EVAN FARMER

HE'S THE LEAD SINGER IN THE MTV PARODY 2GETHER, BUT IT'S NO JOKE THAT THIS CUTIE WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD! BY CLARISSA ROSENBERG. PHOTOGRAPHS BY NOAMI KALTMAN.

TALK ABOUT A LUCKY BREAK! A FEW MONTHS AGO, EVAN FARMER LANDED THE ROLE OF "TEEN IDOL" IN AN MTV BOY-BAND SPOOF. THEN 2GETHER TURNED OUT TO BE SUCH A HUGE SUCCESS THAT IT BECAME A WEEKLY SERIES. NOW THE "BOY BAND" IS PERFORMING LIVE (THEY'RE TOURING WITH BRITNEY!), AND THEIR SECOND ALBUM IS DUE OUT THIS MONTH. WE GOT A SCOOP ON THE SENSITIVE GUY BEHIND THOSE INSANELY BLUE EYES...

Q:OK, EVAN... CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST BIG BREAK?
A: IT WAS AN UNDEROOS AD. I WAS 8. I WAS WEARING SUPERMAN UNDERWEAR AND I HAD TO JUMP THROUGH THESE BARN DOORS AND PRETEND TO FLY. IT WAS A VERY BIG DEAL BACK THEN!

Q: HILARIOUS! SO, SUPERMAN, ANY OTHER FLYING EXPERIENCES?
A: WELL, I DID GO SKYDIVING A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. WHEN I WAS SITTING IN THE PLANE, WAITING TO JUMP, I WAS SCARED. I ALMOST CHICKENED OUT, BUT THE MENTAL PICTURE OF ME NOT JUMPING-AND HAVING TO LIVE WITH MYSELF AFTERWARD-WAS WAY MORE TERRIFYING. I FIGURED THAT I CONTROLLED MY DESTINY, SO I WENT FOR IT!

Q: DO YOU FOLLOW THE "JUST DO IT" RULE IN EVERYTHING?
A: NO. I'M VERY SHY, SO I TAKE FOREVER TO KISS A GIRL FOR THE FIRST TIME. I USUALLY CATCH HER IN THE MIDDLE OF SAYING SOMETHING. SHE'LL BE TALKING, AND I WON'T EVEN BE HEARING WHAT SHE'S SAYING BECAUSE ALL I'M THINKING IS "KISS NOW! KISS NOW!" AT THE LAST SECOND, I'LL CONSIDER BAILING, AND THEN I'LL SAY TO MYSELF, "NO WAY! I CAN'T BAIL-I WOULD NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF!" SO I'LL FINALLY DO IT. IT'S CRAZY-I CAN JUMP OUT OF A PLANE, BUT I CAN'T KISS A GIRL!

Q: DO YOU THINK THAT GIRLS ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND?
A: NOT AT ALL! GUYS FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME THINGS THAT GIRLS DO. ONCE, MY FRIEND WAS HAVING A ROUGH TIME IN A REALTIONSHIP, SO HE CAME TO ME AND, LIKE A COUPLE OF IDIOTS, WE ROLE-PLAYED THE CONVERSATION HE WAS GOING TO HAVE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND. THIS IS SO CHEESY, AND I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M TELLING YOU, BUT WE LITERALLY HIGHFIVED EACH OTHER WHEN WE WERE DONE. LATER, HE SAID THE CONVERSATION HAS PLAYED OUT EXACTLY AS WE'D PRACTICED!

Q: HAVE YOU EVER HAD A HARD TIME WITH A GIRLFRIEND?
A: ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING EXPERIENCES I'VE EVER HAD WAS WHEN MY EX-GIRLFIREND BROKE UP WITH ME IN COLLEGE. AFTERWARD, I JUST WENT NUTS PARTYING, AND I GAINED A LOT OF WEIGHT REALLY FAST-CLOSE TO 40 POUNDS! I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW HEAVY I'D GOTTEN UNTIL I CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND MY SISTER TOOK ONE LOOK AT ME AND SAID, "HEY! YOU FINALLY GREW AN ASS!" IT WAS A WAKE-UP CALL: NONE OF MY FRIENDS HAD SAID ANYTHING ABOUT MY WEIGHT.I WAS SO EMBARRESSED THAT I LITERALLY RAN OUT THE DOOR: I PUT ON MY RUNNING SHOES AND RAN FIVE MILES RIGHT THEN. I KEPT DOING THAT UNTIL I LOST THE EXTRA WEIGHT.

Q: WAS THAT EXPERIENCE THE TOUGHEST YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH?
A: NO. THE WORST WAS WHEN MY MOM WAS DIGANOSED WITH BREAST CANCER DURING MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE. I CAME HOME FROM CLASS AND MY ROOMMATE SAID, "YOUR MOTHER CALLED"-NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS-AND EVEN THOUGH SHE CALLED ALL THE TIME. I JUST KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I SAT ON MY BED AND CRIED. ANYWAY, SHE HAD TO HAVE SURGERY, BUT SHE'S DOING GREAT NOW.

Q: WE CAN'T BELIEVE YOU KNEW BEFORE SHE TOLD YOU! IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU AND YOUR MOM HAVE A PSYCHIC CONNECTION.
A: WE ARE EXTREMELY CLOSE. ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, I WENT THROUGH A ROUGH TIME-WORRYING ABOUT MY FUTURE, FEELING DEPRESSED-AND SHE CALLED ME WITH INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES EVERY DAY FOR A YEAR. SHE TOLD ME TO PUT THEM ON MY BEDPOST AS A REMINDER THAT I WAS GOING TO BE OKAY. IT WORKED! WHEN YOU WAKE UP AND SAY AN AFFIRMATION TO YOURSELF OVER AND OVER, IT GIVES YOU THE POWER TO BELIEVE IT-AND ONCE YOU BELIEVE IT, YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN.