PatrickStump[dot]com Update
January 07, 2009 - Blender

Hey, so I want to say that this whole thing is stupid. Blender wrote a good article and doesn't deserve the flack that it's supposedly getting from the band about it (for those unaware of what I'm talking about, go over to MTV.com and check the story out). To set the record straight (and straight from the horse's mouth) I like Blender. I read Blender. I like the people at Blender. Josh (the writer of the article in question) is a funny, nice, and all around sharp guy. Joe (the editor) is a friend of the band's and I in no way wish to have insulted him. The cover story dealt with the fact that we are a polarizing band whom people either love or absolutely hate (yes, we're very well aware of this) and the nature of writing a piece like that is that you're going to have to include some stuff a band doesn't want to hear. The only reason I thought it prudent to say anything was because it never fully resolved the issue of the band's "Secret breakup," instead leaving it an open issue to confuse our audience. I've heard a lot of kids asking if the band broke up and if it is indeed still together because of the ambiguous nature of the piece and thus I decided to correct that. That's all. That's why I referred to the article as "Plotless," in an interview with MTV.com because Blender established the conflict without showing you the resolution that had already happened. My "Quitting the band," happened a couple years ago on our first trip to Australia and happened out of miscommunication. The end of the story is that Pete and I sat down and had one of those, "I thought you said this..." "Well I thought you said that..." "Well we were both misled weren't we? Let's hug and move on," kind of moments. Very sitcom. Furthermore, ask any guy in any band, they've all quit at some time (I'm sure there are exceptions, but not many).

As for solo stuff, if I ever do a solo project it'll just be me playing drums for somebody else's. That's the only thing my band doesn't really have space for is Patrick Stump playing drums. It was my first love and I miss it a little. Other than that, no solo project to speak of. I love my band.

Blender is right, it was essentially a positive piece, and perhaps we are over-sensitive. They said they stand by their reporting and I think they have every reason to, it's one of the best music magazines this country has to offer and as much as I don't like hearing Pete Wentz jabs, I also don't like hearing about how bad good music journalism is. Music is a community and should operate as such.

I'd like to thank Blender for taking the chance and putting us on the cover when we are neither a currently Top 10 band, nor are we a unanimously critically acclaimed one. We're neither the Jonas Brothers nor TV on the Radio and it must be very hard to market a Fall Out Boy cover these days.

Happy New Year, and I think I'm going to retreat into my luddite tendencies and not update this site for a while. Be safe
-p.v.stump