Though they may have joked about the trappings of fame in their 2002 breakout hit "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," brothers Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte appreciate everything their success has brought. Having come from a broken home - and suffered the financial and emotional hardship that resulted from it - they also know the value of family, a theme which lies at the heart of their latest release Cardiology.
SuicideGirls caught up with Benji to talk about the new album, his thoughts on family, and his work as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador promoting UNICEF's Believe in Zero campaign, which aims to reduce preventable infant mortality, thereby ensuring that more families have a chance to enjoy the fundamental luxury of growing old together.
AL: What did you want to achieve with this album?
BM: I don't know if we ever get too deep on what we want to do. We just get in and start writing songs, then you can find where your mind is at. Once you start writing songs, you start digging around and seeing what's in there. I think on this one, we definitely wanted to put something positive out there. That was definitely something that we wanted to do. Then, other than that, I think we just wanted to do what we do. As far as Good Charlotte goes, I think we've always just done our thing and not really worried about what people thought we should sound like or thought what we should do on a record. We just let the music dictate where the record goes. On this one, it feels like there was a little bit of a return to some stuff we've done in the past. But there was also elements of a newer Good Charlotte. I guess I feel like out of five records this record is kind of a best of all the different elements that have been on every Good Charlotte record through the years.
AL: When you and your brother are writing songs together, how does it work?
BM: Usually we write all of our songs, me and Joel, with an acoustic guitar. I'll come up with chord progression that I like, and maybe hum a melody. Or I'll have a lyrical idea or Joel will have a melody and it just kind of goes from there. Joel likes for everything to happen really fast, so I have to try and keep it moving really fast and put the song together. Then, once we get the main lyrical idea, I'll go and finish the verses or finish the music and make it a little more musical. I'll figure out different ways I can play things, or just make it more interesting for the listeners who are looking for [more then a] simple three chord [progression]. I mean, when you break it down, I think all great songs are really just three chords and the truth.
AL: Talking about three chords and the truth, I loved "Harlow's Song." That's obviously for Joel's daughter, and therefore very close to his heart. What are some of the songs that are maybe the closest to yours?
BM: I really love that one too. I'm very close to his kids and my sister has a daughter. Billy's got a son, Paul's got a daughter, Dean's got a son, we've got a lot of kids around us now, and I love them all. I'm really close to all of them. Knowing how my brother feels about his kids - they're his world - when I heard that lyric, that one really it gave me chills the first time I heard it. I think anyone who has kids, or even really just someone that they love really dearly, they can relate to that song. But, for me, there's a song on the record called "1979."
AL: Right.
BM: It's a really simple melody, a simple progression. I wrote that song, it happened really fast too. I really wanted to...I guess all the Good Charlotte fans over the years have heard our stories about when we were growing up and some of the harder times. But I also wanted to take them on a little trip through when it was good. When we were little kids, and it was really happy and really fun and my parents were still in love. That's the lyric. That was a good year. Mom and dad were still in love. That one is really special to me. In the first verse I talk about my dad, and in the second verse I talk about my mom. It's just a really honest song. I used their names. I just tell the fans and the listeners a little bit about my parents in each verse, and paint the picture for them of what it was like when I was a little kid in our house.
AL: I know that when you were growing up, especially after your father left, that you did experience hardship. That was kind of reflected in the lyrics of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Back then, when that song first broke, you were just starting out and you couldn't understand why celebrities were always complaining with all the cash they had.
BM: Yeah, it's funny, over the years that song has been misinterpreted. Everyone's like, Oh, how do you feel now? You wrote "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and now you're living it. I don't know if you really listened to the lyrics, but in the lyrics we're saying, hey, if you guys don't want it, we'll take it. Whenever anyone asks that question I know that they're not listening to lyrics, they're just kind of hearing the song at a glance.
AL: Right, but on some level, it's still a jokey dig at those people.
BM: Oh, absolutely. Look, every situation in life comes with a different set of problems. I try to do my best to never judge anyone. I also know what real problems are like, and, listen, the last time I had a real problem was 10, 12 years ago. So now, me and my brother talk about things that maybe stress us out - like the music business can be kind of shitty, that's just the way it is...You start your band and you love your band, and then you put yourself out there to be torn to shreds by people who say you aren't real, or say you aren't this or, say you aren't that.
