The Fall Out Boy lyricist opens up about fatherhood, wedding bells and social media shenanigans.
If there's one word to describe Kanye West, it's "polarizing."
The rapper has caught flack and high praise for everything from his music, to his outspoken nature, to even his ambitions in the fashion world. West debuted his new sneaker line with Adidas at New York Fashion Week last month, with a star-studded audience looking on. Among the fashionable celebs checking out his designs was Fall Out Boy lyricist Pete Wentz.
"He definitely deserves respect," Wentz says of West in an interview with ETonline.
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"It was like a fashion show from the future, which was kind of insane and very cool to see," he continues, "and it's cool to see there's one guy that can move the dial -- you know what I'm saying? It's really crazy but he's launching a shoe and, besides brand Jordan, it's like the only shoe anyone talks about, which is insane that one person can do that."
And yes, Wentz says, "I like the shoe, so I already got it."
The 35-year-old bassist is no stranger to the fashion world. He's become a staple at various Fashion Week events and even tried his hand at designing clothes through his Clandestine Industries (though Wentz is the first to admit that his design aspirations were never tied to high fashion). He's also tried on almost every style there is including, most recently, bleached-blond hair.
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Though he's said previously that the upkeep is "burning" his scalp, Wentz says he's going to stick with the look for a little while longer.
"We're doing a tour in Japan at the end of the month and I'm gonna make it with my Barbie look until then," he jokes. "I feel like 'cause it's so short, I have to [bleach] it all the time. My hair grows really fast, so every two or three weeks."
Fall Out Boy is in the midst of a worldwide tour to promote their third No. 1 album American Beauty/American Psycho. For new dad Patrick Stump (and new-again dad Wentz), balancing the tour with parenthood has been tricky.
"I'm still new to it so we're still trying to figure it out because it is a difficult thing," said Stump, who welcomed his first child, Declan, with wife Elisa in late 2014. "It's always feast or famine," he adds. "Either you have those years where the phone never rings, or you have those years where you're everywhere -- we're definitely in one of those years right now, so I think that's hard to figure out how to deal with that... I just don't want to miss the crawling and the talking."
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But these days, the Fall Out Boy tour bus is a family-friendly affair. Wentz, who shares son Bronx Mowgli with ex-wife Ashlee Simpson, also welcomed son Saint Laszlo with girlfriend Meagan Camper late last year.
"I think that when it comes to whatever your career is as a parent, first of all, you're always thinking of someone else before you think of anything you do," Wentz says. "My dad traveled for work and my family travels with me, or we make it happen through FaceTime, whatever it is. I think that [career is] important, but it's important to still be a present parents."
When it comes to his new family unit, Wentz is staying tight-lipped about any plans to tie the knot with Camper.
"The one thing that I kinda have figured out is that there's certain aspects of my life that I want to be more private than they were before," he says of wedding bells. Translation: don't expect to see any Wentz wedding photos grace the cover of People magazine anytime soon.
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But fans looking for a peek into Wentz's world need look no further than his Instagram, or Fall Out Boy's equally entertaining social media accounts. Both are filled with selfies, performance shots, and viral content cleverly crafted to promote the band.
To Wit:
And this:
Wentz says: "I was like, 'Oh my God! This is the perfect picture to have Patrick on my back as the hummingbird. Even though it's really reversed in real life, it's just, [to Stump] you look better as the weasel." Stump: [shrugs] "Alright, I'll take that."
"That is all us," Wentz says of the social media shenanigans, insisting that there is no "team" behind the hilarious content.
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But there is most certainly a team that helps the band bring their epic music videos to life. Wentz reveals that they are currently working on a video for "Uma Thurman," but won't divulge details.
"I don't want to give it away, 'cause I want videos to matter," he says. "Before we got played on the radio, we were embraced because of our videos and that really got the radio moving. We've always cared about videos and the idea of these event videos, so the spirit of that is super important to us."
Fall Out Boy will perform and be inducted into the Hall of Wood at the mtvU Woodie Awards, streaming live from the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX, on March 20. ETonline will be backstage catching all the action, so be sure to follow @SophieSchillaci and @ETNow for the latest.
See Part I of ETonline's interview with Pete and Patrick (Flashback alert!) in the player below.