The band tells a Rogue One tale and talks all things Star Wars.
Since forming in Wilmette, Illinois in 2001, Fall Out Boy have gone on to release seven studio albums; their latest effort Mania came out in January earning the band a third straight US number 1 album. While Patrick, Joe, Pete, and Andy prepare for a tour of Europe this Spring, it’s probably fair to say it’s that galaxy far far away that they’d rather be (no offense, Europe). The guys caught up with StarWars.com ahead of Mania’s release to talk curating festivals on Dagobah, hanging out with Harrison Ford, and cutting trees to make it in time to the Rogue One premiere.
StarWars.com: Fall Out Boy, welcome to StarWars.com.
Joe Trohman: I’m actually nervous about this.
StarWars.com: Why?
Joe Trohman: There gets a lot of heat in the room when this band talks about Star Wars!
StarWars.com: Okay, well, it’s probably safer if we ease in with some music questions first then. Your new album Mania, Pete, you described making it as being like a “palate cleanse.” What did you mean by that?
Pete Wentz: Yes, sometimes you need to do a hard reset to get your system back online, that’s what this album was. We knew it was going to be polarizing for people, but it kind of allowed us to change direction. I think it’s a second- or third-listen kind of record.
StarWars.com: But that palate was tasty, you’d just had a number one album with American Beauty/American Psycho?
Pete Wentz: [Laughs] Yeah, I think that the last two albums before this were semi-similar, because we put them out really close together and we really just wanted to shake it up a bit.
StarWars.com: Have any Star Wars references ever snuck into your music?
Patrick Stump: We reference everything so I’d be surprised if we haven’t referenced Star Wars?
Pete Wentz: I don’t think there has been one yet, but we talk about Star Wars all the time.
Andy Hurley: We sure do!
StarWars.com: Well, you’ve named a song after Uma Thurman, so why not name a new one after Dhruv Chanchani…who of course played Kitster in The Phantom Menace. That’s what the world needs right now, yeah?
Fall Out Boy: [Laughs]
StarWars.com: I’m not joking! The time has come, surely?
Patrick Stump: [Laughs] You know it might have.
StarWars.com: Thank you. So if you had free reign to name a song after a Star Wars character that’s not Kitster, who would it be?
Patrick Stump: Sy Snootles.
StarWars.com: Why?
Patrick Stump: Because I remember being a little kid and my cousin had a poster of the Max Reebo Band and I was like, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Pete Wentz: I feel like it’s Salacious Crumb for me, I just feel like he’d be great to hang out with.
Joe Trohman: What about the sad life of the lonely Sarlacc?
Patrick Stump: [In baritone singing voice] “Just waiting around for a thousand years”…
StarWars.com: Beautiful, I feel like we’ve peaked here already! Now, I don’t want things to get nasty but who is the biggest Star Wars fan in Fall Out Boy?
Pete Wentz: I think Andy, and I love Star Wars! But I had one person I could take to [the premiere of] Rogue One and I was calling Andy, because I knew he’ll fly in for it. We were on our way to the Rogue One premiere and I looked over and he was wearing like a little Kylo Ren robe. And I was like, "This guy is the biggest fan in the band."
Andy Hurley: Let’s talk about what it took to get there.
StarWars.com: Pray tell…
Andy Hurley: I had to cut down four trees and my car crashed into one of the trees!
StarWars.com: Is this true or are you trying to big-up your biggest-fan-in-the-band status here?
Pete Wentz: No, it’s true. His shirt was all messed up from it!
Andy Hurley: There was a really bad storm in Portland and all the trees were falling down. I live in the woods so they were falling in the road and I had to cut through the trees.
StarWars.com: That is some pretty serious commitment! Please tell me it was worth it when you got there?
Andy Hurely: It was amazing!
Pete Wentz: It was so cool. They definitely go all out, like there’s a street closed down and they have a full size X-wing.
StarWars.com: Why does Star Wars matter so much to you guys? Why the heat?
Pete Wentz: I went with my nine-year-old to see the last one and it’s just so interesting how much classic storytelling is crammed into Star Wars -- which could be considered like, a kids movie or a generational thing, but it’s not. It’s captivating.
