<\/p>\n

It’s funny, last week before I knew I’d be talking to you guys I was listening to ‘Motivation Proclamation’ because I was flat out unmotivated by a few things, so now that I’ve actually got you here, what’s the best piece of motivational advice that you’ve heard to help someone get out of a slump?<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> That\u2019s a good question, I think that\u2019s an important thing to think about because everyone needs motivation, and everyone needs to remember that they\u2019re unique and they\u2019re special and there\u2019s no one else like you and we live in a really cynical world and I understand why, I get why people are cynical but it\u2019s important to not let that cynicism defeat you. For me the best advice is always to keep trying, you\u2019ve gotta get back up, really for people who struggle with that for me what I would say is just keep getting back up and each time you\u2019ll get up a little faster and then you\u2019ll start falling less and then that\u2019s how you make progress\u2026 keep going forward, keep getting up, keep trying, and be hopeful, be optimistic.
\nBenji:<\/strong> I love the song on the new record \u2018Keep Swingin\u2019 like to me that\u2019s the most motivational song, like I love the chorus of that song is like when they said we sold out we keep swinging, like to me that\u2019s the most motivational song on the record, that\u2019s my running record I\u2019ll run to that record.<\/p>\n

How has it been having the MDDN record label, and what kind of freedom does that allow you?<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> Total freedom, that\u2019s why we did it, Good Charlotte in 2016 is a truly, completely independent band which is for us we\u2019re really proud of because we didn\u2019t have the confidence in our twenties to think we could do it on our own and we are now at this stage in our career where we\u2019re not afraid of being smaller to be free. So where we may not have a major label machine behind us we feel like our efforts to us are more truer than ever and it\u2019s just the journey we\u2019re on because it\u2019s what we\u2019ve come to in all our experience and what we\u2019ve done in our career is we\u2019re being truly honest about what we are and who we are, and we\u2019re not trying to conquer the world, we\u2019re just trying to be the best us we can be, and we feel that being independent is the best version of our band that we can be and this record was the first record we made completely independent of anyone and any influence, we literally got together, made the decision, picked the producer, made the record, there was no forensic A&R happening, it was literally us just wanting to make a good record. I think in 2016 people are getting the best version of Good Charlotte that they\u2019ve ever gotten so it\u2019s complete freedom, even more than that it gives us something to fight for because it\u2019s a proof of concept for bands behind us to not be afraid and we feel like we something to work for the next twenty years of our career, we now have a new dream and it\u2019s bigger than Good Charlotte and it\u2019s bigger than our music and it\u2019s really about artists and showing artists that they\u2019re not a commodity and that they\u2019re valuable and they\u2019re special and they should value themselves.<\/p>\n

Lastly with the year on the downhill let’s see if we can predict something, so finish this sentence for me, by the end of 2016 the one thing Good Charlotte want to do is…<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> By the end of the year the one thing Good Charlotte wants to do is\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> What haven\u2019t we done?
\nJoel:<\/strong> I\u2019d like to be nominated for a Grammy, I don\u2019t know if we\u2019d know that by the end of the year?
\nBenji:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know? I think that\u2019s next year\u2026
\nJoel:<\/strong> We never have and I\u2019d like that\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> I think by the end of the year it\u2019ll be good to have completed our first tour together in what six or seven years?
\nJoel:<\/strong> Yeah, first U.S. tour in seven years\u2026<\/p>\n

Some nerves getting back out there?<\/strong>
\nJoel:<\/strong> Yeah it would be cool to have a sold out U.S. tour first time in seven years after not touring there for so long, we\u2019ve toured Australia, Europe and I will say this, we\u2019ve toured outside of the U.S. so much more, we owe the U.S. so much so we\u2019re gonna give it to them so we all feel really good about that because\u2026
\nBenji:<\/strong> We\u2019ve gotta put that together\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong>\u00a0California, USA<\/p>\n

Band Members:<\/strong>\u00a0Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Billy Martin, Paul Thomas, Dean Butterworth<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong>\u00a0http:\/\/www.goodcharlotte.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest Release:<\/strong>\u00a0Youth Authority (Out Now – MDDN \/ Kobalt) – Check out our review HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Apple<\/a><\/p>\n

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