Results tagged “pete wentz” from J-14 Magazine

Fall Out Boy are taking a little break -- don't worry, they'll be back! -- but in the meantime, they realized a greatest hits album this week called Believers Never Die. J-14 talked to bassist Pete Wentz all about the album, Taylor Swift, and what Pete really thinks about his new haircut.

J-14: What is the new single off Believers Never Die - Greatest Hits called "Alpha Dog" all about?
Pete Went: I hate explaining lyrics, but one of the things that I've loved about Bob Dylan is that he never really explains it and that way you can have the song mean anything you want to you. But at the same time, "Alpha Mega" is a biblical term that means beginning and the end in an Alpha Dog and a Megalomaniac, or two similar dispositions -- something about opening the curtain and then walking off into the sunset.

J-14: Why was this was the right time for a greatest hits album?
Pete: We decided we were going to take a break for a little bit. We've been doing record, promo, tour, tour, pre-recording, record, promo, tour, tour for like eight years, and we're like, 'We're going to take a break and we're not going to put terms on the break as far as dates go.' We're not disillusioned in that we have a greatest hits the same way that Bob Marley would or the Eagles would but at the same time, it gives us the chance give a thank you to the fans. There's secret messages in the artwork and there's two new songs on it. "Alpha Dog" was a song that we demoed half of and put on a mixtape earlier on the internet earlier this year. Fans seemed to kind of react to that, so we decided that we wanted to write and record full versions of it.

J-14: You said Fall Out Boy was going on an "indefinite hiatus" -- what does that mean the band?
Pete: We haven't said an indefinite hiatus -- I don't know really where that came from. We're just taking a break and decompressing. We're not putting terms on when we're coming back. We're going to come back when everybody's excited about it and it's fun. I think if we kept going at the pace we were going at, there was a definite implosion that would have happened -- this allows breathing room and us to be creative again.

J-14: A lot of your lyrics are very deep and personal -- what is it like to hear Patrick Stump singing the words you wrote?
Pete: They make more sense to me. It's like I find the anthropological site and then he's the one who identifies the dinosaur -- he puts the pieces together. It's more therapeutic to me to watch somebody else do that and sing them. He also has the voice of a cute little angel.

J-14: What was it like to do the Band Hero commercial with Taylor Swift, who called you one of her heroes?
Pete: Did she? I keep hearing this from people and it blows my mind. Oh wow. It was kind of cool! I only saw the commercial once to be honest because I've been out of the country for the past twelve or thirteen days. I admire her as a person in her genre because of her songwriting abilities -- I think a lot of people don't write their own songs. She's a very honest, genuine person. She came by the shoot when we were shooting when she didn't really need to -- I think to see how slick the floor was -- but she was rad.

J-14: How do you feel about your haircut being a big deal to people?
Pete: I know. What is the deal? It made national news. We're talking about the healthcare reform and then there's Pete's hair. It's only hair. It will grow back. It felt like it was made out of Legos, like I could just take it off and put it on someone else. The swoosh had to go. I was a little bit nervous about the shape of my head at the time. [Now] I feel more aerodynamic.

Photo: Courtesy of Island Def Jam

The boys of Hot Chelle Rae -- bassist Ian Keaggy, drummer Jamie Follese, singer Ryan Keith (R.K.) Follese, guitarist Nash Overstreet -- stopped by the J-14 offices just a few days after they filmed the music video for their single, "I Like To Dance." The pop rockers were psyched to talk to J-14 about where their band name came from, their fave dance tunes, and... flying?

J-14: Did you name the band Hot Chelle Rae after a girl?
Ryan Keith Follese: We actually don't know what her real name is -- that was her handle on MySpace. Before we had anything significant going for us, we saw pictures on the Internet of her hanging out with like Pete Wentz and Snoop Dogg -- just mad musicians! She supposedly worked at Universal and was going to help us. Then we found out that she was fake.
Ian Keaggy: She was jacking model's pictures.
R.K.: When we actually started getting things going for us we were like, 'Yeah, we're going to be going out to L.A.' And she's like, 'Yeah I'm a friend of Butch Walker. We're said, 'We're going to be working with him in a couple of weeks!' She was like, 'He may not remember me.' Needless to say, we named the band after her. My friend still texts, 'I miss her!'

J-14: How did you guys meet?
R.K.: Nash was working at a music store where I was buying gear, and we just got hooked up through a guitar friend of ours. Nash and Ian have been friends since childhood, and Jamie and I obviously have been brothers since childhood. Actually, Nash and I didn't like each other at first.
Nash Overstreet: Once we met and hung out, we got along great. But there was this judgmental first sight thing like, 'I don't like his hair.'
R.K.: We were both in our worst style era - we met when were 18 and 19.
Nash: That awkward high school phase - actually, that's why we became friends. We actually started to like each other.
R.K.: That sounds like we're dating.
Nash: No, no, no. We started to get along, and we found out that in high school we went through the same exact clubbing phase of JNCO jeans and horrible clothes.

