Good Charlotte

Machine Gun Kelly Spits Bars, Vibes With Good Charlotte

26 May 2011 06:53:09 EDT

Cleveland upstart talks to Mixtape Daily about working with the Madden brothers and keeping it really hip-hop.
By Rob Markman

Fire Starter: Machine Gun Kelly

Go to one of Machine Gun Kelly's shows and you might find it hard to believe that you're at a rap concert. There's a drummer, Blink-182 covers and shirtless crowd-surfing. But at his core, the Cleveland representative can spit bars with the best of them.

"If you like close your eyes and didn't pay attention to any of the rage going on, you'd be like, 'Yo, this kid is one rapping rap kid,' " MGK told Mixtape Daily of his live show. "It's really hard-core hip-hop; there is no mesh between anything else going on musically. But if you watch the performance and see the fans and open your eyes, it's like a Mötley Crüe concert or something."

Influenced by DMX ("He's my favorite rapper of all time"), Kells began battle-rapping around 2004 while he was still in high school. His passion grew from the corner ciphers to the studio where he would lay tracks for his 2006 mixtape, Stamp of Approval. Back then, the MC who got the Machine Gun part of his moniker because of his rapid-fire raps was just getting his feet wet. In 2010, MGK would drop two tapes, 100 Words and Runnin' and his breakthrough Lace Up.

Rather than build his buzz through the hip-hop blogs like many young rappers do, MGK crafted his fanbase in a more organic fashion. "Since we didn't have the opportunity to be on the blogs and have that presence, we had to take it to the hand-to-hand, which turned out to work in our favor," Kelly said. "I'd honestly say, three-fourths of my fans, I've shook hands with and personally handed them my CD and personally looked them in the eyes and be like, 'Yo, thank you, I really appreciate your support,' rather than just them typing on a keyboard and seeing me that way."

MGK's popularity grew so much that the Cleveland Cavaliers began playing his hometown ode, "Cleveland," in their arena at home games during the 2010-2011 NBA season. Now, MGK is on tour promoting his music and working on his debut album. Kelly didn't have many details to give about the yet-untitled LP, but recently tweeted about a recording session he had with the Madden brothers of rock band Good Charlotte during his L.A. tour stop.

"Benji and Joel from Good Charlotte came over to the house and we vibed really well," Kells recalled. "We went to the studio after the show and we just started listening to this electronic music. We sampled this guy name Skrillex and we made a great song."

With some great rhymes, we're sure!

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

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Good Charlotte's 'Last Night' Video A Tribute To 'Family Double Dare'

15 Mar 2011 12:16:38 EDT

The band takes part in some of the classic Nickelodeon game show's goofy challenges in the new clip.
By Kyle Anderson

There's an awful lot of Nickelodeon-related nostalgia in the air at the moment. Not only has the network announced that it will begin airing a late-night block of '90s classics like "Clarissa Explains It All" and "The Adventures of Pete & Pete,"but the men of Good Charlotte have resurrected the channel's "Family Double Dare" in a video for their new song "Last Night," a clip that premiered on FunnyOrDie.com on Monday.

The video features a lovingly reconstructed version of the classic game show's set and finds the bandmembers participating in a number of the program's extra sloppy challenges — including a handful of entries on the famous game-ending obstacle course. Also appearing in the clip, in a starring role, is former "Family Double Dare" host Marc Summers, who oversees the proceedings and even lip-synchs some of the song.

"This video takes place in the '90s and we were all '90s kids, so we know it pretty well," Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden said in a statement. "This was one of our favorite shows growing up. I always wanted to go on 'Family Double Dare,' and now my dreams get to come true."

The video also features a number of very specific winks and nods to the original show, including the "Pie Cam" and a shout-out to Space Camp (which was often involved in the grand prize).

Good Charlotte are currently on tour in support of their fifth album, Cardiology. They'll wrap up their road trip on March 27 in Anaheim, California.

What do you think of Good Charlotte's new video? Tell us in the comments.

