Turns out for Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” aren’t so bad after all.
“We don’t walk around all day and say, ‘We’re rich and famous!’ Joel clarified when the brothers sat down on “The Ralphie Radio Show.” “We’re happy with our lives, good or bad.”
Lately for the twin brothers, and the band, there’s been more of the former: Good Charlotte’s headlining tour is selling well across the country, Cardiology is in stores, and Joel even gets his fantasy football tips now from ESPN’s Senior Fantasy Analyst Matthew Berry.
But more important than all of that for the lead singer is the “balance” he has in his life, between both his rock star job and his family with wife Nicole Richie and children Harlow (3) and Sparrow (2).
“The kids come out here and there and that’s always different, like there are two different kinds of touring,” explained Joel. “There’s the touring without the family, which is kind of like a little Dad vacation. Then they come out for a week here or there and that’s like, full-time family, but it’s a nice mix.”
“Obviously, we’re not like we were when we were 20 years-old,” Benji continued. “Now we all lead grown-up lives and we still love being together and music is the best job you can have.”
Joel noted another perk of the gig: flexibility.
Subscribe: RSS
“There’s a lot of freedom in what we do, and we get to make our own rules,” he elaborated. “It’s interesting, because being in a band, a lot of the times the stories you read about people and things that people tear other people down for, we get away with a lot more of it because we’re in a rock band and we’ve been on the road for 12 years.”
The lead singer may have been alluding to the recent trials and tribulations of another famous father: Charlie Sheen. Thankfully for Joel and the band, there have been no public headlines that have interfered with their career.
“That was always the plan, to do this as long as we could,” Benji said of leading a grown-up life while still recording and touring, and not after the fact. “We love music, we love our band, and that’s why the people who love us, love us… it takes a certain type of person to make music.”
Benji’s comment elicited a reaction from his brother Joel.
“And it also takes a certain kind of a woman to be with a guy that’s always gone here and there, and traveling.”
Winning, duh.
Leave a Reply