Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York • Page 18

9lIKlHlmlal Meet rock's latest pQp STAR Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz talks about becoming a father, famous relatives and a pesky world record. BY T.J. WALTER THESE DAYS, Pete Wentz bass player, songwriter and de facto frontman for the band Fall Out Boy is spending a lot more time reading The Expectant Father than reviews of his band in Rolling Stone. His singeractress wife, Ashlee Simpson, just gave birth to a son, Bronx Mowgli. And his band is delivering its latest album, Folie a Deux, on Tuesday.

Then there's Wentz's BlackBerry busting array of side projects that spans nightclubs (including Angels Kings in New York and Chicago), a record label (Decaydance Records) and a clothing line. USA WEEKEND Magazine caught up with Wentz, 29, in Philadelphia just a few hours before a special show for 300 die hard Fall Out Boy fans a nice change of pace for a group that regularly packs arenas and, has sold more than 5 million albums and just days before he became a dad for the first time. What do you plan to read to the new HI' Wentz? Growing up, my parents OD me on the library, and I was pretty loaded up when it came to children's books. I definitely can't wait to read some of my favorites, like Goodnight Moan, Tlie Little Prince and the Mr. Men and Little Mm books.

I know that we already picked up the 50th anniversary copy of Paddington Bear, which is a great one, 18 USA WEEKEND. Dec 12 14,2008 HwPSflBII iiUMM TmzmjMmBmimmmn. Mmmxrrm mm How do you expect things to change with fatherhood? A little less sleep? Ashlee is stoked because I don't really sleep much. I'm not really worried about that I should have been a shift worker. But in terms of how life might change, I have two dogs right now, and before I had the dogs, I was in a phase of my life that was, particularly selfish.

When I finally got them, I realized that if I didn't get up, the dog doesn't get fed, and no one is going to feed the. dog for you. I spent 28 years living under this umbrella when it was raining out, and I finally removed the umbrella and felt the rain just like everyone else. You were a proud supporter Barack Obama. What are the chances of Fall Out Boy playing one of the inaugural balls? I think we are pretty low on the list, especially when you have the possibility of Bruce Springsteen, Kanye West, Bob Dylan, U2 or Jay probably lining up to play.

That isn't to say we wouldn't do it I am sure we could maybe play the side stage somewhere in town. Ashlee and I went to the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and we had a lot of fun. Not many people know that I am distantly related to Colin Powell. I mean, it is a pretty far relation cousins of cousins of cousins but when we saw him at the dinner, he came over and said, "Hey, cousin." With three albums and millions of records sold, Fall Out Boy could have easily sold out a local arena for each of your shows. Why play smaller venues? Our agent pushed us so hard to play bigger venues, but we wanted something small and in timate for these shows.

If I had the chance when I was 13 to see Guns N' Roses with 200 other fans, and Fall Out Boy's Iet me Pick out the songs Pete Wentz and maybe reach out and touch and his wife, Slash's leg, that would have Ashlee Simpson made my year. We always try to think back to when we were younger and do things that we wished the bands that we loyed would have done. 4 i You and lead singer Patrick Stump set the record for most radio interviews In one day, and the band tried to set the record for playing on all seven continents they didn't make It to Antarctica. What is the fascination with world records? Growing up, I readthe Guinness Book of World Records like it was the Rihln. Fnr.ns thia 5a HWo thn i w.

list you keep under your mattress when you are a kid, and we always wanted to sonjehow make it in the book. With Antarctica, we aren't exactly jumping on a plane tomorrow, but believe me, we are planning, and we want to break that record, ca Visitusatusaweekend.com.