Good Charlotte Interview

I met up with Good Charlotte drummer Dean Butterworth and bassist Paul Thomas at the Birmingham O2 Academy on the recent Kerrang Relentless Tour.



Everyone has heard of Good Charlotte as you've had 5 hit albums, many top charting singles and have toured everywhere over your 15 year history, but what can you tell us about the band that people might not already know?



Dean: You really stumped us with that one

(Long pause)

Paul: Er the first show we ever played was our high school talent show

(pause)

Me: I suppose its a hard question seeing as people already seem to know everything about you guys

Paul: We have gay sex every night

(everyone laughs)

Dean: No we don't. We all really like hanging out together, people probably know that but say after gigs we some times hang out and watch movies together and on days off we hang out. We like to take saunas together on days off and sort of detox and sweat, you know, not detoxing from anything weird but yeah just to sweat, men sweating its a good thing.

Paul: Er I don't know about that, I don't get into the dude soup.

Dean: Everybody knows everything about us

Paul: No your onto something, we're like family and everyone that works with us says where not like other bands.

Dean: Yeah, allot of bands don't hang out at all, but we really enjoy hanging out together and especially on 'Cardiology' we are really inspired after spending time being at home and doing family things, we're now as hungry as ever to get our music out their and play it to as many people as we can here on planet earth, and to any other planet that wants to hear it.

Paul:Bet you didn't know that, did ya!



You've done loads of gigs over the years, playing the world over from the U.S. to Japan and your currently the headline act on the Kerrang tour, with all these gigs have you grown used to being on the road or do you still find it hard especially since most of you now have wives and children?



Paul: Its hard but it's all I've ever done, all my life.

Dean: Music is an interesting thing as there's cycles on every record, so you put an album out and you get to go home, which means you get to spend quality time with your family that most people don't. We where home for a long time and you wake up everyday

Paul: And do what you want to do

Dean: Yeah you live your life with your friends and family, and then you come out, work hard and travel for a year or 18 months on a record. And we probably wont take the two years off next time

Paul: Yeah, we where starting family's and stuff

Dean: Yeah, we want to get another record out quickly. But I wouldn't want it any other way, as far as I can remember, I used to look at record covers or watch bands on TV and it was all I ever wanted to do. So it's hard to complain, even though we do sometimes,

Paul: Usually when where hungover

Dean: Its allot of work but we all have the best lives, and all of us are super grateful for it.



Your newest single 'Sex On The Radio' from your latest album 'Cardiology' is due for release soon and the video is starting to get played on TV. Now it looks like a fun video to make, was it? And what was your best and worst videos to make over your career?



Paul: Yeah that was a blast to make, it was the first video in our history that we didn't have to do a performance for, and we where in costumes talking to complete strangers all day, in LA. The streets of LA are full of people who just want to get onto camera and get weird, so we didn't have to get anything out of anybody, so we walked round and went to different locations.

Dean: Yeah, we ended up on Hollywood Boulevard, which is really trippy, as any night of the week is an experience

Paul: Yeah we where like the least odd people out their and we where in costumes. The worst video, maybe 'The Click' because we weren't really involved with it, we just shot it at a performance at the TLA in Philadelphia, but its not a bad video still. Actually maybe 'Little Things' is the worst video we ever filmed.

Dean: For me the hardest video we ever filmed, since I've been around, was the one for 'Dance Floor Anthem' as where in the middle of a tour and we where so tired, remember how exhausted we where

Paul: Yeah I do, and it was like the dirtiest place too.

Me: What was your best video?

Paul: Best video.....

(Pause)

Er

(Pause)

I don't know what would you say is our best video? The River?

Dean: The River was cool

Paul: Predictable, with Billy's artwork?

Dean: Predictable was an awesome video.

Paul: We should get Billy to direct a new video, that's what i think.

Dean: I like Girls and Boys video, I like the vibe with the old lady's.

Paul: I have a feeling that the best video ever will be the next video we are going to shoot, which is for Last Night.