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Good Charlotte's Madden Brothers Recall 'Awkward' Hairlessness On 'When I Was 17'

30 Jul 2010 06:50:56 EDT

'We definitely weren't going on a lot of dates,' Benji Madden chuckles.
By James Montgomery

They've dated some of Hollywood's hottest, but back when they were 17, Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden were self-described "late-bloomers," which meant that getting girls was a near impossibility.

"When we were 17, I think people would describe us as awkward," Joel Madden laughed. "Basically, just like we are now, but a little shorter and a little bit chubbier."

"We definitely weren't going on a lot of dates," his brother Benji added with a chuckle. "None of that happening."

Still, though they tried real hard to attract members of the opposite sex — "I've always been obsessed with girls," Benji laughed — there was always something getting in the way. But as you'll find out on the next episode of MTV's "When I Was 17," it wasn't just the usual bit of teenage maladies, it was a decided lack of hair that kept the ladies away.

"I don't even think I had hair on my legs yet," Joel said. "I wouldn't wear shorts to school. I was embarrassed of my legs. It was weird."

"I couldn't grow, like, any kind of facial hair at 17," Benji said.

"There was no shaving going on in our house, at all." And as if being hairless weren't enough, there was the Maddens' ever-meddling mother too. Seemed that even when her sons were getting close to getting lucky, she was always there to spoil the moment. With, of all things, cookies.

"The only time I only really made out with a girl in high school, my mom caught me," Benji sighed. "[She] walked in with a plate of cookies, like, on purpose. It was so cruel, Mom. So cruel."

It's OK guys. Things have certainly improved for you since then.

"When I Was 17" — this week featuring Holly Madison, Dwyane Wade, and Joel and Benji Madden — airs Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV.

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Good Charlotte Talk 'Family Vibe' On Bamboozle Tour

25 Jun 2010 19:32:19 EDT

Band brings tourmates along on DJ gigs, where they 'party their faces off.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matthew Harper

By now, you're probably aware that the Bamboozle Road Show — the rambling rock circus featuring Good Charlotte, All Time Low, Simple Plan, Third Eye Blind and 3OH!3, among others — is basically, well, one giant "bro down."

Yes, it seems that everyone associated with the 'Boozle enjoys the company of their fellow musicians, and it doesn't matter if it's the lowliest of opening acts or the headiest of headliners, they all hang out together, for reasons that seem to extend beyond friendship and into the realm of survival.

"Everyone's been hanging out every night, [because] the actual conditions of the tour ... definitely everyone's helped each other out, because there hasn't been any food," Good Charlotte's Joel Madden laughed. "So, like, the bands will all buy food and cook out, or, if we go shopping one night, the other bands will come on our bus. It's like a big, family vibe. We're all hanging out and having a good time."

Of course, there's also other human needs to attend to while on tour, like getting trashed. And Good Charlotte's Madden brothers have that aspect covered.

"Me and Benji have had a lot of DJ gigs in random cities, like once or twice a week, and we'll bring the entire tour with us," Joel smiled. "And we're talking, like, 20 guys that are all, like, 22 or 23 and they all want to rage. So we'll go and set it up and then they'll have the whole club at their disposal. They party their faces off."

And, of course, all that camaraderie also extends to the stage, too. Take, for example, the events that took place earlier this week during a Road Show stop in Pittsburgh. Heavy rain and strong winds forced the show to nearly be canceled, until all the bands stepped in and saved the day.

"The other night in Pittsburgh, we had walked up to the stage, and we were about to go onstage, and it started pouring down rain, storm, the rain was blowing the screens almost off the stage, so ... they had to shut the stage down, tie everything down, kind of wait for the rain to stop, and, the show got canceled, pretty much," Benji Madden said. "So, all the bands decided we'd play acoustic instead. And so, all the bands went up onstage, and each of us played four to five songs, and played some together and, most of the crowd stayed, and it turned out to be maybe my favorite show of the tour. It felt really special, like one of those rock and roll moments where everybody there won't forget it."

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Good Charlotte Wanted To 'Dig Deep' For Cardiology

26 Mar 2010 18:44:00 EDT

Joel and Benji Madden recorded, scrapped, then re-recorded their heartfelt project.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Good Charlotte have spent the past 18 months prepping Cardiology, their fifth studio album. The band wrote and recorded an entire album's worth of material, then, unhappy with the results, decided to scrap the project entirely and start over again from scratch with a new producer at the helm. Needless to say, it's been a bit of a struggle. The kind of thing that adds years — and, in this case, family members — to people's lives.