J-14: What's your favorite song off your album, Lovesick Electric?
R.K.: My favorite song to play live is "I Like to Dance," but my favorite songson the record are "Never Have I Ever" and "Bushes." "Bushes" is just a really whack song and fun and weird. It started off as a joke!

J-14: What inspired "I Like To Dance"?
Ian: I think the music kind of lent itself first.
R.K.: Sometimes we will premeditate lyrics, and sometimes the very first thing that comes out of your mouth is the best because a lot of times it's how the song feels. That sounds so artsy and not like it makes much sense, but it's true. Whatever the song feels like, that's the first thing that comes out of your mouth. A lot of times we'll be sitting there, and the first thing that comes out we'll go with that.
Nash: A certain A&R guy -- who we didn't end up working with -- was like, "Change it to something more meaningful like I love to dance.' And I'm like, 'Then it's not cool anymore.' Girls can love to dance. That's great. When guys are loving to dance it may be a little [odd].

J-14: How did Stephanie Pratt get involved in the "I Like To Dance" video?
Ian: She was actually into the song before hand -- she was all about being in the video.
She's a sweetheart. She was really cool and down-to-earth. We'd hang out again, no problem. We had a lot of fun.

J-14: What are your favorite dance songs?
Ian: [Michael Jackson's] "Billie Jean."
R.K.: One of my favorite dance beats of all time is INXS's "Need You Tonight." Every time it comes on I'm like, 'Man, I wish I wrote this!'

J-14: If you guys weren't in a band, what would you be doing?
Jamie Follese: Up until the moment I got into this band, I played baseball. I also want to be an FBI agent or an Air Force pilot.
Ian: I've been into photography for a long time -- I would have probably gone down that road.
Nash: I think I would probably do hair. My mom did hair growing up, and I'd always use her salon to mess up my friend's hair. Right before my friend got a job where he couldn't have any [fake] color in his hair, he was like, 'What color is this going to be?' I said 'A dark auburn, brownish,' and he was like, 'I'm going to have to shave my head."
R.K.: I've always wanted to fly helicopters or maybe write.

Hot Chelle Rae's new album, Lovesick Electric, is in stores now, and you can get more info on the boys at their MySpace page.

It's almost here -- The N's first made-for-tv movie, Degrassi Goes To Hollywood! There are some major names from the music scene making cameos in the flick, including Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and Hey Monday's Cassadee Pope.

But Degrassi star Lauren Collins says Pete's appearance in the movie isn't as random as it may seem. "One of the characters, Craig Manning, has become an artist, and he's this big famous superstar and he's just, you know, just hanging out with Pete Wentz on the street, eating some ketchup chips," Lauren says. "And [Pete] plays himself."

Degrassi Goes To Hollywood premieres tomorrow, Friday, August 14, on the N at 8 p.m. EST. Can't wait that long? Check out the behind-the-scenes video of Pete from the Degrassi set.

Will you watch the Degrassi movie? Who's your fave Degrassi character? What do you think of Pete Wentz being in the flick?

Photos: Courtesy of Epitome

Love checking out the coolest new bands on Warped Tour? Now the punk rock summer camp is celebrating its 15th birthday by coming to 460 movie theaters across the country with a one-night event on September 17 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. PT. The two-hour show will include big-name performances including Katy Perry, 3OH!3, All-American Rejects, blink-182, and tons more!

Pete Wentz is long-time Warped veteran and says, "I consider Warped Tour to be an essential summer rite of passage for bands and crowds alike. I have met some of my best friends there and was introduced to new music, baby wipe showers, and dry shampoo for the first time. More than anything I look forward to it every summer as a daylong escape for one hot day. And it's especially cool that people are going to see the Warped Tour in a new setting - movie theaters - with the Anniversary special!"

All-American Rejects are accepted as part of the Warped Tour 15th Anniversary!

3OH!3 gets pumped for Warped!

Photos: Courtesy of Mike Ruiz/EMI Music, Courtesy of Interscope, Courtesy of Photo Finish Records

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz celebrates his birthday today!

Comment with your birthday messages to Pete!

Fun Facts:
- Fall Out Boy is on tour with Blink 182 this summer!
- Pete's baby boy Bronx's birthday is November 20, 2008!
- Pete needs sarcasm in his life. How long could he go without it? "Not long. Thank god no one understands it anymore," he says.

Photo: Courtesy of Island Def Jam

J-14 hung out with your favorite stars on the orange carpet at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards this weekend! Watch our exclusive video of Taylor Lautner and Corbin Bleu meeting as well as shout outs from Brenda Song, Keke Palmer, Pete Wentz, Victoria Justice and more!



If you missed J-14's Kids' Choice Awards recap, click here. And don't forget to comment on your favorite stars style here!