Good Charlotte revels in musical ‘Revival’

Benji was born five minutes before Joel and seems every bit the older brother. He listens intently when Joel talks, but will often chime in in a protective manner, especially when talking about dealing with the tabloid press.

“A lot of time I have to be the person who just goes, ‘Hey dude, don’t even trip. Don’t worry about it,’ ” Benji says.

Since the last album, both brothers have become paparazzi fodder. Joel dated pop princess Hilary Duff for close to three years and then upped the tabloid ante when he started seeing Nicole Richie in December. While it’s easy to assume “Revival” tunes like the up-tempo “Victims of Love” or Coldplay-esque “Where Would We Be?” are inspired by Joel’s romantic life, he’s quick to dismiss that notion.

“There isn’t a song on the record about my last relationship,” he says emphatically, never mentioning Duff by name. “Me and Benj write the lyrics, and Benj writes most of the love songs. Benj is kind of the more sensitive one.”

Benji admits that’s true. Besides, he’s the one who went through a tough breakup between albums, but is now happily engaged to Australian actress Sophie Monk. While the two have yet to set a wedding date, he has acknowledged the permanence of the relationship with his newest tattoo: Monk’s name and likeness on his inside left wrist.

Even though he is loathe to complain, Joel wishes the focus would get back on the music.

“It’s frustrating, because this band is my life and you have people now who are only interested in (my personal life),” Joel says. “I did all these radio (interviews), and that’s all they wanted to talk about. ... I’m like, ‘Am I wasting my time? What am I even making these calls for?’ ”

But the Madden Brothers still find respite in their music — and believe when people look past the celebrity fodder, they will as well.

“I think that’s the one thing we have to rest on,” Benji says. “Of that whole world, we’re doing something real. That stuff can come and go, and whether a million people are buying the record or 50,000, we’re still making real records.”

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