June 22nd brought Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, + 44, The Academy Is, and Paul Wall to Phoenix on the Honda Civic Tour. I won a contest to interview Fall Out Boy before the show. Looking forward to this moment since school got out, I was nervous and excited to do the interview.

Dressed in a T-shirt, beanie, rimmed glasses, and jeans – all black – Patrick Stump was sitting cross-legged on the couch of the FOB dressing room when I walked in. At first I was confused. I was expecting the surreal surprise of seeing all the band members. Unfortunately, Pete Wentz, Andy Hurley, and Joe Trohman were doing a radio interview and some meet-and-greets. Not wanting to make a big scene (or an arms race – a little FOB humor), I sat down for some one-on-one time with the incredibly talented Patrick Stump.

How has the tour gone so far? How are you handling the Arizona heat?

[Laughs] The heat is intense, but the tour has been awesome. It’s a big show and things always have the potential to go wrong with all the stuff we’ve planned, but so far it has gone great.

What do you guys do on the road in the bus?

We’re pretty mellow, actually. It’s kind of boring sometimes. I have some new comics with me [indicates two issues of The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense], and I’m busy producing new material for Cobra Starship.

You’re involved with a lot of bands, including Gym Class Heroes, whom Fall Out Boy is touring with this fall, right?

Yeah, it’s going to be really cool. We’ve toured with them a bunch of times before, and I’m really proud of them. They opened for us back when a lot of people didn’t know who they were. So it’ll be fun.

Can you describe the process you go through in writing a good song?

Well, Pete does the lyrics usually, and I do the structure of the song, like the melody to go with it; then we put it together. Ideas for songs come from anywhere. I’m always looking at stuff as we go; it comes naturally that I always want to write.

If you could stop being a celebrity for one day and do anything, what would it be?

Well, I would have said visit the Georgia Aquarium, but I just did that, and – by the way – it was sweet. I guess I’d probably go home and chill. Sounds pretty boring, but with life on the road and all that craziness, you don’t get to do that.

Wow, you’re more normal than I thought. I was afraid you’d be all “I can’t have brown M&Ms in my room.”

[Laughs] Actually, do you know where that came from? It was Van Halen who was on tour and demanded that they couldn’t have brown M&Ms in their room. They had really specific and complicated lighting installations for the show, and it had to be done right or it would be very dangerous. So if they walked in and found brown M&Ms, then they would know the stagehands didn’t read the instructions that the stage had to be a certain strength.

Fall Out Boy is a big supporter of Invisible Children, which I find really cool, because we have a club at our school that works on raising money through the Schools for Schools competition. What exactly do you guys do to help the Invisible Children and why?

We invited them to go on tour with us. They have a table out front where people can buy shirts and DVDs and learn more about them. We also play Pete’s “Displace Me” video before we go on.

It’s hard picking a humanitarian cause, because there are so many problems out there. If you care, then you’re going to be aware of all of them anyway. What I like about Invisible Children is they’re not too preachy. They really connect and show you the impact they make on Ugandan kids. And they’re not just about Ugandan kids; they want to promote peace in general.

That’s great what you guys are doing at your high school, though.

Thanks. What were you guys like in high school?

Well, I don’t really remember. I only knew Joe in high school. I was just into my band stuff. Music was my passion. I wasn’t into school work. [Laughs] I wasn’t popular, but then I wasn’t really a nerd either. I pretty much got along with everyone.

Speaking of getting along, what is the secret to a good working band?

I don’t think there is a secret. It’s kind of like a ­relationship: you think if you like the same things or have a lot in common, it will work, but it’s not always like that. It’s more like a puzzle where all the pieces just fit. If you think about it too much, it’s not fun and then you see how different you are. Pete, Andy, Joe, and I get each other; we just do.