Westlife back in the limelight
You would really have to call Westlife a vocal group these days. After seven years at the top of the pop roster, surely the term “boyband” doesn’t stick anymore, what with an average age of 26 years and at least two of them either married or already a father.
Shane, Mark, Nicky and Kian are still very much among the quieter superstars in the British and Irish pop fold. However, their accolades, chart wise, not to mention commercial success, is to be envied. With 34 million album sales and millions of singles, the 12 British No.1 singles they have charted put them fourth in the rankings of chart toppers, behind Cliff Richard (13), The Beatles (17) and Elvis Presley (21). But even for the supposedly quiet quartet, fame does come with some hazards or rumour and gossip. They were a quintet until Bryan McFadden left nearly two years ago to try out for a solo career and also most recently Feehily has declared he is gay.
Now, doesn’t this sound almost exactly like an earlier, almost as equally successful Irish vocal group (remember Boyzone), with which they once shared the same manager – Louis Walsh? So, the question “can it get more exciting” then for the remaining members seems kind of moot.
But apparently, they certainly are excited, especially with the release of their seventh album Face to Face from Nov 7. The guys are back from a four-month holiday, and this recent phone interview from London with Egan has him in an upbeat mood.
“Four months is a long holiday for us, and it was just a complete holiday,” he said.
“It was a time to go home, be with our friends, walk our dogs,” he said with a laugh. Typical quiet superstar life, don’t you think?”
But after the break, it’s now time to head back into the limelight proper. Face to Face features all the hallmarks of the international success that Westlife has garnered – a collection of classic songs and future standards (read: original work sprinkled with a few cover versions).
After a brief interlude with its “rat pack” album (Allow Us to be Frank) of classic songs sung in the style of such luminaries as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr, Face to Face is Westlife’s first collection of new songs since the album Turnaround topped the charts in 2003.
It’s a familiar blend of lavish ballads and mid-tempo tunes, balanced by the occasional up-tempo song; the seeds for this studio album were sown even before Allow Us to be Frank.
“We started looking for songs two years ago, before the “rat pack” album, but we found the songs were not good enough,” Egan explained.
In the end, it was back to the tried-and-tested when it came to deciding, with long-time collaborator Steve Mac providing many a tune for the album.
“Mac always writes a good pop song and now we have the production team, The Location, from Sweden, back as well,” Egan said. The Location had worked on their first two albums, Westlife and Coast to Coast.
Of course, as you will find in all previous Westlife albums, a cover version isn’t exactly out of order. One of the most prominent is You Raise Me Up, the first single from the album. It was a major hit in the United States for Josh Groban.
“It has been covered by different artistes, but to the Westlife audience it may not be as familiar,” Egan said about the choice of release. As for the other cover versions, Egan continued: “We had nine great original songs but that wasn’t enough. The covers sounded fantastic (to us).”
They include The Eagles’s haunting classic Desperado, and a version of country and western heartthrob Collin Raye’s In This Life. Another notable re-make is a duet with the legendary Diana Ross on When You Tell Me that You Love Me – a makeover of a tune first sung solo by Ross, and later as a duet by Dolly Parton and Julio Iglesias.
Working with Ross proved something special for Westlife although they recorded their parts separately. “We did appear together for promotional appearances, and we worked on the video together,” Egan said. “We met her earlier during the summer and had a good laugh. She was in the middle of recording her new album.”
The guys are now preparing to go back on the road. “After Christmas we’ll get ready for a world tour from March onwards, that’s our plan,” said Eagan. “If the album is not successful, we go back to the drawing board to search for some more good new songs.”
Nevertheless, Egan is optimistic about Face to Face. “We do hope it is successful as we feel it’s our best (yet),” claimed Egan. “We’re more excited than we have been in a long time.
The press conference with WESTLIFE
Now they are back with a new single and album！The broadsheet music critics have given up kicking them and the tabloids have despaired of digging up some dirt. Are Westlife the Teflon boys of pop?