As a kid coming out from a small town, at first it's a shock. It's like, whoa, what did I do wrong? But then, at the end of the day, me and my brother go, okay, well these are quality problems. Because, definitely, not too long ago there were some real problems. I think we're lucky to have that perspective. Because I see some people that don't have that perspective. It's not their fault, they just don't have that perspective. So, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" was, yes, always light hearted and, obviously the lyric, "They got mansions, think we should rob them" was not a serious lyric.
AL: Your band has obviously experienced the downside of fame at this point. I was reading your Twitter feed today and I noticed that you re-tweeted something your brother's wife Nicole Richie posted, the open letter that she'd written to X17.
BM: Yeah. I mean, that letter for sure, I agreed with her one hundred percent. I don't think she's complaining at all. I think she's saying, these paparazzi guys...a lot of them [have criminal records]. You've got these guys waiting outside of school where 3 to 5-year olds go. Any parent would be concerned that there's registered criminals waiting outside of school when they're not there. If my sister was diva-ish on any level, I would call her out in a second, but when they're right, they're right...
I'm psyched to be in the music industry. I love my job, and I love the scene. I love all the younger bands coming out. It's something that I'll never complain about. But, at the same time, in a lot of ways it's definitely set up for the industry not for the artist. In the sense of the fascination that our country and our world has with that entertainment based media....Those kind of guys have more rights then the people that they're chasing around.
AL: You guys are like foxes at a hunt.
BM: Yeah. I always feel like the guys, we get it easy. You know, we're in a rock band, we got dressed today - like what else do you want? And I think people get that. We didn't sign up to be anything other than guys who write songs and play in a band. It's really the girls that they're interested in, so it's really just a factor where you have to support your girl, and you gotta give them a safe place when they come home that's private. Other than that, you've got to be supportive. But, for the most part, that whole thing is revolving around the girls.
AL: I guess the upside of fame is that you have been able to leverage it for some very positive things.
BM: Yeah, we've gotten to do some really amazing things that if we weren't visible to large groups of people we wouldn't have been able to do. We've got a chance to do a lot of work with UNICEF. I've got to tell you, that stuff really makes a difference, but it feels like it makes a bigger difference in my own life...
Getting a chance to go on trips with UNICEF and meet the NGOs and meet the people who are dedicating their whole lives...These people are living in crazy conditions and dedicating their whole lives for nothing other than to help people. They're not getting paid. I mean, I've met doctors that are out in the field in Africa that went to the best medical schools in the world. They could have some practice in LA or New York, and make however much money doctors make. But these guys are living in small villages in Africa just helping people every day. It makes you think; What am I really doing to really help the world? You see those people and you want to contribute something. I've definitely seen it do more for me personally, just in my own outlook on life and perspective than really anything I could feel like I could do to help people. But I definitely want to try my best and I think, at the end of the day, most people feel that way. I think most people feel like if they could help someone, they would jump on it in a second.
AL: In what capacity do you work with UNICEF?
BM: Child survival. Once everyone started having these babies, it opens your eyes a lot...We want to do everything we can to give the kids in our family the best life possible. Then you take a look around and you see how many kids out there don't really have those chances, that to even just to survive would be a victory. The program we started working with was Believe in Zero. When we started with UNICEF the number was 26,000 children dying every day from preventable causes. Now the number has gone down by a few thousand in the last two years. Due to groups like UNICEF. They all work together and they're all such great organizations. We've been trying to raise awareness and that's been a really amazing thing to see and to be a part of, and it's something that we want to keep doing too. Actually, I got an email today about a meeting we have for the next phase of things that we're going to get involved with and try to do with UNICEF. Whenever I get those emails, it's really exciting 'cause I can't wait to go on the next trip. I can't wait to just get involved in anyway we can be. It's just really rewarding.
AL: Where have you been and what's touched you in the places that you have been?
BM: The most amazing memory I have was in the Central African Republic. We went out to a village called Sam Ouandja. It's very close to the Congo and Sudan. It's a really war torn area. We were going up there [for] a clean water effort, getting wells out there. I've got to tell you, it was just an amazing experience. It's really hard to describe, but it was just a life changing experience. We've gotten a chance to do a lot of stuff in LA too. 'Cause we love America.
AL: There's so much poverty here in our backyard. Parts of America are essentially Third World at this point.
BM: Absolutely. There's places in America where the statistics in certain cities are as bad as they are in some Third World countries. So that's definitely close to our heart too. Hopefully it's something we can really keep doing over the years...
AL: With the band, is there a goal you've yet to achieve, or something specific that you still want to do?
BM: Yeah, absolutely. I think in a lot of ways we've achieved a lot of goals that we had, just in the sense that we're still here. Our first record came out over 10 years ago - just this past month it was 10 years ago. We really looked up to bands that didn't really fit into any genre, and consistently just kept making records. Bands like The Beastie Boys or The Red Hot Chili Peppers. So I think for us, our goal is to never be pigeonholed and to always just do our own thing, for better or for worse.
There's always been a discussion of is Good Charlotte pop-punk? Or is Good Charlotte pop? Or is Good Charlotte punk? And we've always been out of that discussion because we really never saw ourselves as anything. We never saw ourselves as a punk band. We're not afraid to be anything, and I think anyone who really takes the time to listen to a Good Charlotte record, they will find that each of the five records, each one is different in it's own way. That's always been the goal. We were never really worried about credibility. Our thought was always, our credibility will come with time.
I mean, we kind of grew up in front of everyone. We started the band when we were 16, got signed when we were 20. We had 4 years to tool around and be kids in a band. We got a record deal and all of a sudden we're out in front of the world and everyone is telling us what we are, what we aren't, and what we're supposed be. The one thing that I'm probably the most proud of is that we never made our decisions based on what anyone else said. We always just did the records we wanted to do, for better or for worse, whether a certain crowd loved it or rejected it.
I think we're also one of the only bands that can say we've played with Metallica, we've played with Slipknot, we've played with System of a Down, we've played with Bad Religion, we've played with NOFX, we've played with Rancid, we've played with AFI, we've played with Justin Timberlake, we've played with Pink. I mean, we've been able to do whatever we wanted through the years.
A perfect example of where our band sits in the world is we went with our friend Pink to Europe. We were her main support for her huge stadium tour. Then we played a show with Rammstein, Mtley Cre and Iron Maiden - and we were received just as well. So I think that's the thing I've always loved about my band, that no one can put us in a box. I think that was our real goal overall.
There's definitely still things that we'd love to do. I'd love to talk to you five years from now and be like, now we're here. The goal is the journey. There's no real destination other than to just build a really interesting catalog through the years...
We feel really lucky to have this following that we have internationally, and that's something that you have to nurture. You have to go back, and you have to spend time places and really connect with the people. You have to go to different countries and be there enough so that you really get the culture and you get the vibe.
AL: That's a huge investment time-wise, which must be increasingly hard for you guys with families and children now.
BM: Yeah, it is. At the same time everyone in the band agrees that this is our job. The one thing that I'm the most proud of with my band too, is that they are all family guys. They're all really great fathers, and they're all really great partners to their girls. So family always comes first.
AL: When do you get to be a dad?
BM: I don't know, but it's definitely something I look forward to. It's definitely in the plan, but who knows when that time will come.
AL: What's the vision down the line? The house, the white picket fence, two kids, and two dogs?
BM: That definitely sounds good to me. I wouldn't be opposed to that. At the same time, I don't know if we're that traditional - you know what I mean? I think everyone in my band has their own style of family, and each one of their own things really works because they're just fucking the best dads. They're the greatest.
You know, sometimes you meet a guy and he seems like a nice guy but you get kind of bummed when you see he's kind of shitty, the way he is to his family. With my band, they're just great dads. It makes me really proud. So that always comes before the music. I think as long as you do that it doesn't matter what the package on the outside looks like.
AL: That must particularly important for you and Joel given your childhoods, and the fact that your father abandoned you.
BM: Oh, absolutely. I definitely want to be the best dad I can be and take a shot at that. I think I will. I really have a lot of faith that I will be successful in that area of my life because I am watching my brother be the most successful at it. I've never seen him do anything in his life better than he does being a family man. That's the thing I've see him do in his life that he's the best at. Even beyond anything he's ever done with the band - he's even better at being a family man. That makes me really proud. I think if you keep those priorities straight, everything else is going to fall in place. I think that's his attitude on it; If he puts his family first and does everything right by them, everything else in his life is just going to fall in to place and be right where it's supposed to be. That's the attitude everyone has. I've got a lot of great examples around me, so I think when the time comes I've got a good understanding of what I'll need to do.
