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MOVING ON!

Live & Kicking Magazine October 1999
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The world's moving fast for Westlife - in fact, they've changed so much in a year, they don't even recognise their old pictures!

YOU'RE HOPING FOR YOUR THIRD NO.1 - ARE YOU SURPRISED YOU'VE GOT SO BIG SO SOON?
Nicky> Sometimes I feel like saying 'something's gotta go wrong somewhere!' Now we go out and everybody recognises us. The other night we went out in Manchester and everybody was calling us Steps, Boyzone, 911, Spice Girls. Goodness knows why! Ha ha!

DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK YOU'VE CHANGED IN ANY WAYS?
Nicky> Not really. My two best mates still treat me as me, but they've known me since I was 4 and they don't care about what I do. They won't let me buy them stuff just 'cause I'm a pop star!
Bryan> I'm kind of nervous about going home and seeing the reaction to us now from friends.

HOW MUCH SHELF LIFE DO YOU GIVE WESTLIFE AS A GROUP?
Shane> It's hard to say. The good thing about us is that Kian plays guitar and piano really well, Mark plays piano and Bryan guitar. So you might see us playing instruments later on and appealing to a wider audience.
Nicky> Kian's teaching me piano at the moment!

HAVE YOU GOT USED TO CONSTANTLY TRAVELLING ROUND THE WORLD?
Nicky> Planes are like bed to us now, and I must admit I still get excited about the little aeroplane meals!
Shane> Mark once slept for 13 hours on a flight!
Nicky> I hate living out of a suitcase now - I detest it! So me and Shane are looking to get ourselves apartments in London.

IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT YOU MISS FROM HOME?
Kian> I miss Irish bacon... an Irish fry-up is the best.

SO DO YOU HAVE ANY HOT TRAVELLING TIPS?
Kian> I always carry my wash bag in my hand luggage, with clean pants and my glasses for reading in case my luggage goes missing for yonks.
Bryan> I still take the most luggage 'cause I never know what I'm gonna wear! I'm too lazy to choose my clothes beforehand!

HOW HAVE YOU COPED GETTING MOBBED?
Mark> You do get a buzz, but then there's weird and scary things about fame too.
Kian> What, like coping with putting my hand out to shake hands with some fans, and my ring... oooomph... gone?! Or when a fan pretended to faint so she got pulled out, but then ran straight on to the stage and jumped on top of Mark!
Bryan> We do get given some handy things from fans sometimes though. I'm wearing some fan's pants now... look! (Pulls tops of blue satin boxer shorts up) Good, eh?
Shane> It'll always freak us out 'cause it's just not normal!
Nicky> In Asia you can't even go to the toilet without three security guys looking after you!

LOOKING AT YOUR FIRST PRESS SHOT WHAT ARE YOUR REACTIONS?
Bryan> Oh, look at me hair! I can't recognise meself! We look like we've just been shearing sheep! Ha ha! I think Mark looks better in that picture.
Nicky> Shane looks like he's running for president! Ha ha! We look like farmers! We should have been called Farmlife!
Shane> Cheers Nicky! That's the worst picture of me with the worst clothes!
Kian> Westside sounds weird now too. I look about 12 it's as if I'm posing for a school picture.

ARE THERE GONNA BE OLD SCHOOL FRIENDS SELLING SAUCY STORIES TO THE TABLOIDS?
Bryan> Ireland's different too, no one's ever sold a story about Boyzone or B*Witched, it's just not what people are about.
Kian> I got the thing about me doing kissograms out of the way as soon as possible!

IF ANY OF YOU BECAME SOLO ARTISTS, WHO'D IT BE?
Kian> Bryan'll go mad and sing loads of rock songs or something - like Bryan Adams! Shane'll do pop, but Mark'll go major, major R'n'B!
Nicky> Not all of us are gonna be solo artists - I'd love to be a TV presenter!
Bryan> I reckon Shane and Mark would take a break at home in Sligo. Kian'd start a rock band or acting and Nicky would do TV, so I think it'd be me.
Shane> I'd love to do a solo song but I couldn't see myself without the other guys. Going round the world on my own being a solo artist? I don't know. Maybe I'll just end up running a night club!

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