Dean: It's going to be our next single in the US and Australia, and then probably over here too.

Me: That's a great song

Paul: It really represents allot of our life at the moment

Me: Party animals?

Paul: We are, where out here and enjoying each others company more than ever and sometimes that leads to a few drinks, but hey that's rock n roll.



You have a greatest hits album out at the moment,



Paul: Greatest tits album, (laughs) that's what I thought you said



which has all your singles on, now I heard you only found out about it when it had been released. Would you have made this album if you had the choice and what songs would you have put on it?



Paul: hmmm, good question. If it was released after Cardiology making a total of 5 albums then... maybe.

Dean: Its that thing of when you change record labels, they're gonna do what ever they can to keep making money out of you. Now there's a new record out and where touring, they can make more money, and so their in the business of making money, so that's what they're going to do.

Paul: So now people who might not know Good Charlotte might be tempted to buy the greatest hits album instead of Cardiology, which is a bummer.

Me: Would you have put just singles on an album or would you put some B-sides or ones that are fun to play?

Paul: See that's the problem when it comes to doing our set-list, there are so many songs that we like and each one of us feels different and when it comes to picking songs and coming to common ground its probably not a good idea to put it in our hands as we'll probably never decide.

Dean: Yeah, but when it comes to greatest hits its going to be singles, but if we ever did release a greatest hits we should put it out with videos in a package, it'd be neat.



You've come to the UK quite allot over the years, so you know it pretty well. I have a list of a few things that I'd like you to tell me, what your favourites are from the UK;



Food



Paul: I'm a big fan of English breakfasts, I had one this morning, they don't do that back at home at all, like the beans, mushrooms and tomatoes, its good shit!

Dean: It might sound weird but there's allot of great Indian food over here

Paul: the first time I ate Indian food was over here, and now I love it

Dean: But yeah Fish and Chips, the standard shit.

Paul: Nandos, we've been eating allot their recently



Drink



Paul: Yeah over hear you guys use sugar instead of corn syrup, that's why your Sprite tastes different to me. But Sprites my favourite drink but I prefer our one with corn syrup. There's allot of beers I could name.

Dean: I like PG Tips

Paul: Whats that?

Dean:Tea

Paul: Oh that stuff where there's a box of it?

Dean: Yeah

Paul: Ah, see I'm new to that.



Band



Paul: So many,

Dean: The Beatles

Paul: Yeah I guess the Beatles, but every band I loves from here; David Bowie,Rolling Stones, The Police, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

Me: I hear your fans of The Gallows too

Paul: Yeah, they're great, I just got turned on to them. The twins have liked them for a while now and keep playing their music here backstage.

Dean: I love Steel Pulse and UB40 as their from here in Birmingham, I love Reggae. We could talk about favourite bands, and for me and Paul all our favourite bands are from England, there are some great American bands but talking influential, bands from the UK definitely are the best.



Festival



Dean: Glastonbury, I've played it a bunch, and I love Reading and Leeds too but all of them are killer

Paul: Sonisphere was allot fun, I became a fan of many bands that day, I'd never seen Placebo or Rammstein

Dean: Yeah we got to see Anthrax, my friend drums for Anthrax and its always good to hang out, and I got to see the Gallows with my boys from Papa Roach, that shit was crazy.



Football Team



Dean: Man United

Paul: The Washington Redskins

Dean: I like that

Paul: I do play Fifa, but I don't have a favourite team.



City:



Dean: London for me

Paul: Leeds, it was new. Did we have a day off there?

Dean: Sure your not thinking of Cardiff?

Paul: No, I remember Cardiff being mind-blowing!

Dean: But if you where to do anything, then London

Paul: Yeah anything you want to do is their, and normally at any hour.



You played Sonisphere Festival last year which along with your special Koko gig marked your return to the UK, now you've done this Kerrang tour, have you got any plans to return later in the year for more gigs and festivals?



Dean: Absolutely

Paul: Definitely, this our new home away from home, over here. We'll most likely be over here more than the states this year.

