(Taken from the UK Message Board)
Smooth talking bloke band BBMAK might have cracked the charts, but how do they get on when they have to crack funnies with the laydees?
Right now, BBMak are all over the airwaves and if you haven't heard of them a couple of months ago - you definitely will have by now. But Ste McNally, Christian Burns and Mark Barry are not, we repeat not, a boyband. Yes, they're three blokes who look good and sing lovely melodic songs, but that they say, is where the similarity ends. Firstly, they came together of their own accord. Secondly, they write their own music. And thirdly (much to our disappointment) they don't do any synchronised dancing. But what do these three Northern lads do do is sell millions of records in the States where they're spent most of the last four years. And they're finally making inroads on home turf. Lauren Libbert met them for a chat...
NW: You're a huge hit in the States - i bet American women just love
you.
Christian: I think our English accents are a novelty for American
women to begin with. Their first impressions are:'oh, what a cute
accent!' It's a great ice - breaker. The other day, a girl even came
up to me and said [putting on a strong American twang] 'oh my gaad.
You're so cute. You wanna drink?'
NW: Are they more forward than us Brits?
Christian: Nah, women are the same the world over. They just have
different accents.
NW: And who's easier to get in the sack?
Christian: I think it depends on their personalities rather than
nationalities.
NW: What are your fans like?
Mark: They're great!
Ste: Yeah, some have travelled all the way from Japan to Las Vegas -
crazy! We've also had a few g-strings and bras thrown at us!
Christian: The weirdest thing is when people find out about where
you're staying before you even know. That's a bit freaky!
NW: Would you ever go out with a fan?
Ste: I wouldn't go out with someone who was completely obsessed and
knew the name of my dog and everything. But if she liked our music
and was down to earth and funny - a regular person, then why not?
NW: So what do u look for in a woman?
Mark: Well, looks grab my attention first, then its nice eyes and
someone who likes a laugh. But she can't be sarcastic.
Christian: You don't know who you'll fall for untill it happens so
i'll keep my options open.
Ste: All i can say is i've never been out with a girl with blonde
hair....
NW: If you had to pick between Liz Hurley and Pamela Anderson, who
would it be?
All: Liz Hurley.
Mark: Pammy's a bit overdressed for me.
Christian: Don't you mean underdressed?
Mark: I suppose so! I don't like women caked in make - up or wearing
belts instead of skirts.
Ste: Pamela obviously feels more comfortable without much material
covering her up.
Christian: In fact, we've met them both. We met Liz at a party in LA.
Mark: And we met Pamela Anderson over here when we were on T4. She
knew all about us and phoned us up afterwards and asked us to go on
her show, VIP.
NW: And are you going to do it?
Christian: Yes - if it fits in with our schedule.
NW: So back to the laydees. If you were going on a date in your home
town, where would you take the lucky woman?
Mark: I'd take her to an Italien restaurant then probably go home.
After a big meal and a couple of beers, I'd be a bit tired.
Christian: Lightweight. I'd take her for a pizza in Wigan and then to
a club called Kudos.
Ste: I'd take her somewhere to eat.
Mark: Where? McDonalds?
Ste: Ha ha. Somewhere nice and quiet.
NW: And how would you chat someone up?
Mark: I never use chat up lines - they're silly.
Christian: You need to make eye contact and once you've got it, in
that split second, you know if she's going to say yes to a drink.
Mark: Not if she's cross - eyed though, hey?
NW: Do you often pick up girls in bars then?
Christian: Nah, we meet people through work really. when i do get
time off, i just go out in Wigan with about twenty mates and get
drunk. It's not ideal for meeting women.
Mark: When i go home, i often just want to stay in or go to a mate's
flat to have a laugh.
Christian: But you've got a girlfriend.
Mark: That's true.
NW: How long have you been together?
Mark: I met her two years ago in Manchester and started seeing her in
March last year. She's a financial adviser and her work's flexible,
so she comes to the states a lot.
NW: So what do you lot miss about being away from home then?
Christian: I miss the little things, like going to the pub with my
mates and watching the football. I even miss washing my car.
Mark: I miss having a wardrobe. You know, opening a wardrobe and
having clothes and not having to get them out of a suitcase.
Christian: Oh, and brown sauce.
Mark: And my mum's coffee.
Ste: I miss my mum's cooking and Sunday dinner and my dog as well. I
think in the whole of last year, i only had two proper meals.
NW: So would you swap your lives back?
Mark: Going back to the way it used to be would be a mad change.
Ste: The thing is, we've all done the normal job thing. I've worked
on a building site, in a gym,as a security guard...
Mark: I was training to be a fireman.
Christian: And i've been an estate agent, a car salesman, a baker and
an accountants clerk...
NW: Do you like being famous?
Christian: I feel sorry for artists that get built up and are on the
front page of everything. It's not what i want. It's hype. It's not
solid. It can be her today and gone tomorrow.
Ste: I do feel sorry for boybands. Record companies build them up and
say: ' You're great, you're this, you're that' but then they're got
no talent to back it up so once the record sales go down, they're
destroyed.
NW: And if it all fell apart tomorrow, what would you do?
Christian: I'd probably be selling something - maybe cars. I did that
before and loved it.
Mark: I'd probably be a fireman.
Ste: I could do anything if i put my mind to it.
Mark: Could you be a belly dancer?
Ste: Very funny.
NW: What about kids and a family?
Christian: I want to settle down and have kids.
Mark: Me too.
Ste: Right now music is all i want to do but that may change in five
year's time - and yes, of course i want to get married and have kids.
Mark: We're all close to our families and they are behind us all the
way. In fact, when we got our gold discs in the States, we went to a
lovely restaurant in New York for dinner and when we walked in our
families were there. Our manager had flown them in especially.
NW: So where's home then?
Christian: We'd all like a place in the States one day but britain
will always be home.
