STACK NZ Jul #75

MUSIC FEATURE

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Prevention) the twins run a music media company (MDDN) which specialises in publishing, production and A&R. (Their roster isn’t huge, but on it you’ll find Good Charlotte and Jessie J alongside fledgling all-female punk trio Potty Mouth and skate culture photographer Brock Fetch.) “We just decided that we did really have a passion for mentoring new artists – helping them maybe avoid some of our mistakes, so they can have a better experience. I have to say, I don’t know if I’ve ever been as passionate about the music business as I am right now. There’re all these amazing young artists and it’s really been one of the greatest experiences of my life, it’s been a real thrill.

More inspired than ever before, Benji Madden tells us how his mentoring helped shape Good Charlotte's new album Youth Authority . Words: Zoë Radas 1.2 litre DREAM

Now we’re older, we’ve just come to a better understanding of how to be more effective. It’s actually a real healing experiences too, making us fall in love with music all over again.” And herein lies the point of the new album: to re-discover what it was about Good Charlotte that so excited these young men when they began playing punk rock together in Maryland in 1996. “We just wanted to make Good Charlotte feel special for us again,” Benji says simply. “The whole motive behind the record was very personal. We felt like if we did that, the fans would connect to it – they would appreciate the fact that it was real to us.” Part of recapturing that spirit was the tiny things; the glinting chimes and shimmering strings in Stick To Your Guns Interlude , or oblique puns and references to past albums (listen closely to the lyrics in The Outfield ). “I think if you listen back to any Good Charlotte record, for me, those are the little details that set our records apart,” says Benji. “If you listen to the intro on The Young And The Hopeless , or the intros or outros on Chronicles

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"I t’s like malt liquor – not quite beer, and it's big,” Benji Madden says. He’s trying to explain a 40 ounce, but it’s hard when the metric system isn’t your default setting. Is it like a long neck? “Kind of! In the ‘90s it was synonymous with West Coast gangster rap. Also, if you remember, Sublime had that record 40 Oz. To Freedom .” Sublime, Eazy-E, and obsolete measures of booze – looking back at early inspirations and how they can affect what's still ahead is a major theme of Good Charlotte’s new album Youth Authority . Stand-out track T he Outfield starts with the sing-song phrase “another true story” before the lyrics proper begin, which trace the experiences of a group of kids making their way into the music biz. “I think it’s a tribute to a few people – that story stands for a few different relationships,” Madden says. “When you get older, you look back and you see that you were either exploited in some way, or taken advantage of in some way, and you come to terms with that and make peace with it and grow through it. I think it’s a story that a lot of people can relate to. That’s one of my favourites – it’s one of the most honest songs on the record.” The compulsion to help other young musicians,

and even on Cardiology or Good Morning Revival , we always have these little elements… there’s little hidden gems in there. Little bits of information, little messages. I feel like every time we make a record, I get

The whole motive behind the record was very personal

and guide them away from the kinds of sneaky manipulations or downright abuses Benji’s talking about,

an opportunity to be creative. It’s my favourite part, to add those little details and just be in the studio for hours

are things he and his brother Joel have always taken seriously – but the Maddens realised they needed to

and hours.” And if you listen carefully for those messages, we promise you’ll be rewarded.

formalise that urge if they were going to have a real impact. “There comes a point where if we’re really going to help younger artists, then we need to get organised,” Benji says. Aside from their participation in reality talent show The Voice and their extensive charity support (Make-A-Wish, YouthAIDS, American Foundation for Suicide

Youth Authority by Good Charlotte is out on July 15

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