Post by sandragracey82 on Mar 26, 2011 10:50:10 GMT 8
Westlife: The older our fans get, the madder they are
After 12 years, Westlife are still one of the biggest boy bands around but as they're settling down and having kids you'd be forgiven for thinking it could all be coming to an end. Not if their fans have anything to do with it though...
On being heart throbs in their 30s and playing for crazy fans...
One of the most successful boy bands ever, Irish heartthrobs Westlife have been around for years.
They’ve had a drama or two along the way – not to mention their fill of snotty critics – but none of that matters with legions of die-hard fans.
With a cool 44million album sales and in the middle of their 11th tour across the UK and Ireland, the boys – Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Shane Filan – know who they’re trying to please, and it certainly ain’t their critics.
“The fans are fantastic,” grins Shane, 31. “The banter we have with them from the stage is one of the best things about touring. Most have grown up with us, so you’d expect them to calm down as they get older.
“But the older they get, the madder they are.”
And it seems the fans don’t care too much about the boys’ wholesome image. “Some of the banners we can see from the stage are hilarious,” laughs Nicky, 32. “You name it, they write it, and when you think it could be some woman in her 50s holding it up, it’s so funny.
“We even had the very subtle ‘Ride me Shane!’. They’re hilarious. I picked the girl out of the crowd and said to her ‘You don’t f*** about do you sweetheart?’ Brilliant.”
With so many millions of women convinced the lads are dreamboats, do their own other halves swoon every time they see them?
“Hardly!” laughs Nicky, who is married to Georgina Ahern, daughter of the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
“She sees me first thing in the morning and last thing at night, warts and all. The whole swooning thing would end very quickly if people saw what I’m really like!”
On temptation on tour and staying out of trouble...
With each of the guys in a solid relationship – Nicky with wife Georgina, Shane with wife Gillian, Kian with actress wife Jodi Albert and Mark engaged to partner Kevin McDaid – how do they manage to keep themselves on the straight and narrow when they’re off working for weeks at a time?
“Well for a start, our other halves are on tour with us a lot of the time!” laughs Mark, 30. “That takes away some of the temptation! But even without that, you’ve just got to trust each other.
“Unfortunately people falter from time to time, but that’s life. Even if someone goes off to work in the morning and comes back at 6pm, you still don’t know for sure.”
After the spate of stars caught out cheating last year – including fellow boy band stars Ronan Keating and Mark Owen – do the lads feel more on their guard?
“Life’s hard enough without constantly worrying about keeping out of trouble,” says Nicky. “I think if you really love your other half you’ll be alright and you’ll do your best. But these things are just human error too.”
On feeling homesick and balancing fame with family life...
As much as the guys love life on the road and their sell-out arena gigs, they admit being away from home for weeks on end can be tough.
“When you’re starting out in a band, the tour part is what you dream of,” says Kian, 30. “And it’s always been one of the best bits. But after a while it’s hard getting up every morning when you’re not in your own bed.
“You want to be able to make your own cup of tea and a slice of toast, but you’re in a hotel, living out of a suitcase. People think it’s all glitz but sometimes you want to be at home!”
Dad-of-three Shane agrees. In fact, he’s managed to arrange work (and a private plane) so he can fly home a couple of days a week to see his family.
“Touring the UK is totally do-able now with the family,” he says. “Around the world over the years has been more difficult, but now I get home for a night here and there in the week.”
For now, Nicky’s managing because his three-year-old twin boys Rocco and Jay can still join him on tour. “This will probably be the last time before they start big school,” he says. “It’s amazing having them there, and last year they came up on stage. But being a dad has given me a different outlook – we’re not kids anymore. You know it’s not just a laugh, you’ve got a proper goal and your family’s on your mind the whole time.”
On fatherhood and following in Elton John's footsteps...
With two of his bandmates already doting dads, Mark, who came out in the Daily Mirror in 2005, says he would love to become a father one day.
“Becoming a father is one of the biggest things you could ever do,” he says. “I’d love to think I’ll be in a place one day to have a kid, 100%. I’m not saying I’m planning to have kids right now, but they’ll definitely be part of my life.
“It’s always something I’ve been sure of since I was 14 or 15. Even knowing I was gay and before I came out I knew I’d love to be a father. You know the way you think things like ‘When I have a kid, I’ll tell them this, or take them there’, or whatever.”