Lads, the script says you should be on your way by now. What's going on?
K: People thought we would be long gone by now, but as long as fans still want us around, we will be here.
S: At the beginning, we thought we would have an amazing few years and then it would all be over, but it's kept going.
N: There has never been a set plan, except to keep making records and keep going as long as they are selling. And they are, so we are still here.
M: We always read in the papers that we make bubblegum pop and that it is rubbish, but we don't make music for the media, we make it for the fans and they like it a lot, and that's all that matters to us.
When is the big split likely to happen?
N: We have read the headline "Westlife To Split Up"so many times now that we just laugh when we see it.If it happens, then we will be straight out with it, so no journalist need bother writing that story for a while. Seriously, we'll just tell everyone and do some amazing farewell concert and be gone.
S: Bono told us that if you have two really bad albums that do not sell, then that's the time to go.One is OK, you can get away with that, but if you have two, then you have to admit it's over.
M: We have not had a disastrous one yet and we will keep going until there are two duds. Then we will have to say, "Thank you very much, goodbye."
When Bryan left, just about everyone thought that was the end. Surely you guys did as well?
N: To be honest, we really had our concerns about how it would work out as a four piece, but we kept it all inside and did not let the public know. It was hard to read all the stuff that said Shane and Mark would go solo, Kian was going into management and that I was going to be a politician.
S: Bryan going was a shock even though we knew he had not been happy for a while. None of us knew his marriage was on the rocks. As soon as he was gone, we had to pull together as a team and get down to work. When we did our first show as a four piece, it was fantastic. We really nailed it and the fans loved it. It was only then that we knew for sure that it was going to be OK.
M: Some of the papers basically said it was all over, but if anything we are a better band as a four piece.We are closer and there are no secrets, like if someone is wanting to leave or to go solo.
K: As far as the media were concerned, Westlife was finished after the last album, but we think this new album is the best we have done.
And what news of Bryan?
M: We are still really good friends with him and were speaking to him the other day. He has had a really tough time and has been totally hammered by the press.The best thing for him to do is to go away for a long time and let everything calm down. Maybe then he can still do something good with his career. We honestly wish him all the best.
Most cynics — and there are some among journalists — expect that Westlife will end in litigation with your managers having ripped you off.
S: There's no way that is going to happen with us and that's no bullshit. We have done unbelievably well and are secure financially. We're not stupid and have been careful with our money.
K: We got good advice and our own lawyers at the very beginning, so everyone knew who was getting what.
N: I can't see us falling out now. We are like brothers and have been through so much together that we are not going to mess it all up. We have got to be four of the luckiest guys in the world and we know that and have a healthy respect for everything that has happened to us. We have always kept our feet on the ground and much of the credit for that goes to our families and friends. They have all been rock solid for us.
Most of you have been in steady relationships throughout the entire time of Westlife. When you look at all the girls going nuts for you, I can't help thinking that it's been a bit of a waste.
N: We are not rock 'n' roll, we don't put anything up our nose and we don't sleep around. I have never had any interest in that side of things. I have been in love with Georgina since the day I saw her when I was a teenager. She's now my wife and none of this success would have meant half as much without her.
S: The same goes for me with Gillian. She has helped me keep it together and kept me going when things have got tough.
M: I've never wanted to be a tart and have lots of one-night stands.
K: Well, I've had a good time!
How do you explain the continued success?
K: We stick to what we do best — good, solid pop songs with great vocals — and don't try and be something we're not. No matter what you say, we have done some great songs. But I don't think Westlife has ever been a totally typical all-dancing boy band, with bare torsos and stuff. And we're not the type of band that has stories in the tabloids every day, so maybe that keeps it a bit fresh.
M: Even after all this time, nobody really knows us as individuals and I think that has actually helped. Very few people know our first names, let alone our second names. They sort of know our faces and that we are from Westlife. It helps people from getting bored.