"I started this record with one child; now I have two," smiled frontman Joel Madden, who got engaged to longtime girlfriend Nicole Richie in February.. "And now, the record is like my third child."

The process began with producer Howard Benson, famous for his work with acts like My Chemical Romance and the All-American Rejects. But the Madden brothers weren't thinking about his pedigree when they listened to some of Benson's mixes.

"We pretty much finished the record [with him]," guitarist Benji Madden said. "And we had to go to Australia to do some TV stuff, and we came back, sat down and listened to a few rough [mixes] and ... it just didn't have that vibe. I didn't connect with it the way I needed to. When we wrote the songs, I connected to them. They were everything I envisioned them being. It was just that [Benson] didn't want to try anything. He just didn't get it. So I was like, 'We need to throw it away. I never want to hear it again.' And I never listened to it again. I have the hard drive at my house, and I'm going to destroy it. We don't have any need for that record."

Dejected, the Maddens met with longtime friend and frequent collaborator Don Gilmore, hoping to get some advice about how to resurrect the project. Instead, Gilmore ended up producing the new sessions, and the difference was startling.

"Don said, 'Maybe we should go up to Vancouver.' That's where we did our last record, and so we went up there, and worked with him, and the magic — exactly what I was looking for — happened," Benji explained. "You could feel it. The thing I was really, really going for on this record was there. And Don knew it too. We both wanted to make something special. When someone puts their headphones on and listens to this record, I want them to feel connected to us, and I want them to feel like they know us."

That's the reason the album (which is tentatively due in August/September) is called Cardiology: It comes from the heart. And though making it was a struggle, the entire band emerged from the process stronger, closer and — perhaps most important of all — reinvigorated.

"We were like, 'You know, we really want to dig deep on this record, just kind of reconnect with the fans that have been with us the whole way.' Just kind of let them back in. And that's what we tried to do," Benji said. "And we started writing this record, and it really started to mean a lot to me, and I kind of fell in love with being in a band all over again, fell in love with making music all over again, just got real passionate about it."

The brothers say that the result is an album that's an unabashed ode to the pop-punk acts the band grew up listening to. The kind of stuff they've always wanted to play and finally feel liberated enough to do so.

"There's a song that I wrote for my kids that is personally my favorite, 'Harlowe's Song.' But there's a song I really love called 'Crash,' and I don't know why, but I really love it," Joel said. "I think it will be great live. There's an element of pop-punk on this record that's kind of returned a bit."

"One of my favorites is a song called 'Silver Screen Romance,' and it's totally the Good Charlotte return to pop-punk," Benji added. "I don't think we could've written this song a few years ago, but it's a feel-good song. It just sounds like classic Good Charlotte to me."

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Joel Madden And Nicole Richie Planning Wedding 'At Our Own Pace'

09 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST

'I couldn't give you a timeline,' Good Charlotte frontman says of plans for the big day.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Two kids and several years into their relationship, Joel Madden finally put a ring on it and popped the question to Nicole Richie. But Madden said the happy couple is in no great rush to the altar — these two do everything on their own time.

"Yeah, we're engaged! I finally did it!" he told MTV News on the red carpet at the Oscars, where he was the DJ for the big show. "You know what? Just like the engagement [we're not rushing anything]. I mean, we had two kids before we got engaged, so getting married — I couldn't give you a timeline. We kind of move at our own pace, so we'll see."

The pair first announced they were engaged last month after Madden tweeted the good news. "Yep. I'm engaged. Very happy," Madden, who has a daughter, Harlow, and son, Sparrow, with Richie, tweeted in a post that has since been deleted, but not before the news was picked up everywhere. "Yeah, we've been engaged for a while, so you're all kind of late on that. But thanks for the hoopla all the same."

Richie also announced the news on "The Late Show With David Letterman" around the same time that Madden made the Twitter announcement. "We actually recently are engaged, yes," Richie confirmed.

