Ten years ago, Joe Trohman met high schooler Patrick Stump in a bookstore <3. Patrick auditioned as a drummer in Joe and Pete Wentz' band, but Patrick's impressive vocals led Joe and Pete to place him as lead singer. A few lineup changes later, Andy Hurley came into the picture as the drummer, and thus formed Fall Out Boy as we know it.
Five studio albums and several awards later, in 2009, Fall Out Boy announced that it was on indefinite hiatus. Dorky confession: after reading the news online, I turned off the computer and cried in the bathroom.
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| Dorky and adorable (adorkable?). |
Their hiatus hit me so hard that for a long while, I didn't listen to their music. Haha, I know that sounds extremely dorky/weird/over the top but it's true! When I finally listened to them again, I determinedly finished Sugar, We're Going Down with tears in my eyes.
Even now, when I watch videos on Youtube, I still get choked up. Then I look for anti-FOB comments and pick fights. (I am well aware that I am an idiot for doing so.)
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| My tweet after watching a live performance. |
I guess I just don't understand how people can hate FOB. I really don't. How can one possibly resist the combination of smokin' vocals, witty lyrics, and awesome beats? Call them anything but boring: their music changes constantly. For me, there is no one FOB-defining song as all their albums are amazeballs.
Their music isn't the only reason I love them, though it's more than enough. I love them even more because they seem so genuine. They don't come off as assholes or douchebags or any of that "fuck you, I'm on TRL" attitude. They seem like real people who seem utterly down-to-earth and it makes me want to hold them in a bear hug.
Thank god I got to see them perform live once. That was ruined, however, by something I'm not going to talk about here. Let's just say that after FOB's announcement of their hiatus, how I (or ~he~, for those who know this story) acted that night is one of the biggest regrets of my life.
Hoarding FOB merch:
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| This shirt is a men's medium but goddammit I just had to have it. |
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| My "Believers Never Die" baller is often mistaken to be "Beliebers". The notion that I would ever wear something Justin Bieber is highly insulting. |
If you had to ask me one thing I hate about them, it would be this: making I Don't Care the lead single on Folie à Deux. Out of 14 tracks, most of which are awesomesauce (Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes, America's Suitehearts, Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet, to name a few), you had to go with the very blah I Don't Care? Really? (Don't worry; What a Catch, Donnie more than made up for it.)
I hope to look back on this when I'm old and wrinkly, and complain to my grandchildren that "the music in my day was better than the crazy stuff you kids are listening to these days."
This is the band, the one that gives me goosebumps when I hear their songs. They've seen me through breakups and breakdowns. This is the music I listen to when I'm sad, glad, lonely, numb, or feeling cut off from the world. When I'm feeling like one of those kids who sit on the bleachers during school dances while everyone's all fresh, dressed up, and fitting in.
This is the band, the one that gives me goosebumps when I hear their songs. They've seen me through breakups and breakdowns. This is the music I listen to when I'm sad, glad, lonely, numb, or feeling cut off from the world. When I'm feeling like one of those kids who sit on the bleachers during school dances while everyone's all fresh, dressed up, and fitting in.
Long live the car crash hearts, indeed.
P.S. The title's from Thriller.
P.P.S. Watch out for my Fall Out Boy playlist blog post!
Photos taken from the Fall Out Boy last.fm page.