S: It's pretty good because when I ring up and order flowers for my wife and I give them the credit card details, they haven't got a clue who Shane Filan is, so I know they're not going to keep my number! The paparazzi don't bother us either, so we can live normally and get the best of both worlds.
N: When we started, we did not want one person to be seen as the front man, like Ronan Keating in Boyzone. With them, it was always Ronan and the band and that caused a few problems. With Westlife, it is all of us and it keeps it equal and happy.
You have played the normal game and kept girls secret. Has your press always been controlled?
S: I kept Gillian secret in the early days for her sake because it was very important she had a normal life.She was at college for four years without anyone knowing she was going out with me. I picked her up the day she finished her exams and that was the first anyone knew of it.
K: The fans don't want to see you with your girlfriend all the time, so it is only fair to keep them in the background. We have moved on from all that and it's not a problem. The fans are cool about it.
N: I have always been upfront about Georgina. Our press is controlled to a degree, but we are always upfront and there's no dirt anyway.
M: Well, I've just come out in The Sun and you can't be any more honest than that!
I presume that was just a publicity stunt to get you on the front page and you will deny it all once the album has sold out? I am joking.
M: I have dealt with it in my own way for years, like anyone in the same situation, and it just seemed the right time to talk about it. I was fine about people knowing. I am in a happy relationship and if me talking about it helps someone else who is dealing with their sexuality, then I am happy about that, too. I have had some very supportive letters from fans since the story, so it was the right thing to do.
Was there any pressure on you to do the story, like another paper threatening to write it without your approval?
M: No, it was my decision. I have not been aware of anyone trying to do the story over the years. I don't think people knew, but if they had thought about it, they would probably have guessed. It has been a bit awkward in interviews in the past when they have been asking about girls, but I always tried not to lie.I felt uncomfortable because I had all that stuff going on in my head, so it is better that the truth is out there.
N: A while back, the papers might have been on a mission to out someone, but things are different these days. If someone is gay, it's like, so what. We have known about Mark for two years and we were cool about him doing the story. As a band, we have never played on the fact that we appeal to young girls. Our music is made to appeal to everybody, young and old, girls and guys.
A fair few showbiz stories are total flyers to keep some hype going. Can you think of an example involving yourselves.
N: Our manager Louis Walsh has been pretty bad at making stuff up in the past, especially when we needed press in the beginning. He looked after Boyzone before us and they had all kinds of things happen to them that weren't true. I am not sure if this was down to Louis or not, but there was a story in one of the Irish tabloids that we had gone on safari and got out of the jeep for a better look.
At that point some of us were attacked by lions, but Kian came to the rescue and got us back into the jeep. There was a mock up picture in the paper of this big lion and its claws all over us. It was "Westlife defy death" or something. The truth is that we were in Africa and we were due to go on safari, but we got so drunk in the bar the night before that we didn't make it. When you hear what could have happened, it's probably just as well!