"You are engaged?" Letterman responded to the news, "Oh, congratulations, that's nice ... a lot of people will have children and then they don't want to rush right into the marriage — you know, they wait till the kids get out of college, then they get married," the talk-show host joked.

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Nicole Richie And Joel Madden 'Are Engaged,' She Tells David Letterman

16 Feb 2010 13:35:00 EST

'We actually recently are engaged, yes,' Richie tells the talk-show host.
By Jocelyn Vena

While Joel Madden took to Twitter to announce the happy news, his bride-to-be Nicole Richie made the world aware of the pair's engagement during a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Monday night.

In an episode set to air on Friday, Richie, who was reportedly wearing her engagement ring during the show, revealed the wedding news to Letterman after the late-night host asked about the status of her three-year relationship, which has also spawned two kids: daughter Harlow and son Sparrow.

"Now, you're not married yet — is that correct?" Letterman asked.

"We're not married," said Richie, who was on the show promoting her clothing line Winter Kate and shoe line House of Harlow.

Letterman then followed up with, "Are you engaged? Are you planning to get married?"

"We actually recently are engaged, yes," Richie confirmed.

Madden first tweeted about their engagement in a post that has since been deleted. "Yep. I'm engaged. Very happy," he said. "Yeah, we've been engaged for a while, so you're all kind of late on that. But thanks for the hoopla all the same."

However, on Tuesday morning (February 16), Richie appeared on "Live With Regis and Kelly" and made no reference to her engagement and wasn't wearing an engagement ring on the morning talk show.

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Joel Madden Scoops Nicole Richie By Announcing Engagement On Twitter

16 Feb 2010 12:24:00 EST

Richie also made announcement while taping 'Letterman' for Friday.
By Jayson Rodriguez

Oops! Nicole Richie had apparently planned to announce her engagement to Joel Madden on Friday night's "Late Show With David Letterman," but her fiancé seems to have scooped her.

"Yep. I'm engaged. Very happy," Madden tweeted in a post that has since been deleted, but not before the news was picked up everywhere. "Yeah, we've been engaged for a while, so you're all kind of late on that. But thanks for the hoopla all the same."

According to People, a source confirmed that Richie broke the news of her engagement to the Good Charlotte singer during Monday's taping of Letterman's show. Details of the former reality-TV star's announcement are unknown as of press time.

On Tuesday morning (February 16), Richie appeared on "Live With Regis and Kelly" and made no reference to her engagement. Richie — who has dated the father of her two kids, Harlow and Sparrow, for more than three years — wasn't wearing an engagement ring on the morning talk show. But according to Us Weekly, she was sporting a diamond ring on Monday night, presumably after making the announcement.

The pair is currently in the Big Apple as Richie promotes her new jewelry line during New York Fashion Week. Madden has been busy sending fans messages about their activities while in town. While the paparazzi have been snapping photos of Richie in the city, on Tuesday, Madden tweeted that he and Richie were snowed in and about to spend the day watching DVDs.

The celebrity couple have long been targets in the tabloid world, so it's understandable that Madden erased his tweet, though it has since been archived by a number of celebrity Twitter following services. And after breaking the word of his engagement before any of the celebrity weeklies, he thanked his friends for not tipping off the media.

"P.S. That's why I love my family and friends," he tweeted (in another deleted post). "None of them are sources. All good tight-lipped people who let us enjoy it! Thanks, everybody."

What do you think of Joel Madden's Twitter announcement? Do you think he should have deleted the message after he wrote it? Let us know in the comments below, or upload a video to Your.MTV.com!

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Nicole Richie And Joel Madden Welcome A Son

09 Sep 2009 15:10:00 EDT

'Thank you for all of your good wishes,' Richie wrote online after the birth of Sparrow James Midnight Madden.
By Jocelyn Vena

After a few false alarms on gossip blogs over the past couple of weeks, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden added a son to their family on Wednesday (September 9): Sparrow James Midnight Madden.

Richie made the announcement on her blog. "In the middle of night, the very early hours of September 9, 2009, Sparrow James Midnight Madden was born to Nicole Richie and Joel Madden," Richie wrote. "He weighs 7lbs 14oz. Nicole, Joel, Harlow and Sparrow are all doing well. Thank you for all of your good wishes."




