An air of insecurity hangs over Good Charlotte. They are deeply in love with the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones.
This music is dear to them, yet they're not held in high regard by fans of the aforementioned bands. In the main, admirers of such groups would see Good Charlotte as a polished, radio-friendly, dumbed-down version of punk.
Good Charlotte wish to emulate their heroes, but the nature of their imitation ensures that they can never succeed. This might upset some bands: the Charlotte will not admit to such insecurities, though their low-key responses to questions regarding their punk credentials suggest that perhaps, on some level, it does upset them. They have gone so far down the pop route (certainly no great crime) that they are unlikely to make any claims to being hardcore punks. Rather, they are happy to defend their position as a crossover band, of sorts.
“Every place in the world views you differently,” explains Benji Madden, the group’s lead guitarist and chief personality (well, jointly, alongside his twin brother Joel – the lead vocalist). “We go to South America and play with Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. Then we go to Sweden and it’s kinda like a boyband thing.”
Would he rather be seen in the former context, as opposed to the latter?
“I’m into all of it,” Madden responds. “We get to play with the hardest of the rock bands, and then we get to play with the pop artists. That keeps it more interesting for us.”
A cynical observer may note a hint of resignation about this response: destined never to be seen as a bona fide punk rock group, the band must insist that this state of affairs is a privilege, rather than a compromise.
Indeed, the issue of compromise is raised a little later on, during discussion of the group’s most recent record, Good Morning Revival. When I ask if they are more relaxed about releasing new material, now that they have built up a strong fanbase, Benji Madden hints at a certain conflict between the group’s desire for success, and their creative impulses.
“We just wanna make a record that we love,” Madden states, before adding: “At the same time, you’re a little nervous, because you don’t want to let anyone down. You have all these people over there that are worried about the commercial success, and we’re over here just wanting to make a great record.”
When I ask if a mid-point had to be reached, his response is vague: “You don’t wanna let them down, but at the same time, you can’t let that dictate what you do in the studio.”
Good Charlotte have a tendency to clam up a little when discussion moves toward issues like “selling-out” or celebrity – though it must also be said that they are unfailingly polite and accommodating for the duration of the interview. When asked for their favourite rock moment of the last 30 years, in honour of hotpress’ birthday, their response is unified and upbeat.
“Nirvana in general!” smiles Benji, though his bandmate Billy Martin (guitars and keyboards) manages to narrow it down a little.
“When Nirvana did the MTV awards, and they played ‘Rape Me’, even though they weren’t supposed to,” Martin enthuses. “That was the ballsiest, coolest thing anyone’s ever done.”
Spoken with just a hint of envy.

Good Morning Revival is out on Sony BMG