王者歸來
現(xiàn)在你也許得該稱西城為“演唱組合”，而不是“男孩組合”了。畢竟他們已經(jīng)在流行樂的榜首長駐了7年，平均年齡也到了26歲，你還能叫他們男孩嗎？更何況他們中已經(jīng)有兩個(gè)結(jié)婚了，還有一個(gè)都當(dāng)了爸爸了。
尚恩，馬克，尼基和奇恩應(yīng)該可以算是英國和愛爾蘭流行大牌中比較低調(diào)的了，但他們受到的大堆贊美，漂亮的排名，更別提商業(yè)方面的成功，可真是讓人眼紅呢！他們有34，000，000的專輯銷量，幾百萬張的單曲銷量，還有12首使他們成為樂壇排行第四的英國冠軍單曲，僅次于克里夫李查德（13首），甲殼蟲（17首），貓王（21首）。（現(xiàn)西城的最新單曲“你讓我飛翔”已成為他們的第13首冠軍單曲——譯者注）
但即使是對(duì)像他們這樣低調(diào)的四人組合，有時(shí)流言蜚語也會(huì)給他們?cè)黾有┤藲?。直到大約2年前布萊恩·麥菲登離開組合去開拓自己的單飛生涯，他們一直都是五個(gè)人，而最近馬克·菲海力剛剛宣布自己是同性戀。
這聽起來是不是有點(diǎn)像早先幾乎同樣成功的愛爾蘭組合“男孩地帶”呢？況且這兩個(gè)組合的經(jīng)紀(jì)人都是路易斯·威爾士。“能不能來點(diǎn)新鮮的？”這個(gè)問題看來值得余下的四個(gè)人好好討論討論了。
但很顯然對(duì)于他們即將于11月7日發(fā)行的第七張專輯《真情相對(duì)》，這四人都很興奮。他們?yōu)槠谒膫€(gè)月的假期剛結(jié)束，在下面這個(gè)來自倫敦的奇恩·伊根電話訪談中我們可以感受到他樂觀的情緒。
“四個(gè)月的假期對(duì)我們來說真是個(gè)長假，這才算是個(gè)完整的假期嘛。”他說道。
“這段時(shí)間我們可以回家，和朋友待在一起，再遛遛狗，”他笑著說，“典型的田園明星生活，不是嗎？”
但休息之后，就又得回到公眾的焦點(diǎn)下了。《真情相對(duì)》收集了一些經(jīng)典歌曲（老歌新唱）以及將來的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)曲目，這張專輯集所有成功歌曲的特點(diǎn)于一身。
西城在他們的上張專輯《純愛年代》中以一些諸如福蘭克·希那特啦，迪恩·馬丁，薩米·戴維思.JR等名人的風(fēng)格，演繹了些經(jīng)典歌曲，趁機(jī)做了個(gè)小小的休息。西城的專輯《回首真愛》于2003年奪得冠軍，《真情相對(duì)》是他們那張專輯后的第一張新歌收錄。
這里面有有著濃郁感情的中速情歌，還有幾首快歌與之混合。甚至在《純愛年代》之前，錄音棚就開始在四處撒播尋覓新歌的種子了。
“我們是兩年前，就是發(fā)行上張專輯之前，開始四處尋歌的，但我們覺得找到的都不夠好。”EGAN解釋道。
最后當(dāng)他們不得不做決定時(shí)，他們還是選擇了久經(jīng)考驗(yàn)的，同時(shí)也是他們的長期合作伙伴的史蒂夫·麥克，來為他們寫歌。
“麥克總是能寫出好的流行歌曲，而且現(xiàn)在我們有來自瑞典的制作組THE LOCATION來幫助了。”伊根說。THE LOCATION曾參與制作過他們最初的兩張專輯，同名專輯《西城男孩》以及《咫尺天涯》。
當(dāng)然了，就像你能在他們其他專輯里發(fā)現(xiàn)的一樣，他們的翻唱并不差。最典型的一首就是新唱片中的第一首歌“你讓我飛翔”，它曾經(jīng)是喬詩.葛洛班在美國一首很流行的歌。
