words nishi kumar, victoria wang

Having completed a North American tour in May, Fall Out Boy won’t have a break in the upcoming months as they set out for shows in Asia and beyond, kicking off with a concert in Macau on July 19. bc magazine spoke with bassist and main lyricist Pete Wentz about the band’s international success, their fifth and latest album Folie à Deux, Michael Jackson and what’s in store in the future.

As part of your 2009 World Tour you have already played in Singapore, Manila, Australia and New Zealand... How does it feel to be performing so far away from your Chicago roots?
When you think about it in terms of Chicago, I would never have pictured myself going to Asia – like someone’s paying me to go over there and play music for them? It’s surreal. I take it in as a plane ticket because it’s easier for me to understand – I can comprehend it as a plane ticket, but when I think about it in terms of ‘how did we get here?’, it’s insane. Why does anybody know our music there, you know?

What has your favourite city been so far on this tour? Any serious culture shocks? New favourite foods?
My biggest culture shock was Gulu, Uganda, and the weirdest or strangest food for me, which I couldn’t handle, was balut in the Philippines. It’s an egg that’s prematurely…

You have a global following, what do you think it is about your songs or style that appeals to an international audience? Do you think some of the word play in your lyrics may be lost on non-native English speakers?
I don’t think that’s the case. Maybe if you read a translated version, but I think it would show my own lack of intelligence to assume a lack of intelligence in the people that are listening to our music. But I think that overarchingly people are attached to Patrick’s voice when they think of Fall Out Boy and I think that’s something that internationally crosses all languages. He’s got a good voice.

The new album name is intriguing: Folie à Deux refers to a rare psychological disorder. How did this title come about and how is it a reflection of the songs on the album?
I was reading an article on something, I can’t remember what, and essentially the scientific definition of Romeo and Juliet is two people’s madness intertwined. It becomes its own separate neurosis, kind of untreatable. I don’t know, I hate telling people how they should look at art. If you see something different, then you do. I guess I meant it more as a metaphor but I think that people could take it literally, maybe. I think everyone’s experienced something like you have this craziness with someone else or something else, whether it’s you and your band and your fans, or you and your friend, or you and your mum, or you and your boyfriend or girlfriend, that is probably some lighter form of folie à deux.

Folie à Deux was released in China on June 27. So far it has been an international success – platinum in Australia, gold in US. What are your expectations for Asia?
I don’t measure music or art by what I can hang on my wall. It is nice because it reminds you of what you’ve done; it gives you a visual reminder of that. I appreciate when cultures accept our music – when we go the Japan they do the “heys” in the songs and I think that it’d be cool if people in China liked the music, that’s my only hope. Success to me would be connecting to an audience over there. I have no aspirations of ‘we’ve got to sell this many copies’ or be
number one or whatever.

You collaborated with many artists on your fifth album, representing a range of musical styles. Who were you excited to work with and why?
I like collaborating with our friends this best: Brendan from Panic and Travis (Gym Class Heroes) are close friends of ours, so those are easy ones. And Wayne was fun for me because we did it over the phone, me and him went back and forth. I think a big deal for Patrick was Elvis Costello ’cause he’s a huge hero of his. But a lot were done outside the studio so we weren’t even there for them.

Your cover of Beat It last year was a great success. How has the King of Pop’s death affected you personally?
I can’t speak for the rest of the band. We, as a world of art, have lost something that we’ll never have again, that will never exist ever again. And I’ve been thinking about that since it happened. I’ve always thought of him as otherworldly, like the guy had to have come from the future to have done the things that he did, it’s impossible for him to have been one of us. And then, when has daughter spoke at the memorial service saying he’s the best dad ever, it just turned him into a human, which is what I needed. That’s the closure I need on my childhood, like he was a human being, he was an awesome dad to his kids. It’s sad but at the same time it’s really good to know that he was such a great person.

Fall Out Boy live at the Venetian Macau, 5:30pm, 19th July. Tickets MOP$580, MOP$380, MOP$180 from www.cotaiticketing.com