Grammy Preview: Fall Out Boy

The Grammys are a long way from the Chicago hardcore clubs where Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz got his start. But since releasing their major-label debut, From Under the Cork Tree, in May, the pop punkers have become a lot more cozy with the mainstream. They headlined a tour sponsored by Nintendo and appeared on MTV's TRL and Punk'd -- at this point, the Grammy nomination hardly seems like a giant leap. Wentz checks in from a tour stop in Phoenix to profess his love for Billy Joel, G.I. Joe and not showering.

How did you find out you were nominated?

A publicist called me at 7 a.m. At 7 a.m. my brain only wants sleep and hates everything else. She said something about the Grammys, and I hung up on her. I woke up later and thought that was part of my dream. Then my manager called and said, "I guess you guys were nominated for a Grammy." I was like, "We're not really handsome enough guys to be on Punk'd, so I guess we actually are nominated for a Grammy. I always used to have childhood dreams about the G.I. Joe aircraft carrier, and I'd wake up and think that I had it, and I wouldn't have it. I thought this was kind of the same thing.

Who was the first person you called to tell?

I told my parents, and that's pretty much it. I just e-mailed them, and I was like, "Maybe all those vans you bought and all that crap you put up with might be a little bit worth it." My mom asked me what the Grammy Award show gift bag will be. I was like, "I don't really know." I'm sure it's all right, though.

Do you have a favorite Grammy moment?

When Billy Joel did the thing [in 1994] where he stopped the song in the middle and said something like, "Counting precious advertising minutes: one, two, three," because they cut off Frank Sinatra. I didn't see it when it happened -- I saw it on, like, 100 Greatest Moments on VH1. I remember thinking Billy Joel was really cool because of that. The other moment I really remember is when Jethro Tull beat Metallica for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance [in 1989]. I was into Metallica then.

Who will you thank first if you win?

It's either Mom or God. When we won the VMAs, all we were thinking about was not swearing, and we pretty much forgot to thank everybody. I heard that Kanye said, "I thank the Academy for paying attention to my music, not my mouth." I would say that I thank the Academy for not paying attention to the fact that we don't shower for three weeks on end, or that we're the goofiest, most ordinary guys out there.

Do you deserve to win?

I would vote for myself because it's me. It's such a culturally diverse music category. I think a lot of people will vote their case because if you're into rock music, you'll probably vote for us, and if you're into country music, you're probably going to vote for Sugarland.

Had you heard of Sugarland before today?

I hadn't, but that doesn't faze me at all, because I hadn't heard of a lot of country bands, and a lot of them are probably two or three times our size.

Who do you want to sit next to?

Probably my mother. She'll be sitting there making sure I don't drop an f bomb when I go up there. She'll actually be into everything, like, "Look at the dresses," "Oh, he's so handsome." Other than that, I don't know. When we were at the VMAs, we sat next to a bunch of the hip-hop guys, and it was really cool. I think that we felt a bit cooler, even though we were sitting behind them and it was clearly done accidentally. Why not take the dudes who are, like, four feet eight and are in eyeliner to sit next to these dudes?

Looking forward to the Grammy parties?

Yeah. We tend to save our appetites, and while everyone is trying to meet dudes from reality shows, we just sit there and eat all the good food.

Next: Foo Fighters