“它曾被很多歌手翻唱過，但你如果聽了我們的版本，可能會(huì)有別樣的感受。”當(dāng)談到為什么選擇這首歌時(shí)，伊根是這樣解釋的。提到別的翻唱歌曲，他又說道，“我們有了9首很棒的原創(chuàng)歌曲，但這還不夠，翻唱的（對(duì)我們來說）真是超酷。”
專輯還收錄了老鷹樂隊(duì)的一首令人難以忘懷的經(jīng)典“亡命之徒”，柯林瑞伊的西方柔情鄉(xiāng)村樂“今生今世”。還有一首不得不提的翻唱“當(dāng)你向我訴愛”，由原唱——傳奇人物戴安娜·羅斯與西城合作完成，這首歌曾被多莉·帕頓和胡立歐·以格雷西亞斯合作翻唱過。
盡管西城是和羅斯分開錄音的，但和她合作對(duì)西城仍是很特別的經(jīng)歷。“在宣傳表演上我們是一起出場的，而且我們一起錄制了音樂錄影帶，”伊根說，“我們是今夏早些時(shí)候和她見的面，大家都很開心。她當(dāng)時(shí)正在錄制她的新專輯。”
這四名成員現(xiàn)在正為回到原先的軌跡做準(zhǔn)備，“圣誕后，我們計(jì)劃從三月起開始全球巡回演出，”伊根說道，“但如果這張新唱片不能大賣的話，我們會(huì)埋下頭來找些更好的新歌。”
然而伊根對(duì)《真情相對(duì)》還是很有信心的，“我們確實(shí)希望它能獲得成功，因?yàn)槲覀冋J(rèn)為這是我們（到目前為止）最好的一張。這么久以來從沒這么興奮過呢。”
“即使是《回首真愛》我們都覺得它本來應(yīng)該更好的?！墩媲橄鄬?duì)》是布萊恩離隊(duì)后我們的第一張?jiān)瓌?chuàng)專輯，感覺就像出前兩張時(shí)的興奮勁兒又回來了一樣，好不好還是由我們的歌迷決定嘍。”
西城的新聞發(fā)布會(huì)
西城帶著最新的單曲和專輯又回來了！那些音樂評(píng)論人這次可不打算潑他們冷水了，小報(bào)也對(duì)找到他們的負(fù)面消息不抱任何希望。西城真的是流行樂壇霸主嗎？
伙計(jì)們，一般情況下你們都解散過了，現(xiàn)在情況如何呢？
伊根：他們?cè)詾槲覀冊(cè)缭撋⒒锪四?，可是只要歌迷還愛我們，我們就不會(huì)離開。
尚恩：剛開始我們就想，輝煌幾年就該算了吧，但我們?nèi)栽谇斑M(jìn)。
尼基：本來就沒什么定好的計(jì)劃，只要他們還賣我們的歌，我們就不停地發(fā)唱片，不停地努力。他們還在賣，所以我們?nèi)耘f在這里。
馬克：報(bào)紙上老是說我們制作熱門流行樂，還說這是垃圾。但我們又不是給他們做音樂的，這是給我們歌迷的，只要她們喜歡就足夠了。
你們大概什么時(shí)候會(huì)解散呢？
尼基：“西城要解散了”，這“頭條新聞”我們都看了幾百次了，每次都一笑置之。如果真要解散，我們肯定會(huì)直說的，所以目前麻煩記者朋友不要費(fèi)心寫這種新聞了。認(rèn)真地說，到時(shí)候我們會(huì)告訴大家的，接著來幾場超棒的告別演唱會(huì)，然后就再見嘍。
尚恩：博諾跟我們說過，只要你們有了兩張賣不掉的爛唱片，那就玩兒完吧。一張爛的還說的過去，可如果有兩張，那可就不得不承認(rèn)該退出了。
馬克：我們到目前為止還沒有過一張?zhí)卦愕膶］?，所以我們?huì)一直繼續(xù)，直到有兩張破爛出來。那時(shí)我們就會(huì)說：非常感謝，再見嘍。“
當(dāng)布萊恩離隊(duì)的時(shí)候，大家都以為你們要結(jié)束了，你們肯定也是這么想的吧？
