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Westlife Interview

transcript from TFI Friday, March 31st 2000
Thanks to Helen for typing this out and Mandy for sending it in!

Chris: now please welcome westlife everybody!
Cheers and claps

(In this order) Mark, Nicky, Kian, Bryan and Shane walk out amongst audience and wave to everyone. They walk into main set area of TFI. Girl briefly grabs Kians hand and Bryan momentarily fiddles with kids goggles (there were two science geeks) as he walks past.

Chris: Mark... Nicky...Kian...Bryan...Shane! there you go, sit yourselves down. Ok let me get this right... Shane, Bryan, Kian, Nicky, Mark (pointing to each)
WL clap and smile.
Chris: Ok this is a good game - I want you to start from left to right, starting with you Shane, and you've got to name as many boybands as you can. One each until you run out and the person we run out on gets this glass of water over their head. Ok, you ready?
Shane: licks lips for millionth time backstreet boys, five
Chris: no no
Bryan makes faces at Shane, indicating he's thick
Chris: backstreet boys points at Shane
Bry: five
Kian: n sync
Nicky: take that
Mark: boyzone
Shane: a1
Bryan: beatles
Kian: new kids on the block
Nicky: erm......thinks beach boys
Mark: er... bay city rollers half mumbles
Shane:... er..... envy kian roars with laughter
Bry: boyz to men
Kian: meant to be. some wl members laugh
Chris: nah, i'm not gonna do it, don't worry. tips glass of water over his own head
Everyone claps.
Ki: we could've kept going!
Chris: If you all had to be women, ok, erm, wot names would you choose? Shane first of all. Shane: Claudia.
Chris: Why?
Shane: Claudia schiffer...
Chris: Nice, good. Bryan?
Bry: Er... Lulu
Chris: any particular reason?
Bry: No
Chris: Do you mean it or are you just saying that?
Bry: I just think its a cool name.
Kian: Pamela
Chris: Because of.... obviously Kian grabs his chest jokingly and mumbles a comment
People laugh
Chris: Nicky?
Nicky: Shannon.
Chris: Shannon?
Nicky: South of the river shannon, in Ireland.
Chris: beautiful. (ahh) They said you were romantic, they said you were.
Mark: I reckon I'd be... Britney.
Chris: Britney?
Mark and Nicky waggle chests and laugh.
Chris: Nice. So is it true that all of this is because of your mum Shane? points to Shane
Shane: Erm... in a way I suppose, yeah.
Chris: Well is it or not, Shane?
Shane: Yeah, definately, it's all her fault.
Chris: What happened?
Shane: What happened was she rang Louis Walsh, who was Boyzone's Manager and rang him up and said 'my son's in a band, would you see him'? Louis met us and he managed us three weeks later.
Chris: Yeah? so its all down to Shane's mum?
Bry: All down to Shane's mum.
All individually: Thanks Mae/Cheers Mae Mark thumbs up
Chris: Hey she wants more than a thank you!
Bry: laughs She wants a merc!
People laugh
Chris: What does she get out of it? is she heavily involved?
Shane: No she's not heavily involved.
Chris: Does she get any wonga Shane?
Shane: Oh yeah, i'm building her a house this year.
Chris: Oh that's nice of ya, you've gotta take some time off to do that.
Shane: Oh yeah, definately, I'm building it all my self smiles
Chris: Any other mums involved in this?
Mark: They're all involved in a big way, but nobody in the every day running.
Chris: Who's mum is the biggest nightmare?
Bry: none of our mums are!
In background: oh come on!
Kian: they're all just as nice as each other. Actually, they've all been very supportive. I mean, when myself, Shane and Mark er moved up to Dublin, cus we're from Sligo in the west of Ireland, Shane's mum, oh sorry, Bry's mum and Nicky's mother put us up in their houses for three months - fed us, put a roof over our heads.
Chris: That was when it was tough...
Bry: in the fightin' days!
Nicky: They've all been very supportive as well. To do what we do and have them support us is very important to us and it's been great.
Chris: No cracks appearing anywhere?
Nicky: No, we love them. Every time we go home they've photos of your 'Uncle Mary' and 'Auntie Sam', people you've never heard of before, and you're like, 'yeah yeah, i remember them'.
Chris: So, if you had to sack one of the band... audience protest ha, ha, its not gonna happen, alright kids? But its a good question. So if you had to sack one of the band, who would be least bothered that they got sacked?
All: Mark! He laughs
Chris: Why do they say that Mark?
Mark: Puzzled and smiling No idea, maybe for the time off!
Chris: Is it you points at Mark that's all loved up?
Mark: No, Nicky.
