THE LABOR PARTY!

I’ve been developing something of a fascination lately with the sort of entertainment industry icons who’ve chosen to take advantage of their celebrity status by becoming entrepreneurs. Heavily tattooed musician Pete Wentz (see photo) is one such entrepreneur — he’s the 27-year-old bassist for the hugely popular emo band Fall Out Boy, and I swear I’ve seen at least a dozen articles in the past month alone in which the guy’s proclivity for creating new products and starting new companies is mentioned.

It probably goes without saying that the vast majority of entertainer-entrepreneurs don’t actually run the businesses that carry their names. And yet aside from maybe his band’s tour T-shirts, Wentz doesn’t seem to be simply licensing his name and likeness to other companies. On the contrary, he’s often referred to in magazine and newspaper profiles as one of the hardest working musicians in the pop-punk scene. Take a look at this Chicago Sun-Times story by Jim DeRogatis if you’re interested in reading up on Wentz’s varied business endeavors. And definitely read this AP story about Wentz’s entrepreneurial acumen; it comes complete with a few interesting audio clips.

To name just a handful of Wentz’s recent projects: He operates a punk-style clothing company known as Clandestine Industries, and he’s also the co-owner of Decaydance, a record label that the bands Gym Class Heroes and Panic! at the Disco both call home. He’s also a rather prolific writer; in 2005 he self-published a book that was based on his recurring nightmares. He owns a bar in New York City known as Angels & Kings. And let’s not forget, this guy also tours and performs regularly with a band that has sold literally millions of albums in this country alone. Not matter what your opinion is about Wentz and his music, you’ve got to admit: This is one amazingly motivated and hugely inspirational kid.

I have yet to find an article that explains how Wentz has managed to involve himself in so much business activity at such a young age. And frankly, I’m dying to hear his story. If any readers can point me in the right direction, I’ll happily re-post the information here.