Pete Wentz
Pete Wentz
Peter Lewis Kingston "Pete" Wentz III, is an American musician best known for being the bassist, primary lyricist and backing vocalist for the American rock band Fall Out Boy. Before Fall Out Boy's inception in 2001, Wentz was a fixture of the Chicago hardcore scene and was notably the lead vocalist and lyricist for Arma Angelus. During Fall Out Boy's temporary hiatus in 2009–12, Wentz formed the experimental, electropop and dubstep group Black Cards. He owns a record label, DCD2...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBassist
Date of Birth5 June 1979
CityWilmette, IL
CountryUnited States of America
I'm in the process of convincing my parents to sell me their house so I can just live in my childhood bedroom forever. I figure it might make me age slower.
I'm Michael Jackson-obsessed. All I watch is 'Moonwalker' - it's my favorite movie of all time.
If I've learnt one thing, it's that I need to surround myself with people who want to know the real Pete Wentz, not some myth they've concocted from a bunch of press clippings. I can open the door a centimetre wide, and some people think I'm showing them the whole room. But all they're getting is a glimpse. That's all I want to show most people.
Soccer presented no challenge to me. Playing felt like breathing: I always had a magical connection to the ball. But it didn't feel like an adventure. Music was more of a challenge and, in the end, felt more interesting.
The only reason you even start a band is so you can hang out with your friends all the time, but somewhere along the line, it just ends up becoming a job. You were doing it because you were like, 'I never want to have to get a job,' then all of a sudden it becomes the biggest job you could ever imagine.
Here's the thing about hair; I think most people think that I have Lego hair, like I can just take it on and off in one piece, and that's not quite the case - although pretty close.
When I said that I make out with dudes, there was a slight sense of sexual rebellion in that. And I probably even made it a bigger deal than it was.
But a lot of things probably will never change - like our friendships and our working relationships. As far as me and Patrick [Stump, the singer] and all of Fall Out Boy, it's in a vacuum.
And I could write it better than you ever felt it.
Look: I download music illegally, if I really want it. But I always then buy the record - I support art.
It's bizarre to have both a super-connected and disconnected world. Like, you can use Twitter in the most narcissistic way. Do people really need to know that I'm drinking a latte right now? It's so indulgent.
I think I ended up on 'People”s '50 Most Beautiful People' list just because of eyeliner, which is kind of a bummer. But if you do find the right color, it will make your eyes pop.
When I heard 'Dookie' by Green Day for the first time, it unlocked something in me, like, it's totally okay that I'm a little bit weird because these guys are a little bit weird. It made me want to pick up an instrument and do that.
I think Kurt Cobain and Nirvana represent this giant wave that came crashing in and turned music on its head again, and there's definitely something to be said for that.