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stance. I know how bad you want this, and I wouldn’ t be working with you if I didn’ t think you had the stuff.’ We’ re seeing where a young artist is at from a 30,000 feet perspective, and we make sure they understand that if the music is good, people will like it – it can’ t be a trick or some kind of gimmick.”
The brothers’ belief system has a few more hard-earned cornerstones. Occasionally they’ ll co-write with a client, but not often – it’ s not a prerequisite for signing. Songbirds are free to leave the MDDN nest whenever they think they’ re ready – no blood replaces ink on a contract. And they urge their protégées to define what success truly means to them, early on in the process. Is it about communication, discovering your true vocal and / or lyrical voice? Or is it simply about money and Top 10 singles? Having a long-range vision is key to the development process, Madden says. Then once you’ ve discovered it, don’ t waver, don’ t ever give up on it.“ You’ ve got to stay true to your vision, in line with your purpose,” he says.“ And it’ s got to be more than money, more than any one thing. All those things can come as byproducts of success. But the more you think about and define what true success means to you, the more you’ ll actually be able to have it. So we protect our artists, nurture and grow them, and hopefully just do good work with them – that’ s kind of our passion these days.” This wisdom, he adds, has only occurred to him in his thirties.“ Maybe it’ s having kids, maybe it’ s being married – I don’ t know,” he sighs.
Oh, and by the way, Good Charlotte has a MDDN record out called Youth Authority. If you dig deeper into it, you can hear some relationship doubts, potential insecurity. But all things seem placid on the Madden homefront – Joel just popped up on the arm of his missus at Richies discothemed 35th birthday party on September 23, which was also attended by Benji and his wife, actress Cameron Diaz.“ Best mom, best friend, best wife,” read Joel’ s caption for one Tweeted selfie the couple took that night. Given all of the siblings’ corporate undertakings, Madden says,“ Good Charlotte has become a very special … well, not hobby, but something that we want to keep super-special, We made this record on our own, and we put it out on our own label. And we’ ll be playing some shows, and we want everybody there to feel like it’ s a special night, because I just don’ t think we’ ll be touring a whole lot – I can’ t see us going out for 18 months straight, ever again."
“ But we’ re in the best place we’ ve ever been,” the newly-minted suit summarizes.“ We feel really liberated from having to be anything but what we are. We’ ve been together since we were 15, and we started our band in high school. And 20 years later, to still be here and still be friends, and have families? That’ s the best part of the whole story – that we survived this crazy business, this crazy ride. So we couldn’ t be happier, just to be us, you know?”
Appearing 11 / 4 at The Riviera Theatre, Chicago.
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