Madden brothers talk Miami, fashion

Benji and Joel Madden

 

By Annie Vazquez1/20/2011

Brothers Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte were in town recently at Macy's in Aventura Mall. The duo were promoting their new album Cardiology and the Mad Mix collaboration with apparel label American Rag. They gave fans a chance to get autographs during a meet-and-greet before hitting the stage for an acoustic performance.

We got a chance to sit down with the siblings to find out their inspiration behind the new album, why they decided to create a women's clothing line and what they love about Miami.

Why did you choose to come to Miami to promote the clothing line and album?
Benji: "Honestly, Macy's selected the stores we would be coming to."
Joel: "But, we love Miami."

What do you like about Miami?
Benji: "We like the nightlife, and I like the Latin flavor."
Joel: "I love staying at the W Hotel when I'm here. The sports games are fun, too. It seems like there's always something going on in Miami."

Do you have any favorite restaurants you like to dine at here?
Benji: "I like eating at the restaurant that Gloria Estefan owns - Larios. It's really good."
Joel: "I like Larios, too and I also like Mr. Chow."

Why did you decide to collaborate with American Rag for your "Mad Picks'' line and why  did you focus on women's clothing?
Benji: "Well, we both love Macy's and we both love girls (laughing). And I thought about it, we look at girls all the time and what they are wearing."
Joel: (laughing) "It was a unique opportunity and something we had thought about for a long time."

What was your role in the collaboration?
Benji: "We could be clothing designers."
Joel: "But we aren't designers. We just hand picked the items we liked for Mad Picks." [Those items include boho chic tops, denim and bottoms.]

Cardiology is your fifth album. What was your inspiration?
Benji: "The inspiration was life. It has songs about everything from going out to our family life."
Joel: "We wanted it to be a feel good record."

Any favorite songs on the album?
Benji: "Mine is definitely "Harlow's Song". I love that song."
Joel: "It's about my daughter."

Now that the Macy's tour is over, what's next?
Benji: "We start our Cardiology tour in Vienna on January 21."
Joel: "And we kick off our North American tour in March. We'll be back in Miami in the summer."