尼基：實(shí)話說，我們確實(shí)很認(rèn)真地考慮過我們剩下的四個(gè)怎么才能讓演唱會(huì)繼續(xù)成功，但我們都把這埋在了心底，沒讓公眾知道。媒體上說尚恩和馬克要單飛，奇恩要做經(jīng)紀(jì)人，我要從政之類的，讀到這些時(shí)心里其實(shí)挺難受的。
尚恩：我們都知道布萊恩那時(shí)已經(jīng)郁悶了好一段時(shí)間了，但他的離去確實(shí)是個(gè)沉重的打擊。我們誰都不知道他的婚姻出現(xiàn)了變故。他一走，我們就立刻凝聚成一個(gè)整體，認(rèn)認(rèn)真真地工作。我們第一次作為四人組合進(jìn)行了表演，結(jié)果真的好棒！我們很確定這一點(diǎn)，歌迷也喜歡它。直到那時(shí)我們才明白了：我們還能行。
馬克：有的報(bào)紙就說我們完了，但如果我們和以前有什么區(qū)別的話，那就是：作為四人組合，我們會(huì)更好。我們更加親密無間，彼此間也沒什么諸如”我要單飛“之類的秘密。
奇恩：在媒體看來，上張專輯就應(yīng)該是個(gè)結(jié)束了，但我們覺得這張新的是我們迄今為止最好的一張。
布萊恩最近有什么消息嗎？
馬克：我們還是很好的朋友，前幾天還和他通話呢。他這段日子挺不好過的，那么多的新聞給他打擊不小。他現(xiàn)在最好離開一段時(shí)間，等到一切都平息下來之后，也許他的事業(yè)還能再有所發(fā)展。我們真誠地祝他一切都好。
大多數(shù)憤世嫉俗的家伙——有些還是記者——希望你們最后會(huì)因老板騙你們的錢而起訴他們。
尚恩：這根本不可能的，真是胡說。我們現(xiàn)在做得出奇的好，經(jīng)濟(jì)上也有保障。我們也不傻，知道要小心處理金錢問題。
奇恩：剛開始我們都有自己的律師，也能收到很好的建議，所以大家都知道什么是誰的。
尼基：我覺得我們現(xiàn)在還沒鬧翻呢。我們像親兄弟一樣，大家一起走過的這么長的路，誰都不會(huì)攪局的。我們肯定是這世上最幸運(yùn)的四個(gè)男人了，并且對(duì)所有發(fā)生在我們身上的事持尊敬的態(tài)度。多虧了我們堅(jiān)如磐石的家人和朋友，我們一直都腳踏實(shí)地地努力。
你們幾個(gè)大多在西城成立以來就有固定的戀人，但看看那些為你們發(fā)狂的女孩子吧，我都覺得有點(diǎn)浪費(fèi)了。
尼基：我們可不是玩搖滾的，不會(huì)整天趾高氣揚(yáng)的還亂采野花，我對(duì)那一點(diǎn)興趣都沒有。我少年時(shí)代看到喬治娜第一眼就愛上了她，她現(xiàn)在是我的妻子，如果沒有她，這些成功對(duì)我而言，還不及現(xiàn)在的一半呢！
尚恩：我和吉蓮也是這樣，她和我一起共渡了難關(guān)。
馬克：我可不想做多情種子哦。
奇恩：怎么說呢——我很快樂！
你們?cè)趺唇忉尳吁喽恋某晒Γ?br>奇恩：我們堅(jiān)持做自己能做好的事，例如好的流行樂，不要去嘗試搞不定的事。不管怎么說，我們做過幾首很棒的歌。但我覺得西城并不是那種赤身跳舞的男孩組合，我們也不會(huì)每天都會(huì)上小報(bào)，這樣也許會(huì)有些新鮮感。
馬克：即使是到現(xiàn)在，也沒有人真正的了解我們以個(gè)人身份出現(xiàn)是什么樣的，這的確挺好的。很少有人知道我們姓什么，更別提我們第二個(gè)名字了。他們只是認(rèn)識(shí)我們的樣子，知道我們是西城成員。這樣大家都不會(huì)感到太無聊。
