Good Charlotte
WALDORFWORLDWIDE GOOD CHARLOTTE GOOD CHARLOTTE, THE BOOK
MOTIVATION PROCLAMATION EAST COAST ANTHEM THANK YOU MOM MY
BROTHER'S PLACE THE YOUNG AND HOPELESS LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH
AND THE FAMOUS PIRATES!
WALDORFWORLDWIDE The twin brothers that make up the core of Good
Charlotte were born on March 11, 1979 in the
"middle-of-nowhere-suburbs", Waldorf, Maryland. The brothers,
Joel and Benji Madden were turned on to music by their older
brother, Josh. Their influences started with bands like Rancid,
Minor Threat, the Cure and the Smiths. Benji started learning to
play the guitar at 16 while Joel developed his vocal talent.
GOOD CHARLOTTE After their bassist, Paul guitarist Billy joined
the twins, Good Charlotte took their name from a children's book
and played their first gig in a neighbor's basement for an
audience of 20. Benji recalls, "We only played our own song so
we weren't good enough to learn anyone else's songs!"
GOOD CHARLOTTE, THE BOOK That children's book they took their
name from has a similar theme to what they have come to
represent, it's about a young girl that gets picked on by other
kids because she is different. These guys know what it is to be
outcasts.
MOTIVATION PROCLAMATION The brothers dedicated themselves to
their music, although they had almost no money for equipment and
no connections in the industry. They cut their first demo, wrote
their own bio, and began mailing packages off to a list of
record companies obtained from a magazine. "I wrote this letter
saying, we're Good Charlotte and if you sign us now it will be a
lot cheaper than if you wait!" recalls Benji. "Our ignorance was
kind of a blessing. We couldn't be discouraged by knowing too
much about how the business really works."
EAST COAST ANTHEM When the twins graduated high school in 1997,
their mom presented them with two open airline tickets to
California as a graduation present. "Some of our favorite bands
like Green Day had started out at this East Bay club called 924
Gilman Street. So when we graduated, that summer we made a
pilgrimage to visit the club. We'd never even been on a plane
before, but we have an aunt in Berkeley who let us crash with
her." This gave the band a whole new kind of outlook when they
returned home to the east coast.
THANK YOU MOM While living in Annapolis, Maryland, the band won
a local contest, and their song "Can't Go On" was included on a
sample CD of local area talent. This helped them attract the
attention of a manager, and Lit offered a supporting slot on a
series of sold-out East Coast dates. "We had no money, no
transportation, and no way to do the gigs. Our mom was living in
like a shed on a neighbor's property, and the only thing she
really owned was a mini-van. She said, you guys take the
mini-van to play the shows and I'll catch rides or walk to work.
That just shows you how she's been there for us the whole time."
"Thank You Mom" is a hidden track on their first album, about a
minute after the last listed song, "Change". The song is a rich
acoustic tune and shows where these "I'm so punky" rockers'
hearts really are.
MY BROTHER'S PLACE Despite their spiked hair and pierced
exterior, "Good Charlotte" is a poppy-slightly-emo-punk sound
that is clearly distinct from the rest of their peers and the
fans have taken notice. You'll most likely never mistake them
for anyone else. Their recent hit album, "The Young and the
Hopeless" is a prime example of their punkrock-independent
attitude.
THE YOUNG AND HOPELESS Honesty is the thread that runs through
every song on The Young and Hopeless and binds Good Charlotte to
their devoted fans. "I don't think we're better than any other
band," says Benji, "although I do think we're more sincere, more
real, than some of them. We want to be judged for what we're
really doing, not put in a genre with a bunch of other bands
with which we have nothing in common."
LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND THE FAMOUS "We have a lot more to say
than some of the bands we're compared with, and I hope people
will hear it on this album. The kids that we were, five years
ago just want to give those kids something to help them through
the day." "Our goals right now as a band are to make the music
we want to make, and give our fans what they have given us -
positivity, dedication, loyalty, hope, truth, and a place to
belong. we really just feel like the luckiest guys in the world,
cause after all we just fans too."
- Joel Madden