It's been a rocky ride for Jared Leto and the Georgia Straight. The frontman for 30 Seconds to Mars has previously been described in these pages as a "dick", a "scrote", a "10th Grade tyrant", a "used-car salesman", and, last but not least, "hideously shitty". (There's no record of what he thinks of us.) Some of this apparent prejudice might derive from Leto's other career as a "B-list actor" (Dec. 15-22, 2005), for which he is arguably best remembered in the role of Jordan Catalano, from the beloved '90s tampon opera My So Called Life. Truthfully, it's hard not to despise someone who apparently has everything, and for actors-turned-musicians, the contempt tends to be especially vicious. But it isn't always fair. For every Keanu Reeves haplessly stinking it up in Dogstar, there's also somebody like Robbie Rist (Cousin Oliver from the Brady Bunch), puffing away behind the drums for obscure L.A. power poppers the Andersons, who, if somewhat indebted to Red Kross, are actually rather great. 30 Seconds to Mars? Not so much. But that's not the point, and Leto knows it. Most of the criticism directed at his band has been preemptive, something he addresses in a call from his tour bus as it glides through Milwaukee.

"I would be suspicious too," he admits, but adds, "We crossed the threshold. I think most other bands that may have been known at the outset as celebrities were hobbyists. They were people who dabbled. We know what we do isn't a joke. We have the success and the following to prove it, and we also feel at this point that, well, we don't have to prove it anymore, really. We don't need every single person. We're not in a pop band."

The Los Angeles-based four-piece, which also includes Leto's brother Shannon on drums, Tomo Milicevic on guitar, and bassist Matt Wachter, released its second album, A Beautiful Lie, last August to tepid reviews and escalating sales, no doubt helped by aggressive touring and some jackpot opening slots with Audioslave.

"We're very proud of it," says Leto of the album. "The thing about music is, if you don't like it, you don't buy it." True enough. Evidently, enough people like the earnest if insipid post-grunge of A Beautiful Lie to put 30 Seconds on its first headlining tour, which brings it to the Commodore on Friday (April 14). "The album is doing incredible," Leto reports. "The single is No. 20-something on the charts and shooting up every week, and we just finished a new video. We're selling out all over the place."

"It's hard to complain," he says, not unreasonably. All right, Leto. It looks like you win. This time.