Cadiology will be released via Capitol Records on November 2.
SuicideGirls caught up with Benji to talk about the new album, his thoughts on family, and his work as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador promoting UNICEF's Believe in Zero campaign, which aims to reduce preventable infant mortality, thereby ensuring that more families have a chance to enjoy the fundamental luxury of growing old together.
AL: What did you want to achieve with this album?
BM: I don't know if we ever get too deep on what we want to do. We just get in and start writing songs, then you can find where your mind is at. Once you start writing songs, you start digging around and seeing what's in there. I think on this one, we definitely wanted to put something positive out there. That was definitely something that we wanted to do. Then, other than that, I think we just wanted to do what we do. As far as Good Charlotte goes, I think we've always just done our thing and not really worried about what people thought we should sound like or thought what we should do on a record. We just let the music dictate where the record goes. On this one, it feels like there was a little bit of a return to some stuff we've done in the past. But there was also elements of a newer Good Charlotte. I guess I feel like out of five records this record is kind of a best of all the different elements that have been on every Good Charlotte record through the years.
AL: When you and your brother are writing songs together, how does it work?
BM: Usually we write all of our songs, me and Joel, with an acoustic guitar. I'll come up with chord progression that I like, and maybe hum a melody. Or I'll have a lyrical idea or Joel will have a melody and it just kind of goes from there. Joel likes for everything to happen really fast, so I have to try and keep it moving really fast and put the song together. Then, once we get the main lyrical idea, I'll go and finish the verses or finish the music and make it a little more musical. I'll figure out different ways I can play things, or just make it more interesting for the listeners who are looking for [more then a] simple three chord [progression]. I mean, when you break it down, I think all great songs are really just three chords and the truth.
AL: Talking about three chords and the truth, I loved "Harlow's Song." That's obviously for Joel's daughter, and therefore very close to his heart. What are some of the songs that are maybe the closest to yours?
BM: I really love that one too. I'm very close to his kids and my sister has a daughter. Billy's got a son, Paul's got a daughter, Dean's got a son, we've got a lot of kids around us now, and I love them all. I'm really close to all of them. Knowing how my brother feels about his kids - they're his world - when I heard that lyric, that one really it gave me chills the first time I heard it. I think anyone who has kids, or even really just someone that they love really dearly, they can relate to that song. But, for me, there's a song on the record called "1979."
AL: Right.
BM: It's a really simple melody, a simple progression. I wrote that song, it happened really fast too. I really wanted to...I guess all the Good Charlotte fans over the years have heard our stories about when we were growing up and some of the harder times. But I also wanted to take them on a little trip through when it was good. When we were little kids, and it was really happy and really fun and my parents were still in love. That's the lyric. That was a good year. Mom and dad were still in love. That one is really special to me. In the first verse I talk about my dad, and in the second verse I talk about my mom. It's just a really honest song. I used their names. I just tell the fans and the listeners a little bit about my parents in each verse, and paint the picture for them of what it was like when I was a little kid in our house.
AL: I know that when you were growing up, especially after your father left, that you did experience hardship. That was kind of reflected in the lyrics of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Back then, when that song first broke, you were just starting out and you couldn't understand why celebrities were always complaining with all the cash they had.
BM: Yeah, it's funny, over the years that song has been misinterpreted. Everyone's like, Oh, how do you feel now? You wrote "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and now you're living it. I don't know if you really listened to the lyrics, but in the lyrics we're saying, hey, if you guys don't want it, we'll take it. Whenever anyone asks that question I know that they're not listening to lyrics, they're just kind of hearing the song at a glance.
AL: Right, but on some level, it's still a jokey dig at those people.
BM: Oh, absolutely. Look, every situation in life comes with a different set of problems. I try to do my best to never judge anyone. I also know what real problems are like, and, listen, the last time I had a real problem was 10, 12 years ago. So now, me and my brother talk about things that maybe stress us out - like the music business can be kind of shitty, that's just the way it is...You start your band and you love your band, and then you put yourself out there to be torn to shreds by people who say you aren't real, or say you aren't this or, say you aren't that.