Chris: You're all loved up with the whispers Prime Minister's daughter.
Nicky: whispering Yeah, shhh.
Chris: So you're going out with Bertie's daughter?
Nicky: Thats right, and you're a big fan of Ireland and Dublin Shane taps Dublin car plate on side of desk
Chris: Massive, Huge, and is it true that you're all quite religious?
Nicky: Yeah, we're all religious, all Catholics.
Chris: What's your fave prayer?
Nicky: Ermm.... the our father one.
Ki: our chris!
Chris: Shall we do it?
Nicky: Yeah, lets go for it.
Chris: We've never had a prayer on the show before! Let's pray for your song to go no.1 on Sunday.
All: Yeah.
Shane: "Our father in..."
Nicky: We've gotta stand up!
Chris: Come on kids there were a load of kids on the show that week - all stand and WL start praying wiv big smiles on their faces, so big they mumble 1/2 the words to they prayer. Cheers and claps at the end
Chris: Wot about your fave hymn? Only joking! Ok, so this race for no. 1 on Sunday - I thought it was a foregone conclusion, I thought you were gonna have 5 straight no.1's, but there's a fly in the ointment, and what's her name? All turn to look at pic of Mel C
Bry: Melanie!
Nicky: We were gonna bring in a picture of ourselves and put it over hers, but we thought that was a bit too rude looking at Mel C pic, so we didn't.
Chris: Ok, what's the score then, what's happening?
Kian: It's just a very big race, basically. It's been very close, very tight. I mean, we've released 4 singles so far and we kinda knew 1/2 way through the week that we've got a very good chance, and on this one...
Nicky: We're losing basically.
Chris: He's the honest one as well!!
Nicky: So, if any one is watching, help us out cus we're losing BIG time!
Chris: Not big time
Nicky: No, not big time
Chris: So, if you do get the no. 1 on Sunday, it'll be your 5th straight no.1 and that'll be a world record, is that right?
All agree
Shane: 2 records actually.
Bry: Its um... the only band to have 5 consecutive no.1's..
Chris: In the world?
Bry: Yeah, in the UK... and the only band to.... the quickest 5 no.1's to, in 12 months.
Chris: Fantastic! Well I hope it happens for that alone.
Bry: so eveyone should go out and buy our single so they're part of making a world record.
Chris: But we can't say that.
Bry: we can laughs everyone go out and buy our single to make it a world record! more laughing which drowns the end of his sentence out
Chris: So you're gonna have one hell of a huge party? I've been to a couple of no.1 's parties, but not a five no.1's band's party! What's that gonna be like?
Kian: Well, we're gonna be on a plane having a party cos we're flying to NY when we get the result.
Chris: Now I saw you this morning in a lift in the hotel, didn't I? And you looked knackered, Shane points to him!!
Shane: ahhhh I went to bed at 2.30 and got up at 5 for TV, which is a bit knackering and we'd just signed 1500 CD's yesterday as well.
Chris: When you looked at other bands, before you were in WL, did it look more fun than it is?
Shane: Yeah definately. I thought it was all limos and big parties and having loads of fun, but it#s hard work, you work long hours - we work 19, 18 hour days every day.
Nicky: We realise now that's your job - the limos and parties.
Chris: I don't always stay in the same hotel, but I paid my own bill this morning.
Nicky: Did you complain about breakfast this morning??
Chris: I did, who told you that!?
Nicky: Shane laughs
Chris: 37 quid for three eggs! I bet they don't charge you that!
Nicky: It's a good hotel for us though.
Chris: We haven't even mentioned which one it is yet! Good luck on Sunday. I know in the past I've been a bit critical of boybands. When you weren't in one, what did you think of them?
Kian: I think we were big fans and we loved singing.
Chris: Really?
Mark: Before we started, I saw pics of Take That laying across each other and I was a bit iffy screws nose up until saw Take That live on a video.
Chris: Thats what's important though - as long as the kids like you, that's what matters. Just quickly, if you had to date another member of Westlife, who would it be?
Nicky: Shane Westlife laugh
Chris: agrees with him Me too, it'd definately be Shane, coz he looks like Ally MaCoist and i've always fancied Ally MaCoist. Everyone laughs we'll leave it there, good luck with Fool Again and now you're gonna sing for us?
All: yeah.
Westlife walk down to stage followed by big beefy security blokes and they sing LIVE!!!!! Which is almost like when they mime, but just slightly different, which shows Westlife are great singers!!