May 2, 2003 -- TODAY, Good Charlotte is one of the fastest-rising stars of the punk-pop scene.

Twins Benji and Joel Madden host a daily MTV video show called "All Things Rock," and they're one of the highlights of the annual Van's Warped Tour.

Despite being nice guys, they earned their punk credibility the hard way, at home in Waldorf, Md. - not a happy place.

Pop ditched the family on Christmas Day in 1995. Mom, the Maddens' anchor, suffered from lupus.

The twins were homeless for a period when the family's money and luck ran low.

"Benji is an alcoholic," Joel told Rolling Stone earlier this year.

"My dad's an alcoholic. His dad's an alcoholic. Benji doesn't like talking about it, but he had to stop. He counts his months, and he's been sober for a year and a half."

Adversity made the Madden boys, 23, more determined.

Joel practiced his vocal wail and Benji got his guitar chops down. They wrote songs, got a break on a Philly radio station and eventually were signed by Epic.

This week, Good Charlotte had a major gig at the Hammerstein Ballroom and tomorrow the brothers play a sold-out show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Jersey in support of their platinum album, "The Young & the Hopeless."

When Benji spoke to The Post, he alluded to the hard times, but redirected the conversation toward happier ones.

"I like hanging out with my dog, Cash," he says.

"He's a boxer. I like taking him to the dog park and playing with him. I'm also rebuilding a '53 Chevy pickup."

Not what you'd expect from a young and not-so-hopeless rock star.

Post: People look at Good Charlotte and see a punk-pop party band. What's meaningful to you guys?

Madden: Playing music and being with our friends. But the goal of the music is to give our fans somewhere to belong. Acceptance means a lot to us. That's all we ever wanted for ourselves.

Post: You and your brother didn't have a "Leave It to Beaver" childhood. Is that where that desire comes from?

Madden: That's why we're in the band. We needed a place to go with all that. We had some challenging times in our lives. But there are lots of kids who have it way worse.

Post: On the new album, there's a very personal song that seems to speak about the bad old days called "The Story of My Old Man." What was it like writing that one?

Madden: That song was so personal, we talked about not putting it out. We decided we had to.

Post: Why did you hesitate?

Madden: That song was just for us. When it was done, we felt a little embarrassed by it. Then we realized that a lot of our fans are going through the same things and it might help them.

Post: Did your success come out of your challenging childhood?

Madden: It's from work and luck. I don't think we're this groundbreaking band, but we're good at what we do. We've worked hard to get where we are, but at the same time, a lot of bands work harder and haven't been as successful.

Post: How's the work divided?

Madden: Joel might work a little harder on the lyrics and I might do more with the music, but we both do both.

Post: On your MTV show, "All Things Rock," you see just about every video that comes out. Are you interested in making your own video?

Madden: Me and Joel actually co-directed the new video for our song "The Young & the Hopeless." It comes out next week.

Post: You look like a tough guy, but you're actually humble and nice.

Madden: I have friends who look like the hardest guys you'll ever meet, but when you get to know them, you find out they are nice, respectful and willing to help you. The way we look has nothing to do with the way we act - but it has everything to do with who we are.

Post: I thought I was going to be talking to the evil twin, not the nice one.

Madden: Listen, I'm human. I've done some wild things. I've been the evil twin. But I like to keep that part of my life under control as much as possible. Wild in small doses is good, it keeps life interesting, but if it starts to take over your life, you have problems.

Post: Is there really an ESP between twins?

Madden: We always know what's going on with each other. It's almost a burden sometimes. If he gets his heart broken, I feel like my heart is broken.

Post: When you were in high school, did you ever date the same girl?

Madden: Yeah, we have. We've done all the twin stuff.

Post: Any disadvantage to being twins?

Madden: The only disadvantage is people making a big deal out of it.

Post: Have you ever forgotten your brother's birthday?

Madden: Enough, already