As a kid coming out from a small town, at first it's a shock. It's like, whoa, what did I do wrong? But then, at the end of the day, me and my brother go, okay, well these are quality problems. Because, definitely, not too long ago there were some real problems. I think we're lucky to have that perspective. Because I see some people that don't have that perspective. It's not their fault, they just don't have that perspective. So, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" was, yes, always light hearted and, obviously the lyric, "They got mansions, think we should rob them" was not a serious lyric.
AL: Your band has obviously experienced the downside of fame at this point. I was reading your Twitter feed today and I noticed that you re-tweeted something your brother's wife Nicole Richie posted, the open letter that she'd written to X17.
BM: Yeah. I mean, that letter for sure, I agreed with her one hundred percent. I don't think she's complaining at all. I think she's saying, these paparazzi guys...a lot of them [have criminal records]. You've got these guys waiting outside of school where 3 to 5-year olds go. Any parent would be concerned that there's registered criminals waiting outside of school when they're not there. If my sister was diva-ish on any level, I would call her out in a second, but when they're right, they're right...
I'm psyched to be in the music industry. I love my job, and I love the scene. I love all the younger bands coming out. It's something that I'll never complain about. But, at the same time, in a lot of ways it's definitely set up for the industry not for the artist. In the sense of the fascination that our country and our world has with that entertainment based media....Those kind of guys have more rights then the people that they're chasing around.
AL: You guys are like foxes at a hunt.
BM: Yeah. I always feel like the guys, we get it easy. You know, we're in a rock band, we got dressed today - like what else do you want? And I think people get that. We didn't sign up to be anything other than guys who write songs and play in a band. It's really the girls that they're interested in, so it's really just a factor where you have to support your girl, and you gotta give them a safe place when they come home that's private. Other than that, you've got to be supportive. But, for the most part, that whole thing is revolving around the girls.
AL: I guess the upside of fame is that you have been able to leverage it for some very positive things.
BM: Yeah, we've gotten to do some really amazing things that if we weren't visible to large groups of people we wouldn't have been able to do. We've got a chance to do a lot of work with UNICEF. I've got to tell you, that stuff really makes a difference, but it feels like it makes a bigger difference in my own life...
Getting a chance to go on trips with UNICEF and meet the NGOs and meet the people who are dedicating their whole lives...These people are living in crazy conditions and dedicating their whole lives for nothing other than to help people. They're not getting paid. I mean, I've met doctors that are out in the field in Africa that went to the best medical schools in the world. They could have some practice in LA or New York, and make however much money doctors make. But these guys are living in small villages in Africa just helping people every day. It makes you think; What am I really doing to really help the world? You see those people and you want to contribute something. I've definitely seen it do more for me personally, just in my own outlook on life and perspective than really anything I could feel like I could do to help people. But I definitely want to try my best and I think, at the end of the day, most people feel that way. I think most people feel like if they could help someone, they would jump on it in a second.
AL: In what capacity do you work with UNICEF?
BM: Child survival. Once everyone started having these babies, it opens your eyes a lot...We want to do everything we can to give the kids in our family the best life possible. Then you take a look around and you see how many kids out there don't really have those chances, that to even just to survive would be a victory. The program we started working with was Believe in Zero. When we started with UNICEF the number was 26,000 children dying every day from preventable causes. Now the number has gone down by a few thousand in the last two years. Due to groups like UNICEF. They all work together and they're all such great organizations. We've been trying to raise awareness and that's been a really amazing thing to see and to be a part of, and it's something that we want to keep doing too. Actually, I got an email today about a meeting we have for the next phase of things that we're going to get involved with and try to do with UNICEF. Whenever I get those emails, it's really exciting 'cause I can't wait to go on the next trip. I can't wait to just get involved in anyway we can be. It's just really rewarding.
AL: Where have you been and what's touched you in the places that you have been?
BM: The most amazing memory I have was in the Central African Republic. We went out to a village called Sam Ouandja. It's very close to the Congo and Sudan. It's a really war torn area. We were going up there [for] a clean water effort, getting wells out there. I've got to tell you, it was just an amazing experience. It's really hard to describe, but it was just a life changing experience. We've gotten a chance to do a lot of stuff in LA too. 'Cause we love America.
AL: There's so much poverty here in our backyard. Parts of America are essentially Third World at this point.
BM: Absolutely. There's places in America where the statistics in certain cities are as bad as they are in some Third World countries. So that's definitely close to our heart too. Hopefully it's something we can really keep doing over the years...
