As if Pete Wentz—Fall Out Boy bassist, newly married husband of Ashlee Simpson and dad-to-be—weren't busy enough, now he's moonlighting. On Fridays this summer, Wentz, 29, is hosting "FNMTV," a show that aims to take MTV back to its roots as a home to music videos. He spoke to Oscar Raymundo:
Hello?
Hey, you want to know what? I've read NEWSWEEK since I was 12. Which part of the magazine is this for?
Newsmakers.
Oh, everyone always gets hammered in that section.
Apologies in advance. How did you get MTV to play music videos again?
Most people pitch reality shows to them, like, "Check this out. My friend is going to live in a bucket for a week." It's kind of a novel concept to have music videos.
Which artists get played on your show?
We like to have at least one that you might not expect, like the Ting Tings or No Age.
So not, like, the Pussycat Dolls.
Obviously, you have to deal with the network. MTV has given me full access to their video vaults. I'm allowed to play a couple of videos that I just want to play.
Which Ashlee Simpson video would you play?
The video that had the best direction was "Invincible," but I would probably play "La La."
You own bars in New York and Chicago?
Yeah. Most of my friends are not famous people, and it's hard for me to talk my way into getting them into the clubs. So it's more fun to make our own club.
You don't go out now because you're a married man?
I could, but don't really like to anymore. A lot of times it feels like you're the nocturnal animal in the zoo, and it's 12 noon and there's a group of schoolkids staring at you, asking why you aren't dancing and eating bananas.
That's what the Hollywood scene is like?
It's what it looks like in the VIP lounge. I'm a MySpace celebrity—everybody wants a MySpace picture, which my wife thinks is so funny. She's 8,000 times more famous than me. People take pictures of her from a distance and to me they're, like, "What's up, dude? We're friends on MySpace."
Are you more approachable?
No, I find myself more misanthropic than my wife. I think it has to do with my height.
But Ashlee's not that imposing.
But if she's wearing heels, she's taller than me.
What do you miss most about being single?
The ants in my house, because I ate Pop-Tarts in bed.
So you don't miss making out with guys?
This is what is going to be put on my tombstone, 'cause I said it, like, one time. But no, I will not miss it.