And after Elton John and David Furnish had their son Zachary with a surrogate mother last year, has Mark given any thought to how he’d like to do it?
“I would take some serious time to look into all the options,” he says. “Everybody’s got their own circumstances, so there’s no simple answer about what’s going to be right for you or the kid.
“I’d like to think I’d be a good dad. It’s the dream for me that surpasses everything else, to nurture and bring up a kid and try and teach them all the right things.”
But before all that, Mark and fiance Kevin have to tie the knot. “We’re not one of those wham bam couples that need to rush into everything,” says Mark. “We’re best friends and we live together and we’re going to get married soon. I can’t wait but we haven’t finalised the date.”
On controversial old friends, and what's to become of Westlife...
For years the biggest boy band around, Westlife were scuppered a bit by Take That’s phenomenal comeback, and then again by their reunion with Robbie Williams last year.
But would Westlife think about welcoming old bandmate Brian McFadden back into the fold?
“I don’t see Brian ever coming back,” says Kian. “He left because he was unhappy, so why would he come back? He didn’t like what we do.
“To be honest, our relationship is much better now he’s away from Westlife. He’s just difficult at times. He might decide one day to not turn up at the studio or not come to a meeting and it was hard. Brian’s not a bad person, there’s not a bad bone in his body, but he’s hard work.”
Some of the others are a little more forgiving. “Whatever happened it wouldn’t have the same impact as Take That and Robbie anyway,” says Nicky. “We didn’t have a huge fall out like they did, Brian didn’t go off the rails, into rehab, and become the biggest pop star on the planet. We didn’t break up for years before the biggest comeback in history.
“But I’d love to get Brian back in the studio. The other lads will probably kill me for saying it, but I genuinely believe it’s an option down the line.
“We’ve had an amazing 12 years, and if you’d told me 10 years ago we’d still be doing tours and selling out arenas I wouldn’t have believed you. We have to thank our lucky stars but I don’t think we’ll be around in another 12 if I’m honest. Not at this pace anyway.”
Source : Claire O'Boyle, Daily Mirror
www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/03/26/westlife-the-older-our-fans-get-the-madder-they-are-115875-23015951/
After 12 years, Westlife are still one of the biggest boy bands around but as they're settling down and having kids you'd be forgiven for thinking it could all be coming to an end. Not if their fans have anything to do with it though...
On being heart throbs in their 30s and playing for crazy fans...
One of the most successful boy bands ever, Irish heartthrobs Westlife have been around for years.
They’ve had a drama or two along the way – not to mention their fill of snotty critics – but none of that matters with legions of die-hard fans.
With a cool 44million album sales and in the middle of their 11th tour across the UK and Ireland, the boys – Nicky Byrne, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Shane Filan – know who they’re trying to please, and it certainly ain’t their critics.
“The fans are fantastic,” grins Shane, 31. “The banter we have with them from the stage is one of the best things about touring. Most have grown up with us, so you’d expect them to calm down as they get older.
“But the older they get, the madder they are.”
And it seems the fans don’t care too much about the boys’ wholesome image. “Some of the banners we can see from the stage are hilarious,” laughs Nicky, 32. “You name it, they write it, and when you think it could be some woman in her 50s holding it up, it’s so funny.
“We even had the very subtle ‘Ride me Shane!’. They’re hilarious. I picked the girl out of the crowd and said to her ‘You don’t f*** about do you sweetheart?’ Brilliant.”
With so many millions of women convinced the lads are dreamboats, do their own other halves swoon every time they see them?
“Hardly!” laughs Nicky, who is married to Georgina Ahern, daughter of the former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
“She sees me first thing in the morning and last thing at night, warts and all. The whole swooning thing would end very quickly if people saw what I’m really like!”
On temptation on tour and staying out of trouble...
With each of the guys in a solid relationship – Nicky with wife Georgina, Shane with wife Gillian, Kian with actress wife Jodi Albert and Mark engaged to partner Kevin McDaid – how do they manage to keep themselves on the straight and narrow when they’re off working for weeks at a time?
“Well for a start, our other halves are on tour with us a lot of the time!” laughs Mark, 30. “That takes away some of the temptation! But even without that, you’ve just got to trust each other.
