William Beckett Discusses the Place That Inspired the New Record: 'I Was the First Emo Boy in Our School'

The Academy Is ... will release their upcoming full-length, Fast Times at Barrington High, on August 19 and singer William Beckett has spoken out about band rumors, pressure from the band's record label and his own personal experience at Barrington High School.



"I went to school at Barrington [High School] with [bassist] Adam [Siska] and we were best buds and I didn't really have many friends in high school, "Beckett said during an interview last night on DJ Rossstar's Punk Rock Show. "I was really into sports. I grew up playing t-ball and little league ... Then I quit sports my sophomore year and got really into music. I traded in the jock strap for an acoustic guitar and started writing songs on my own. I really, really, really got into The Cure and Dashboard Confessional and Saves The Day. I was the first emo boy in our school and it essentially tore the whole fu--ing thing apart and I was definately isolated. I never really cared about being socially accepted to the point where I had to be something that I'm not and that's a lot about what this album is and what it means to me."

At this point, fans of The Academy Is have only heard two new tracks off Barrington High, "About a Girl" and "Summer Hair = Forever Young," yet are already speculating over the apparently 'obvious' change in sound for the band since its last release, 2007's Santi. One fan, listening to DJ Rossstar, asked Beckett if Atlantic Records was forcing the change in hopes for a hit record. "No, actually," Beckett responded. "To be honest, the label was more involved on Santi. If you look at Almost Here and Santi, that's an incredible difference as well. We like to shake sh-- up. If there was no pressure whatsoever, and we started all over again and this is a brand new band, this is exactly the album that I would write."

After questions about Beckett's personal life began to flood the radio program, Beckett decided to address his view on gossip and the band: "We live to keep our personal lives completely separate. With Wikipedia you can make up your own history and anyone else's as well, so it's an ever-changing encyclopedia of bullsh--. I just keep to myself and do what I do. We're here to make music and play shows. We're not here to run a circus," Beckett exclaimed.

Buzznet had the chance to interview singer William Beckett at Warped Tour in Pomona, California on June 20, where the singer discussed the new record, new songs and why he cut his hair.


[Click picture to watch the video interview]

Warped Tour dates:

7.25: Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7.26: Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
7.27: Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
7.28: Englishtown, NJ @ Raceway Park
7.29: Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
7.30: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7.31: Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
8.1: Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
8.2: Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8.3: Minneapolis, MN @ Canterbury Park
8.5: Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
8.6: Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
8.8: Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
8.9: Seattle, WA @ George Amphitheatre
8.10: Portland, OR @ Columbia Meadows
8.13: Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
8.14: San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8.15: San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8.16: Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
8.17: Los Angeles, CA @ Home Depot Center

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