THE INQUISITION

world. But I started listening to the Beatles on my

own toward the end of making the last album. I was

partly drawn to them because they weren’t afraid

of doing any kind of song. That was something we

were trying to figure out: Are we allowed to do a jazz

song? Are we allowed to do cabaret? Just from hear-

ing the Beatles, it was like, “Well, they did it. It’s okay

to write something other than a standard rock song.”

Against Me! have a song on their most recent
album called “Piss and Vinegar,” which was
inspired by your band and includes the line “I don’t
think you’re bad people / I just think that your
aesthetic is horrible.” What do you say to that?

I can’t get mad. I can’t expect everybody to appreci-

ate what we do. Our stage shows especially have

been kind of polarizing. Either you went with it or

you didn’t, and you thought we were being preten-

tious. Personally, I think it’s kind of boring when I

watch a band that doesn’t do anything to make it

their own.

Speaking of live shows, you and singer Brendon
Urie are pretty playful with one another onstage.
Are you toying with the idea of bisexuality?

There was never a point where we were going for

that or trying to make a statement. Brendon just

likes to make a scene sometimes. I’m sure it’s gotten

some weird looks from some of the guys in the audi-

ence, but we’re just having fun.

Who is the average Panic at the Disco groupie?

We’ve got a younger fan base—and their parents.

One day when we were at Abbey Road, an entire

family was outside waiting for us—like, a nine-year-

old, a 16-year-old, and their mother. They can agree

on liking us for whatever reason. It’s kind of strange.

You’ve said that you’d never had a sip of alcohol,
a decision due in part to your father’s drinking
problem and his subsequent death. Now that
you’re 21, is that still the case?

PANIC AT THE DISCO’S

Well, it was illegal before, you know. We all indulge

a little bit these days.

Ryan Ross

You and labelmates Fall Out Boy share a penchant
for long-winded song titles that often don’t have
anything to do with the lyrics. What’s up with that?

On the first album, I was just reading a lot at the

time, and I was on this kick where I wanted to use

quotations from some of my favorite books and

movies. But they did end up being pretty long in

some cases. We didn’t even call the songs by their

In 2005, Panic at the Disco’s debut,

A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, arrived

overflowing with logorrheic song titles,
histrionic hooks, and teenage angst.
It earned them a platinum record, but
also scores of skeptics—among them
What happened to your exclamation point?

full names.

It was never that big of a deal to us. When we started

getting ready to do the new record, we were asked

This album is a lot less anguished than the last one.

if we wanted to keep it, and we just said no. I hope

There are songs about love and the sun and summer.

we made some copy editor’s life a little bit easier.

We were all in pretty good places, and I just had this

thought that if somebody puts on our album after

Why did you scrap most of the material you were

an eight-hour workday, they’re not going to want to

the band’s own guitarist/lyricist Ryan Ross
originally working on for this album?

hear something that depresses them. I think that a

(okay, almost). “I can’t knock that album too

I had wanted to write a musical and maybe stage it

lot of bands these days dwell on the negative.

much,” says Ross. “For a bunch of 17-year-

in New York or L.A. It was a love story set in this ani-

mated, fantastical world. But we got halfway through

So, who’s better at applying eye makeup: you or
old kids, we did the best we could with what

some demos and I couldn’t figure out how to finish

your girlfriend?
we knew about music then.” Now, after

it, so we decided to do a rock’n’roll album instead.

It got to the point where I was better, and then I just

discovering what Ross casually refers to as

gave her all my makeup as a consolation, so she

“the whole British ’60s rock’n’roll thing,” the
The album was mixed at Abbey Road and is

wouldn’t be mad. I haven’t done it in a while,

reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper’s–era Beatles. Is the

because I kind of ran out of ideas. On the next tour,

Las Vegas quartet have recorded Pretty. Odd.,
homage intentional?

it’s just going to be my face, unfortunately.

which reveals a surprisingly different sound

Well, we mixed it there because our producer [Rob

that might strike fans as…well, you know.

Mathes] said it was the best-sounding room in the

BY PHOEBE REILLY