Andy Hurley: It’s magical.
Pete Wentz: Yeah, totally.
StarWars.com: So what were your thoughts on The Last Jedi?
Patrick Stump: I was so excited because the band all saw it together, and we’ve seen a lot of Star Wars films together, but that was the most we’ve ever discussed one. I thought that was so exciting. That’s such an amazing thing to be able to do. Literally yesterday we were talking about it…at length.
I was talking with Andy and there are four or five moments in this film that are hands down my favorite Star Wars moments ever.
Pete Wentz: Yeah, the hyperspace scene towards the end is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in a Star Wars film.
Patrick Stump: On a side note that I haven’t heard anybody talk about, I felt euphoria about the score. It was my favorite Star Wars score in such a long time. It was so tremendous and I’ve been listening to it ever since.
StarWars.com: Really?
Patrick Stump: Yeah, I’ve listened to it maybe 20 times?
StarWars.com: Wow! And the thing is, John Williams is 85!
Patrick Stump: I know, it’s insane! I hope I’m writing music even a sliver as good as what he did in this movie. 
StarWars.com: Am I right in saying that you all got to meet Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford?
Patrick Stump: Yes!
StarWars.com: How was that?
Patrick Stump: It was incredible. It was exactly the interaction you want. You know how you meet your heroes and they can be very disappointing, this was perfect.
Andy Hurley: When I met Mark Hamill that was amazing. Oh, and when I met George Lucas that was amazing… So I’ve definitely met the most. [Laughs]
StarWars.com: That’s some serious name dropping you did there and don’t you look smug about it!
Fall Out Boy: [Laughs]
StarWars.com: I'm not done with the Harrison Ford interaction yet -- what did you say to him?
Patrick Stump: I don’t want to do my horrible Harrison Ford impression, but he goes, “So what are you planning to play today?” and we were like, “Oh, we’re playing this song,” and he goes, “Was it a hit?”
Joe Trohman: And good luck with our career!
StarWars.com: Amazing! So you’re touring Europe in April for Mania, which is all well and good but if Fall Out Boy could play a gig anywhere in the Star Wars universe, where would it be?
Patrick Stump: I was gonna say Jabba’s palace but I don’t want to go there, that sounds really unpleasant.
StarWars.com: And you’d be warming up for the Max Rebo Band?
Patrick Stump: Yeah, and I’d imagine I would be fed to the rancor.
Andy Hurley: Maz Kanata’s blown-up castle!
StarWars.com: To help raise funds for its restoration?
Andy Hurley: Yeah!
Pete Wentz: Dagobah -- it’s a big festival, it’s a little hippieish!
StarWars.com: And muddy! It’s just Glastonbury basically, right?
Pete Wentz: [Laughs] Yeah, sure!
StarWars.com: Joe, what about you?
Joe Trohman: Two reasons for Hoth. I sweat a lot, so it’ll be nice and cold. And we can finally complete that antarctic trip we’ve been trying to do for so long.
StarWars.com: Finally, I’ve got some quick-fire questions for you… Favourite new character?
Patrick Stump: I’m going to say Finn. He’s not that new now but I still love him.
Andy Hurley: Jyn.
Pete Wentz: Rey.
Joe Trohman: I say Rey as well because I have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter and I hope she gets into Star Wars. That’ll be a really good introduction with a strong female character.
Pete Wentz: Alright guys…so my real answer is Kylo Ren. [Laughs]
StarWars.com: Pro porg or no porg?
Patrick Stump: Yay, porg!
Andy Hurley: We love porgs!
Pete Wentz: Porgs are delicious!
Joe Trohman: Indifferent to the porg.
Mania by Fall Out Boy is available now. For more information and tour dates visit falloutboy.com.
Jamie Stangroom is a UK based broadcaster who proudly models his appearance on Chewbacca. He first became engrossed with Star Wars when he choked on a C-3PO Tazo in his cheese and onion crisps, back in 1998. Follow him on Twitter @jamiestangroom.