The young (at heart) and the (not at all) hopeless: Good Charlotte cemented their place in music history nearly three decades ago, but they aren’t done yet.
In an exclusive interview with Us, Joel Madden looked back on everything the band has accomplished since he and brother Benji Madden formed Good Charlotte in the ‘90s. “I’m proud that we started as a group of kids in school together when we were 15 and we stayed together for 27 years now,” the “Artist Friendly” podcast host, 44, tells Us while promoting season 15 of Ink Master. “We survived things that no one told us how to or what would be ahead.”
In 2000, the group’s self-titled album helped Good Charlotte develop a loyal fanbase, but 2002’s The Young and the Hopeless — which included “The Anthem”, “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” and “Girls & Boys,” just to name a few — helped put the band on the map.
Madden credits Good Charlotte’s signature sound as being one of the many reasons the band has remained a music mainstay. “Good Charlotte is one of a kind,” the dad of two — he and wife Nicole Richie share Harlow, 15, and Sparrow, 14 — explains. “It’s a band that’s kind of unique to itself, and it’s hard to put us completely into a box.”
Joel Madden. James Minchin/Paramount+
The tight-knit bond he shares with bandmates Paul Thomas, Billy Martin and Dean Butterworth — “It’s like being in a marriage and we’re all still married,” Madden says — has also contributed to their long-lasting legacy: “We care a lot about Good Charlotte and what it means,” he continues. “We do everything with a lot of intention.”
Later this month, the group will play for the first time in almost five years at When We Were Young in Las Vegas. “We’ve been shaking the rust off and rehearsing, it’s been really fun,” Madden says. “All of us are excited to play together, so we’re talking about recording some stuff.”
The group are also considering hitting the road — but the MDDN owner stops short of officially confirming anything. “It has led to a conversation about a tour next year,” Madden tells Us. “If we [decide] something, we’re going to announce it likely before the end of the year, or the top of next year — if there’s anything to announce.”
Good Charlotte. Frank White/FilmMagic/Getty Images
With seven albums under their belt, figuring out which hits to play during their set shouldn’t be too difficult — and when it comes to the classics, Madden can’t help but play favorites. “I really still love ‘Hold On’ to this day,” he says. “I love playing it. [It’s] a big mid-tempo ballad, but has a lot of meaning to me.”
The band’s older music “are the DNA of all the things we do these days,” the musician explains. “It’s [about] finding a way to give people something to take away for themselves, to relate to it in their own way and use it in a positive way for their own life.”
Madden also points to some of the band’s more recent singles as being personally significant. “There’s a song we have called ‘Last December’ [which holds] a lot of meaning,” he tells Us. “There’s some songs on Generation RX that I really loved, like ‘Actual Pain’ and ‘Shadowboxer.’”
As Good Charlotte fans wait to hear about new music and a new tour (“Whatever we decide to do, it’ll be special and it’ll feel special to us,” Madden teases), fans can catch the singer hosting the latest chapter of Ink Master. “It’s exciting,” the musician says, noting he believes season 15 of the tattoo-themed competition series is his “favorite season yet.”
Ink Master returns November 1 on Paramount+