尚恩：我打電話為妻子訂花,當(dāng)我向他們提供信用卡信息時(shí)，他們壓根就不知道尚恩·菲蘭是誰，所以我不用擔(dān)心他們會(huì)記下我的電話號(hào)碼。那些攝影人也不來打擾我們的生活，所以一切都挺正常的。這樣無論是日常生活，還是演藝生活，我們都能做到最好。
尼基：我們從一開始就不打算讓誰成為我們的代表人物，就像男孩地帶里的羅南·奇丁那樣。對(duì)他們來說，好象這組合只有羅南一個(gè)似的，這可有點(diǎn)別扭。對(duì)西城而言，我們是一體的，大家都很平等，也因此而感到快樂。
你們一直都保持正規(guī)，關(guān)于女友也閉口不談。你們的言談一直都受到約束嗎？
尚恩：開始時(shí)為了吉蓮，我一直都把她保密，因?yàn)樗驳糜凶约赫５纳盥?。她在大學(xué)的四年里，誰都不知道她當(dāng)時(shí)在和我約會(huì)。直到她畢業(yè)考試結(jié)束的那天我開車去接她，大家才知道我們的事。
奇恩：歌迷可不想看到你整天和女友在一起，所以公平起見，只好讓她們呆在幕后嘍?，F(xiàn)在都全部公開了，也沒什么問題，歌迷都能接受這個(gè)。
尼基：我和喬治娜一直都一起出來，我們的言談是受到一定的限制，可是我們還是這樣，畢竟也沒什么丑聞嘛。
馬克：我剛接受了太陽報(bào)的訪談，在那里面可絕對(duì)是實(shí)話實(shí)說。
那是不是只是用來宣傳用的，好讓你們上頭版頭條，然后等專輯大賣后再否定它呢？
馬克：我這些年來一直和別人一樣，在努力處理這件事，現(xiàn)在也該是時(shí)候討論下這個(gè)問題了。別人知道了我覺得也沒什么，如果我的公開可以幫助別人的性取向觀念，我也挺樂意的。公開這事之后我收到了很多歌迷的信，她們都支持我，這也更堅(jiān)定了我的信念。
你公開這件事是不是因?yàn)槭裁磯毫δ兀勘热鐒e的報(bào)紙威脅你，還沒等你承認(rèn)就報(bào)道你的事情呢？
馬克：沒有，這全是我自己的決定。這些年來我都沒聽說有誰想報(bào)道這事，估計(jì)也沒人知道。但要仔細(xì)想想的話，大概也能猜出來。過去接受采訪時(shí)，他們?nèi)绻麊栍嘘P(guān)女友的問題，我都盡量不說謊，但感覺挺傻的。腦子里一直想著那些事，感覺很不舒服，現(xiàn)在都說出來了，也挺好的。
尼克：過去報(bào)紙的任務(wù)仿佛就是揭露別人的隱私，但現(xiàn)在情況不一樣了。如果有誰是同性戀的話，又有什么大不了的呢？我們知道馬克的事已經(jīng)有兩年了，所以他公開我們都無所謂。作為一個(gè)組合，我們從來不是只為吸引年輕女生才做音樂的，我們的歌應(yīng)該是老少皆宜，男女無別的。
很多娛樂消息純粹就是用來炒作的，你們有沒有什么類似的新聞呢？
尼克：以前我們的經(jīng)紀(jì)人路易斯·威爾士編假新聞的功夫真是糟糕，尤其是我們剛出道最需要關(guān)注的時(shí)候。他之前管理的是男孩地帶，結(jié)果他們身上有很多子虛烏有的新聞，我也不知道是不是路易斯干的。記得有份愛爾蘭小報(bào)的消息，說是我們?nèi)シ侵蘼眯袝r(shí)從吉普車上下來看風(fēng)景。然后我們被獅子襲擊了，但奇恩扮了回英雄，把我們救回了車?yán)?。竟然還有張假照片，上面是只大獅子用爪子抓我們?？墒聦?shí)是什么呢？我們當(dāng)時(shí)在非洲，本來準(zhǔn)備去狩獵旅行的。但前一天晚上在酒吧喝得酩酊大醉，結(jié)果就沒去。如果知道了本來可能發(fā)生什么事的話，還不如這樣呢！