October 2nd 2002

ftf.org: Has anyone from your past that picked on you, or hurt you in high school, ever come back and apologized after you started becoming successful? Or, sucked up to you and told you how they are fans?
Billy: Um� Definitely not (his cell phone rings) let me turn this off right now. Definitely I have never gotten an apology. There�s been a few people definitely who were mean in high school who�ve tried to show up at shows. As much as I�d like to say, �yea whatever, leave I don�t want to talk to you�. I try to be the nice guy and be like �hey what�s up thanks for coming� you know? Even though I� you know it would definitely feel good just to tell a couple people yea you know �hey lets get this guy kicked out� (laughs) or whatever, but I just can�t do that cause I don�t like being mean.

ftf.org: Ok. How do you feel about the controversy of your music being punk or not?
Billy: Our music is whatever you want to call it. People come up to us all the time and say, �why do you call yourselves a punk band?� But I don�t think once we ever called ourselves a punk band you know? Its like, you know, Benji might have punk rock hair and tattoos or whatever and that�s like his style. But because he looks like that everyone�s all �oh you guys are a punk band, you�re not really punk�. And its like whatever, whatever you want to call us is fine with me.

ftf.org: How does it feel to meet people everyday that already know so much about you?
Billy: It�s interesting (Laughs). It�s funny when they tell me stories about myself and I�m like man I really don�t know how they know that. But they do. Or they�ll come up and tell me a story about Benji and I�ll be like �oh that�s not true� and he�ll be like �no it is�. And I�m like �dude they know more about you then I do� (laughs). It�s cool though, you know, the fact that we have fans that just know everything is cool. Because I know when I was young there were certain bands that I just wanted to know everything about.

ftf.org: How do you feel about people liking you for your looks and not the music?
Billy: I don�t know. Well, I hope that doesn�t ever happen. I think a lot of times you know if there�s some hot singer out and someone likes them and they go out and buy the CD pretty much your going to end up liking the music if it�s good. So I really hope, you know, if that�s how they initially like us they�ll buy the record and like the music as well. That�s a little more important to me.

ftf.org: Are Level 27 and MADE in competition?
Billy: (Laughs) No, haha, no theirs no competition we are just doing this for fun. Just something to do.

ftf.org: So there is going to be a fall tour right?
Billy: Yep. ftf.org: Do you guys know who you�re going to be touring with?
Billy: Nope. No not yet. We actually just started discussing it a couple days ago, who we might. But no names yet, because we haven�t even asked any of the other bands. So we don�t really know at all.

ftf.org: Are you living your dream? If not, what is it?
Billy: Oh, I�m definitely living my dream. There are still some more steps you know. My goals are a little higher then they are, but if everything stopped right now I would be really excited because you know, I�ve gotten this far. The dream when I was a little kid was always to get signed and we got signed. And we are on tour and stuff so I�d say the initial dream has definitely been completed but I would like to go a little further.

ftf.org: Who are your role models and how does it feel to be a role model for a lot of kids now?
Billy: My role model is musically is definitely Daniel Johns from Silverchair. Cause I just think he�s god. You know, everything he does is so cool. He�s really good. And as far as being a role model for other people. I guess that�s really cool. I know that being positive in front of people is definitely like a big deal for us. It�s like when you�re in a band and people like you and they listen to you, you might as well say something good, if people are going to be listening to what your saying. I think we are in a good opportunity, that we could be role models. And if people take things in a positive way that�s cool with me.

ftf.org: Can you tell us about the DVD you guys made?
Billy: I think originally we were just going to do like just at HFStival.

ftf.org: Right
Billy: We taped that and we�re going to put out this live at HFStival thing. But I think that it�s going to be more then that now. I think we�re going to take little bits of that and stuff from this and stuff from that and just kind of compile stuff from that last couple years and fill as much stuff on a DVD as we can.

ftf.org: How do you feel about your fans relating so personally to you?
Billy: I think its great. We�ve had many times when people have come up and been like you know �I was going to kill myself but then I heard your record and now I feel like I'm ok.� And that�s pretty heavy you know? To have someone come up and say something like that. You know, being that I don�t write the lyrics it�s a little different for me. I know people come up to Joel all the time saying your lyrics saved me and stuff. Hopefully like our music in general when you put the CD on it�s pretty positive and it should put you in a good mood. Like rather then writing songs about girls and stuff all the time like most bands we just kind of focus more on when you are like 15 or something like that. Cause it was really tough for us then, and a lot of bands don�t really focus on that. And a lot of bands really do. That�s just a big deal for us.

ftf.org: How come the release date for your album kept getting pushed back?
Billy: I don�t know. Its record label stuff (laughs) I really don�t know. You know, you think its going to come out this day and their like �weeelllll�� No it�s just all business. Like this certain time of the year is better for album sales. And its better to put your CD out when you can be on tour or its better you know, just whatever the record label says. They were cool with October 1st and we were like, whatever we just want to put it out.

ftf.org: Is that when your DVD�s coming out too?
Billy: Nope. We were hoping that by Christmas or something.

ftf.org: Oh Ok.
Billy:Don�t know about that, its not done yet.

ftf.org: What was the weirdest gift you have ever gotten from a fan?
Billy: Oh, the weirdest gift. We definitely get some weird gifts. Like one time we got like Ken dolls that all had like clothes that we would wear and they put little things in to pierce them and like put hair on them and stuff. And made them all look just like us. That�s a lot of work, that�s cool ya know, that�s weird that there was like little dolls with little lines around them and all.

ftf.org: How did you respond to them?
Billy: I don�t know. They didn�t give them to me. They gave them to somebody else and I came on the bus and our sound guy like loves all the gifts we get from fans like anytime kids do like a drawing of us or something he like tapes it up inside the bus. And he put all the little figures up above the TV, stuff like the ken dolls. It�s cool, whatever, ya know. They�re just all over the place. We get so many gifts. The fact that some kids spend hours and hours making gifts to give us you know, that�s awesome that they would want to give us gifts. No weird gifts there all just different.

ftf.org: How has All Things Rock affected the group as a whole?
Billy: It hasn�t really affected us at all ya know. You put a camera on Benji and Joel and they can talk forever (laughs) there really good at it too. Paul and me are like� when I'm one on one like this its ok. But as soon as the camera is on I'm all �aw man whatever I say I'm going to look like an idiot� you know? I get nervous and all that stuff.

ftf.org:You guys were on that one show
Billy: Yea we would do it once and a while. Like they try and have us on as much as they can because its fun to do stuff as a band. But like they�re really good, you know their brothers and they feed off each other really well. I don�t know, I can�t complain. They get to say the name Good Charlotte like five times an episode. And that helps the band all and all. Talk about our records, play our videos, you know its cool.

ftf.org: Oh, cause I got an email from your friend Steve whose your promo guy and he was saying that you and Paul were going to do it for the rest of the summer
Billy: Oh no, we were just doing it that show. Not for the rest of the summer.

ftf.org: Are there any instruments you guys play other then the ones you play in the band?
Billy: Yea, we definitely all try to play everything we can. I actually just bought a keyboard and brought one on tour because I want to learn how to play piano really bad. And um� like I can play drums a little bit, I try, definitely its not something you want to hear, but I try. But no, nobody is like really superb at any other instruments besides the ones that they play. Everyone plays their own stuff cause its fun, but no ones like really super good at any other instruments.

ftf.org: Who is your celebrity crush?
Billy: I don�t even think I have a celebrity crush.

ftf.org: Oh and are you moving to California?
Billy: I want to but who knows? You never know. Schedules are too busy right now to think about moving. Maybe one day.