	Nicole Richie And Her Growing Family

This is baby number two for the couple, who welcomed daughter Harlow Winter Kate Madden in January 2008. The pair announced that Richie was pregnant again back in February. At the time, Madden posted a blog entry announcing how excited he was to be a father again. "What's better than winning an Oscar? I am so happy to tell everyone that Harlow is going to be a big sister!" he wrote. "God has truly blessed my family. Hope you're all feeling as good as I am right now."

In a 2008 interview with MTV News, Madden spoke candidly about how being a parent has helped calm both his and Richie's once wild ways. "Being a father is nothing you can plan for," he said. "You've got to take it one day at a time, and there's no manual or anything like that. It's not a conscious change; it just happens to you all of a sudden. We had Harlow, and suddenly our priorities changed. We've both done a lot in our lives, had a lot of fun, but now it's time to be parents, which is a different kind of fun. The priority is our daughter and the kind of family we build around her."

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Joel Madden, Nicole Richie, Others Take 'American Idol' Opinions To Twitter

21 May 2009 13:48:00 EDT

'Sad,' was the single-word Tweet Perez Hilton posted after Adam Lambert's loss.
By Kathleen Newman-Bremang

By now, you've probably heard that Kris Allen took home the coveted "American Idol" crown last night. You've probably already Tweeted about the news and shared your two cents via your Facebook status. Well, many celebrities did the same thing. From former "Idol" runner-up David Archuleta to Emmy Rossum, stars took to their Twitter accounts late last night and early this morning. Some were enraged (Diablo Cody), some were apathetic (Pink) and some showed love for both Adam and Kris.

Jordin Sparks told MTV News earlier this season that she just couldn't choose a favorite contestant. Well, the season-six "Idol" winner stayed consistent and when the final name was called, Sparks wrote, "Yaaaaay Kris!!! Yaaaaaaay Adam!!! Omg. Nice. Okay. Goodnight. :)"




	"American Idol" Season 8 Live Performances

"The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck also had high praise for the winner and runner-up. "Congrats to both guys for sharing their gifts!" she Tweeted just after the results.

Same goes for David Archuleta. "Wow! What an amazing show! Congrats to Kris! Also to Adam for the incredible job that he did too! They [are] some awesome performers!"

As for the Adam Lambert fans, well ... their Tweets were a little lighter on the exclamation points. "Juno" writer Diablo Cody hailed herself as the "Taylor Hicks of the '08 Oscars" on her account but made a bold prediction that Lambert would take home the victory. After Kris won, Cody wrote, "F--- this sh--. Time to watch 'Real Housewives' and drown my sorrow in Barefoot Bubbly."

Perez Hilton — an adamant Adam supporter — wrote just one word right after the news broke: "Sad." Later, Perez Tweeted, "Congratulations to Adam, though. It's really a major accomplishment that he made it as far as he did!"

And you probably would've pegged singer/actress Emmy Rossum for a Kris Allen fan, but the starlet is definitely a Glambert. "Adam Lambert seriously did not win?" she wrote. "Such a let down. Kid's gonna be a massive star regardless. Go Lambert!!!"

Mario Lopez also showed support for Adam. "Adam Lambert is coming to the ['Extra'] set today! I thought my fellow San Diegan should have won. He's gonna be just fine though."

Joel Madden and Nicole Richie were spotted in the "Idol" audience taking in the action firsthand. Before the results were announced, Joel wrote, "Honestly Adam and Kris were both great. But watching Adam perform with Queen, he really held his own. I was impressed. I really get him now."

Nicole showed consideration for "Idol" fans on the West Coast and kept the results out of her Twitter updates. "I'm going to wait until tomorrow to comment on American Idol because every time I do, I get in trouble for spoiling it," she wrote. "But I will say this ... Kara Dioguardi & Holly Hunter look like long lost sisters."

And finally, Pink didn't really seem to know anything about "Idol," but she did have a comment on the contestants' rendition of her hit song "So What."

"I heard it [through] the grapevine that someone butchered my song last night on TV," Pink Tweeted. "Does that mean I've 'made it?' "

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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