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Biography
Benji and Joel started the band in 1995 in Waldorf,Maryland when they were 16.
Benji started teaching himself guitar and Joel gravitated towards lead vocals.
They were influenced by bands such as Rancid, Minor Threat, The Cure, The Smiths.
The twins graduated high school in June 1997, and for a graduation present their
mother gave them a pair of open airline tickets to California.
"Some of our favorite bands like Green Day had started out at this East Bay club
called 924 Gilman Street. So when we graduated, that summer we made a pilgrimage
to visit the club. We'd never even been on a plane before, but we have an aunt in
Berkeley who let us crash with her",says Benji.
They went back to Waldorf but in 1998, along with Paul and Aaron moved to Annapolis to join the music scene.
Skipping college, Joel and Benji decided, was a risk they had to take and worked "all kinds of shitty jobs"
as stock boys, waiters, and ("our best job") shampoo boys at a beauty salon.
They met Billy there and having him as the second guitarist played their first concert
in a neighbor's basement for an audience of 20. The guys took their band's name form a children's book and
Good Charlotte was completed."I wrote this letter saying, we're Good Charlotte and if you sign us
now it will be a lot cheaper than if you wait!" recalls Benji.
The band won a local contest with their song "Can't Go On". They attracted the interest of a manager,
and Lit offered a support slot on a series of sold-out East Coast dates. They signed their
deal in May 2000 and the album Good Charlotte (Epic) came out in September.
The guys were on the road non-stop. They participated in the W.A.R.P tour in 2001,also
went to Australia and New Zeland where their debut album "Good Charlotte" went platinum.
MTV took notice and started airplaying the band's videos for "Little Things,
"Motivation Proclamation," and "Festival Song." Now Benji and Joel are hosting MTV's "All Things Rock," which now airs on Sunday and Monday after 11 PM (ET).
(It's not on MtV:Europe so I don't know exactly :( )
Their second album called "The Young and the Hopeless" was recorded between February and May 2002
and came out on Octorber 1-st, 2002.It's a really "honest" record.I think the guys said in an
interview that it's "diverse","eclectic" and "life-chaging" and that's what it really is.
Every track reveals new maturity and growth, creativity, and wisdom. I don't know what else to say about
it - just go, buy it and see for yourself.
JOEL: "We want kids to come to our shows and forget about everything.Whatever their problems are,
we want them to be focused on the energy, have a good time, and then go back to their normal
life tomorrow."
BENJI: "I just want to give those kids something to help them through the day."
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