When we were 15, my brother and I were getting really into Nirvana, Green Day, and The Beastie Boys. We started going to shows and realized we really wanted to be on stage. Around the same time, I went to my school talent show and some kids had a cover band. I couldn't believe they were right in front of me and they sounded so much like the band. It looked like so much fun, and I was like, I want to start my own band!

We fight a lot! Over dumb stuff, like, he'll borrow something of mine and then lose it. Then we'll sit down to write and I'll still be thinking about the fact that he lost my favorite shirt. It's usually over in about an hour though.

We have really great fans and a great manager who has been with us this whole time. We all love each other, and we love what we do. We're all like brothers. We are really honest with each other and we keep it really-if one of us isn't happy, we work it out. It's like a relationship, you know? You gotta do what you gotta do to make your girlfriend happy.

I just live my own life and I don't read any of the magazines. I sometimes go to pinkisthenewblog and perezhilton.com to check it out, but I don't pay too much attention. I think it would drive me crazy if I did, so I mostly stay away from it.

Well, we come from a genre in which success and fame are kind of looked down upon, so all of the attention made us a little uncomfortable at first. It definitely took some time for us to grow into our own skin and get used to it all.

I've grown a lot as a singer and a songwriter, but also as a person. I communicate better with my band, and our relationships are stronger and closer. I've done a lot of self-improvement-I'm always working on being a better person.

Turn to page 36 of our April 2007 issue for more of our interview with Joel Madden!