A falling out with celebrity

If anyone knows a thing or two about celebrity culture it’s Fall Out Boy. The Chicago-turned-L.A. pop punk band doesn’t just live near Hollywood, they live the whole paparazzi eluding, party-hopping experience. So it’s no surprise that their new album, Folie à Deux, is all about celebrity excess.

“This record is strongly influenced by Hollywood,” says lead singer Patrick Stump. “It’s about watching western culture deal with fame and how we’ve diluted everything to the point of just product.”

Rallying against the nature of celebrity, is somewhat ironic coming from a band who counts Pete Wentz, a gossip rag favourite, as a member. The bassist has had a complicated relationship with fame. From his genitals being plastered all over the Internet to a widely publicized marriage with Ashley Simpson, he’s no stranger — and in turn the rest of the band — to the Hollywood machine.

Stump’s well aware that some might think it’s odd for the group to take such a staunch stand against pop culture, but he doesn’t think it’s strange. “It’s really easy to not be inside it even if you are inside of it,” he explains. “There are two different (kinds of) people who end up in tabloids, people who are there by accident and people who are desperate to maintain their popularity. We’ve all been part of the former.”

As for Wentz, Stump makes no apologies for his bassist’s celebrity status. But he vehemently points out that he’s no fame whore.

“It’s very frustrating,” he says. “He does wonderful things because of it. We’ve all been able to contribute to organizations we strongly believe in ... We got to do them because we’re utilizing celebrity. That’s the way Pete sees it, we can get something out fame. He’s never been as vapid as people hope he would be.”

The album’s themes don’t just manifest themselves in the lyrics, the music — a blend of high energy ‘80s rock and their familiar punk riffs — is also a response to America’s obsession with celebrity. Stump explains that the ‘80s are back and “in the worst possible way.”

“We’ve fallen into Wall Street excess. Cocaine is back in fashion and everyone is full of crap,” he says. “That’s what I wanted the album to sound like. Still, it’s fun too. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can appreciate it on a purely aesthetic level.”

So with Stump so turned off by his current home’s insipid values, will he move back to The Windy City?

“I have never officially moved here,” he quickly points out. “I haven’t been back to Chicago in a year, but I still have my place there.”