AL: With the band, is there a goal you've yet to achieve, or something specific that you still want to do?
BM: Yeah, absolutely. I think in a lot of ways we've achieved a lot of goals that we had, just in the sense that we're still here. Our first record came out over 10 years ago - just this past month it was 10 years ago. We really looked up to bands that didn't really fit into any genre, and consistently just kept making records. Bands like The Beastie Boys or The Red Hot Chili Peppers. So I think for us, our goal is to never be pigeonholed and to always just do our own thing, for better or for worse.
There's always been a discussion of is Good Charlotte pop-punk? Or is Good Charlotte pop? Or is Good Charlotte punk? And we've always been out of that discussion because we really never saw ourselves as anything. We never saw ourselves as a punk band. We're not afraid to be anything, and I think anyone who really takes the time to listen to a Good Charlotte record, they will find that each of the five records, each one is different in it's own way. That's always been the goal. We were never really worried about credibility. Our thought was always, our credibility will come with time.
I mean, we kind of grew up in front of everyone. We started the band when we were 16, got signed when we were 20. We had 4 years to tool around and be kids in a band. We got a record deal and all of a sudden we're out in front of the world and everyone is telling us what we are, what we aren't, and what we're supposed be. The one thing that I'm probably the most proud of is that we never made our decisions based on what anyone else said. We always just did the records we wanted to do, for better or for worse, whether a certain crowd loved it or rejected it.
I think we're also one of the only bands that can say we've played with Metallica, we've played with Slipknot, we've played with System of a Down, we've played with Bad Religion, we've played with NOFX, we've played with Rancid, we've played with AFI, we've played with Justin Timberlake, we've played with Pink. I mean, we've been able to do whatever we wanted through the years.
A perfect example of where our band sits in the world is we went with our friend Pink to Europe. We were her main support for her huge stadium tour. Then we played a show with Rammstein, Mtley Cre and Iron Maiden - and we were received just as well. So I think that's the thing I've always loved about my band, that no one can put us in a box. I think that was our real goal overall.
There's definitely still things that we'd love to do. I'd love to talk to you five years from now and be like, now we're here. The goal is the journey. There's no real destination other than to just build a really interesting catalog through the years...
We feel really lucky to have this following that we have internationally, and that's something that you have to nurture. You have to go back, and you have to spend time places and really connect with the people. You have to go to different countries and be there enough so that you really get the culture and you get the vibe.
AL: That's a huge investment time-wise, which must be increasingly hard for you guys with families and children now.
BM: Yeah, it is. At the same time everyone in the band agrees that this is our job. The one thing that I'm the most proud of with my band too, is that they are all family guys. They're all really great fathers, and they're all really great partners to their girls. So family always comes first.
AL: When do you get to be a dad?
BM: I don't know, but it's definitely something I look forward to. It's definitely in the plan, but who knows when that time will come.
AL: What's the vision down the line? The house, the white picket fence, two kids, and two dogs?
BM: That definitely sounds good to me. I wouldn't be opposed to that. At the same time, I don't know if we're that traditional - you know what I mean? I think everyone in my band has their own style of family, and each one of their own things really works because they're just fucking the best dads. They're the greatest.
You know, sometimes you meet a guy and he seems like a nice guy but you get kind of bummed when you see he's kind of shitty, the way he is to his family. With my band, they're just great dads. It makes me really proud. So that always comes before the music. I think as long as you do that it doesn't matter what the package on the outside looks like.
AL: That must particularly important for you and Joel given your childhoods, and the fact that your father abandoned you.
BM: Oh, absolutely. I definitely want to be the best dad I can be and take a shot at that. I think I will. I really have a lot of faith that I will be successful in that area of my life because I am watching my brother be the most successful at it. I've never seen him do anything in his life better than he does being a family man. That's the thing I've see him do in his life that he's the best at. Even beyond anything he's ever done with the band - he's even better at being a family man. That makes me really proud. I think if you keep those priorities straight, everything else is going to fall in place. I think that's his attitude on it; If he puts his family first and does everything right by them, everything else in his life is just going to fall in to place and be right where it's supposed to be. That's the attitude everyone has. I've got a lot of great examples around me, so I think when the time comes I've got a good understanding of what I'll need to do.
Cadiology will be released via Capitol Records on November 2.