Breathe deeply, hold - and relax. WESTLIFE are off duty and ready to let off
steam.
DO ANY OF YOU MEDITATE OR YOGA?
K: I'm not really into all that meditation lark. I'd rather do push-ups than
chant, ta!
SO WHO IS THE MOST SPIRITUAL IN WESTLIFE?
M: We're not so much spiritual, but we're all into relaxing. I wouldn't mind
giving stuff like yoga or meditation a go cos I'm completely open to any ways
in which I can relax even more. It's fantastic when the record company treats
us to a massage - they relax me more than anythind g else.
WHO'S NATURALLY THE MOST RELAXED WESTLIFER?
B: Well, definitely not Shane or Kian cos they always tend to worry about things
- they both like to make sure things get done. I'd say Mark is more chilled
out and I'm quite relaked, too.
WHAT OR WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH?
N: Chandler from Friends really makes me laugh - he's so cool! I love him. I'd
love to be in that scenario, to sit down every night with three lads and
three girls and be that funny. No one's that funny though, are they?
WELL WE HEARD BRYAN WAS A BIT OF COMEDIAN.
S: Well, in Westlife what makes us laugh really depends on everybody's mood.
Mark's an awful eejit... Nah, I'm joking. But he can come down in the morning
and hit you for no reason, laughing his head off - he's very off the wall.
Mark can be really funny - brilliant - but if you catch him in the wrong
mood, oohf! Sometimes if he wakes up in the wrong mood or he's tired, he'll
just say something like, ´Get away from me´.
HOW DO YOU WIND DOWN STRAIGHT AFTER A SHOW?
M: It's so weird to go straight from performing on stage with all the buzz to a
dead, quiet hotel room, but that's usually what we do. I'll make phone calls
and watch a film. Ideally I like to go out, even if it's just for a walk or a
bit of a snoop around wherever we're staying. I need to do something to help
me calm down.
WHAT MUSIC DO YOU RELAX TO IN YOUR HOTEL ROOMS?
B: To relax I like classical music or opera - I like Bach, but my favourite
piece is the William Tell Overture. Oh, and I love Frank Sinatra, too.
WHAT ABOUT FAVE COMFORT FOODS?
B: Perhaps we shouldn't, but we always, always go for McDonald's - cheeseburgers
mostly, and chips, if we eat food in our rooms.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPING?
S: Not really cos we work so hard we kind of conk out when we stop. If we do too
many flights and our time schedule is all out of synch, it can be difficult
to sleep. I've taken sleeping tablets a couple of times, particularly on long
flights, but I've only taken them about four or five times since we started -
I wouldn't make a habit of it.
WHICH OF YOU ARE NATURALLY EARLY RISERS?
N: I'd say I am, though I actually hate getting up. I'm kind of used to it now
cos of the Leeds thing where we had to be out of bed at 8am. Kian, Shane and
Bryan are all OK - sometimes Mark's a nightmare in the morning though!
WHY?
N: The thing is, he has so many excuses! If anyone says, ´Aw, Mark, you're 45
minutes late!´ he'll be like, ´I've must've fallen back to sleep´, or ´I
couldn't close my suitcase!´ or ´I was on the 16th floor and the lift broke!´
He has to lie cos he just can't admit he's late - and he's late every
morning!
M: It's all a load of baloney! Don't listen to a word he's saying! Actually,
he's quite right - I always come up with loads of excuses! Ha-ha!
DO YOU EVER WORRY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?
S: I've developed hay fever over the last few weeks for no apparent reason! I've
been around horses, grass and hay all my life so I have no idea why I should
suddenly start sneezing now, but ever since I went to America my nose has
been all itchy. It's driving me mad! I'm scared I'll sneeze right in the
middle of a show!
IS IT STRANGE DOING EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF WHEN YOU'RE AWAY FROM THE BAND?
N: Jeez, it's great. We're never home or alone long enough to actually think
about it. I'm lucky enough to have lots of friends back home si I'm never
alone. The other day I worked with my best mate delivering boxes around
Dublin for a shipping company. I just wanted to hang out with him. He was
picking up these heavy boxes and throwing them to me as if they were light as
a feather. I was trying to catch them and falling straight over!
HOW MUCH DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR APPEARANCE ON YOUR DAYS OFF?
K: It depends where I am. Yesterday during the day I was back in Sligo and I was
just wearing a Celtic top, a baseball cap and a pair of baggy bottoms. But if
I'm going out, I will dress uo and make the effort.
CAN YOU STILL GO DOWN TO YOUR LOCAL FOR A QUIET PINT?
M: I do, but it's definitely not the same as it was before, but then I don't
expect it to be. We all made the decision to be in this band. It's what we
want, so we have to accept all the good things and the bad things that come
with it. I couldn't handle it if I couldn't do all the ordinary stuff in my
home town and, thankfully, Sligo's not like that. I can still meet up with my
mates and go out. I don't really have a local, but I have a few favourite
haunts. There aren't 50 million clubs in Sligo, but there are a few fun
places!