Dean: Right now is when we're booking festivals and our team is look for the right ones for us during the summer time, and we want to do another UK tour by ourselves and/or with another big US band or even another UK band. We've been talking but we can't really say anything.

Paul: We don't want to get people excited and it not happen.

Dean: We want to focus on the UK and being out in the world, and play lots of shows and keeping active. We want as many people to see and hear us as possible, as this tour has been really successful and where really grateful for all the fans coming out.

Paul: This has been the most successful tour, with the most shows. We've come from not playing sold out shows to an entire tour of sold out dates. Were playing with big rock bands again, that actually rock, where seeing mosh pits and seeing crowds of half boys half girls and the crowds are younger, which is great as more people are getting into us.



Sadly last week, it was announced that Guitar Hero is being cancelled, Good Charlotte have supported music video games since the amazing Donkey Konga (search for their ad on you tube) on the Game Cube. Do you play video games and have you played Girls and Boys on Rock Band?



Paul: Yes and Yes and Deans No and No

Dean: I do I play, I can do guitar but I can't do the drums.

Paul: But he plays real drums so well!

Dean: Yeah, I suck at the drums and when I last did it I was like fuck I'm not doing that again. But he shreds, at all video games.

Paul: Yeah me and Billy are the gamers, Joel is becoming a gamer and he's into Call Of Duty, we all play it on-line. Dean and Benji and the least into games, but I play all kinds of video games.

Me: What games are your favourites?

Paul: Gears Of War, Call Of Duty's, Madden 11, Fifa, NBA 2k, um shit there's so many games, God of War and Devil May Cry.

Me: You Xbox or Ps3?

Paul: I am Xbox, but my lovely wife just bought me a PS3 for Christmas, so I finally have a blu-ray player now, so I went out and bought Resistance straight away for discount, but I haven't had time to play them yet.



Social network sites seem to be a big tool in the music industry these days, with artists communicating with their fans over it and some even ditching their own website and having just a social network page, what are your opinions on social networks as tools in the music industry?



Paul: Their pretty vital nowadays so it speaks for itself

Dean:I mean facebook and twitter, along with our record label we have someone who focus's on getting our message out over them. We do videos on tour that go out straight away onto youtube which keeps us engaged with our fan base. Its something we new about but we didn't give it the attention that new bands do, but we know now how great it is.

Paul: We realise how important it is and how it gets you all over the world

Dean: I didn't want to do it all at first, I was that guy, but I got my arm twisted and I'm on Facebook and Twitter and it gives that personal touch. Its also quick and easy.

Paul: Yeah, I'm not as good at it as like the twins are, as they've met famous people through twitter, they'll say something about a movie or music their into and some how it'll get all the way back to the person, like recently Micheal Vick the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Its crazy but its an evolution that where trying to hold onto in this industry.



One last question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra and a giraffe which would you be and why?



Paul: Just a Zeebra or Giraffe?

Me: Yeah.

Paul: Did you say Zebra though?

Me: Yeah

Paul: That's cool man. I guess a giraffe as I don't want to get eaten by a Lion

Me: I guess you could see them coming

Dean: I'd be a giraffe

Paul: but giraffes are messed up, I mean don't they let their kids die if they can't eat?

Me: I'm not sure

Paul: Oh man I'm sure there's some messed up stuff that I can't remember write now, but the giraffe one of the large five, are they one of the large five?

Me: I've no idea!

Paul: Good question, which one would you be?

Me: A zebra as I prefer their colouring

Paul: Your going to get skinned alive for that colouring!



Thanks for you time; do you have a message for your fans reading this?



Paul: Thanks to everyone that's come out to our shows and made our lives so much better

Dean: Yeah, we are really grateful and I always say that if we could meet everybody then we'd love to, as our gratitude is enormous

Paul: An extra big thanks to everyone who bought Cardiology

Dean: Yeah, so Good Charlotte family we love you, thank you and we can't wait to see you at a show soon!