“Unfortunately people falter from time to time, but that’s life. Even if someone goes off to work in the morning and comes back at 6pm, you still don’t know for sure.”
After the spate of stars caught out cheating last year – including fellow boy band stars Ronan Keating and Mark Owen – do the lads feel more on their guard?
“Life’s hard enough without constantly worrying about keeping out of trouble,” says Nicky. “I think if you really love your other half you’ll be alright and you’ll do your best. But these things are just human error too.”
On feeling homesick and balancing fame with family life...
As much as the guys love life on the road and their sell-out arena gigs, they admit being away from home for weeks on end can be tough.
“When you’re starting out in a band, the tour part is what you dream of,” says Kian, 30. “And it’s always been one of the best bits. But after a while it’s hard getting up every morning when you’re not in your own bed.
“You want to be able to make your own cup of tea and a slice of toast, but you’re in a hotel, living out of a suitcase. People think it’s all glitz but sometimes you want to be at home!”
Dad-of-three Shane agrees. In fact, he’s managed to arrange work (and a private plane) so he can fly home a couple of days a week to see his family.
“Touring the UK is totally do-able now with the family,” he says. “Around the world over the years has been more difficult, but now I get home for a night here and there in the week.”
For now, Nicky’s managing because his three-year-old twin boys Rocco and Jay can still join him on tour. “This will probably be the last time before they start big school,” he says. “It’s amazing having them there, and last year they came up on stage. But being a dad has given me a different outlook – we’re not kids anymore. You know it’s not just a laugh, you’ve got a proper goal and your family’s on your mind the whole time.”
On fatherhood and following in Elton John's footsteps...
With two of his bandmates already doting dads, Mark, who came out in the Daily Mirror in 2005, says he would love to become a father one day.
“Becoming a father is one of the biggest things you could ever do,” he says. “I’d love to think I’ll be in a place one day to have a kid, 100%. I’m not saying I’m planning to have kids right now, but they’ll definitely be part of my life.
“It’s always something I’ve been sure of since I was 14 or 15. Even knowing I was gay and before I came out I knew I’d love to be a father. You know the way you think things like ‘When I have a kid, I’ll tell them this, or take them there’, or whatever.”
And after Elton John and David Furnish had their son Zachary with a surrogate mother last year, has Mark given any thought to how he’d like to do it?
“I would take some serious time to look into all the options,” he says. “Everybody’s got their own circumstances, so there’s no simple answer about what’s going to be right for you or the kid.
“I’d like to think I’d be a good dad. It’s the dream for me that surpasses everything else, to nurture and bring up a kid and try and teach them all the right things.”
But before all that, Mark and fiance Kevin have to tie the knot. “We’re not one of those wham bam couples that need to rush into everything,” says Mark. “We’re best friends and we live together and we’re going to get married soon. I can’t wait but we haven’t finalised the date.”
On controversial old friends, and what's to become of Westlife...
For years the biggest boy band around, Westlife were scuppered a bit by Take That’s phenomenal comeback, and then again by their reunion with Robbie Williams last year.
But would Westlife think about welcoming old bandmate Brian McFadden back into the fold?
“I don’t see Brian ever coming back,” says Kian. “He left because he was unhappy, so why would he come back? He didn’t like what we do.
“To be honest, our relationship is much better now he’s away from Westlife. He’s just difficult at times. He might decide one day to not turn up at the studio or not come to a meeting and it was hard. Brian’s not a bad person, there’s not a bad bone in his body, but he’s hard work.”
Some of the others are a little more forgiving. “Whatever happened it wouldn’t have the same impact as Take That and Robbie anyway,” says Nicky. “We didn’t have a huge fall out like they did, Brian didn’t go off the rails, into rehab, and become the biggest pop star on the planet. We didn’t break up for years before the biggest comeback in history.
“But I’d love to get Brian back in the studio. The other lads will probably kill me for saying it, but I genuinely believe it’s an option down the line.
“We’ve had an amazing 12 years, and if you’d told me 10 years ago we’d still be doing tours and selling out arenas I wouldn’t have believed you. We have to thank our lucky stars but I don’t think we’ll be around in another 12 if I’m honest. Not at this pace anyway.”
Source : Claire O'Boyle, Daily Mirror
www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/03/26/westlife-the-older-our-fans-get-the-madder-they-are-115875-23015951/