As the Pop Punk's Not Dead tour entered its home stretch, headliners New Found Glory (who have been showcasing their brilliant new 'Radiosurgery' album) took some time on the bus to talk with Noisecreep. We chatted about another tour the quintet had been on a few years ago that they've never quite forgotten. But when you're on the road with Green Day on the 'American Idiot' tour, how could you forget?

As lead singer Jordan Pundik and drummer Cyrus Bolooki recounted, no matter how big New Found Glory becomes, you never quite forget hanging out with your heroes.

Is there a punk record that's been most influential for you guys?

Jordan Pundik: You can talk to everyone in the band but I'd be surprised if they all didn't say 'Dookie' by Green Day.

Cyrus Bolooki: Definitely. That was the game changer. I'll never forget seeing them way back, in front of like 200 people.

Punkdik: For me it was totally different. I saw them the first time on MTV. We all have different way we first experienced them. But that album remains hugely influential. And we actually toured with them on their 'American Idiot' tour.

Bolooki: They were the most real, down to earth people we'd ever met. And they were huge then. They broke the ice with us, too.

Pundik: We were sitting on our bus, it's after the first show, about midnight, and there's a knock on the door. We open the door the door and there they are, coming to say hi to us. Tre Cool has a bottle with him.

Bolooki: Billie Joe was smoking a cigarette and asked, "Is it cool if I smoke on the bus?" Normally we'd say you have to smoke outside but we were like, "Hey, no problem!" [laughter].

Pundik: Those guys really made us feel comfortable and it's something we as a band will never forget.

Charles Epting
Charles Epting
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You seem to really appreciate that sort of thing - do you think there is an emotional connection to your music that differentiates you from other punk bands?

Pundik: Everything we write, it represents things that happen to us. We've been friends since high school so we're really close and in tune with what's going on in our lives. Still, we keep it pretty raw. It's not emotional cry-your-eyes-out music but it's real.

Bolooki: We write about what we go through. Listeners get that. And it's not just lyrics that connect us with fans, it's the performance, the emotional way we play on stage.

You seem to write a lot about relationships, too.

Pundik: We do. But not just relationships with a girl or something. It's with family, friends, with yourself - dealing with death, being on the road, being away from relationships - there are all sorts of situations that fall under 'relationships.' Anything we go through is fair game. If anyone experiences something something, i feel like we all do. And it all gets manifested in our songs.

Watch New Found Glory's 'Radiosurgery' Video


What will 2012 be like for New Found Glory?

Bolooki: Busy! We start off in South America, then the UK, then Japan - all over the world. We have a new album we're excited about to play for lots of people.

(additional reporting by Morgan Day)

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