Pete Wentz misses the days when only he and “a bunch of fat girls” listened to Morrissey. But when even Fred Durst is stretching out a Smiths T-shirt, it’s kind of hard for the 26-year-old Fall Out Boy bassist/lyricist to wave the “outsider” flag anymore. Hey, at least his fans can relate. Once a sardonic almost-emo cult band from Chicago, Fall Out Boy are suddenly everywhere: topping TRL, leaning back with Fat Joe, and boasting a gold record, their descended-from Descendents hookfest From Under the Cork Tree. Minutes before Wentz whirled about the Warped Tour stage in Montreal, we caught up with him and discussed blowing up and blowing chunks.
Do you have any tattoos you regret?
Oh, absolutely. I have one on my back that everybody calls my “Braille tattoo” ’cause it sticks out so far in the summer you can feel it. When you’re 15 and getting a tattoo, you’re getting one that’s super-illegal, so you deserve whatever you’re getting. It’s supposed to be a picture of the Earth, but it looks like Nintendo graphics.
What’s the worst tattoo you’ve seen on tour?
Some of the worst ones I’ve ever seen are on our merch guy, Dirty. I branded my initials on his ass three weeks ago. With a coat hanger. That was about the most insane thing I’ve ever done to a human being. It sizzled.
What grosses you out enough to make you vomit?
I throw up every time we get offstage pretty much. You’ll walk by fans, and they’ll be like, “Can I get a picture?” and you’re like, “No, I’m gonna go be sick.” One time in Philadelphia, I puked onstage. It’s the last thing you want a whole bunch of people to see you do. It’s kind of an intimate moment.
Are there any other, um, tour rituals?
I’m not wearing underwear on the Warped Tour. I’m gonna have to change it every second; rather than do that, I’m just not gonna wear it. I was nervous that I was gonna get some crazy rashes, but I’ve been doing really, really well. I’ve been doing a lot of baby-wipes showers. When you’re hanging out with no underwear on, you feel a little bit freer. [Underwear] kind of feels like chains, [so] it feels like a prison break.
